BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM

 Douglas Elliman's top Realtor in Suffolk County, Bryn Elliott, has surprisingly combined a close-knit approach with clients alongside the rapid response mantra of contemporary marketing.

Originally published in the july 2016 issue of the bayport-blue point gazette

After nine years of marriage, my husband and I had blissfully (granted this is arguable) fallen into our roles as decision-makers and at this point I was binge-watching HGTV for Joanna Gaines’ retro chic décor ideas for our non-existent dream home.  When we decided to leave the city and move to my husband’s beloved hometown of Bayport, he proclaimed, “Since we’re buying on Long Island, we’re using Bryn Elliott.”  When I asked Sean why this wasn’t up for debate he said, “Because Bryn’s the best.  Everyone uses him as their Realtor,” adding, “we played football together” knowing this small-town detail would probably shift my thinking to Varsity Blues. 

Coming from the world of corporate expatriation law (it’s as miserable as it sounds), I was used to emails answered within seconds of delivery, off-hours conference calls, and a mantra that the client’s wishes were granted no matter what.  Long Island to me had represented a warm, friendly, laid-back antithesis of the rat race we were leaving behind.  Worried this mentality would have me come off as nagging, overbearing, and belligerent (basically my entire client roster), I didn’t know how a South Shore guy could deal with my “city intensity.”  In addition, my clinical anxiety made paperwork, phone calls, and attention to detail nearly impossible to be on top of, especially when it came to the added saga of being first time home-buyers. 

This is where the ubiquitous, charming face of Douglas Elliman’s #1 Realtor in Suffolk County, Bryn Elliott, proved to me that mercantilism, or business for the overall benefit of a community beyond the individual, still existed in the close-knit, cherished hometown of my husband.  And golly! Was I surprised to have a fierce negotiator for us alongside Bryn’s affable, unassuming demeanor.  Throughout every hoop we had to jump to move into our home on Ocean (at a breakneck speed of two months from bid to closing), Bryn had trusted vendors (from mortgage brokers to floor refinishers) to make the process run as smoothly as possible.  As I grew more anxious and fear-laden about the home-buying process, he proved just how caring he was, patiently answering repeated and convoluted questions I had at warp speed, smoothing over any faux pas I committed, and gently reminding me of deadlines or paperwork that needed to be completed to keep the transaction moving.  Thanks to Bryn’s devotion and diligence to us, we were able to close with a few days to spare on the tight timeline. 

When I went to write him a review on Zillow, I read scores of 5-star attestations that echoed our experience with Bryn; corporate efficiency and negotiating, but with the heart of a beacon of traditional, hometown hospitality.  In other words, the white-glove was something standard to all his clients (not borne out of some former-Phantom-footballer gentleman’s agreement that I had envisioned…)

As a life-long resident of Bayport-Blue Point (class of 1998), Bryn’s parents made their home coming from up-state and across the pond.  True to his word that “everything you could need or want is right here,” Bryn’s owned only American-made cars since the age of 17.  The youngest board member of the BBP Chamber of Commerce, Bryn is the first and most ardent recommender for local eateries, shopping, and services.  Being his friend and non-native to BBP, he serves as my personal Yelp! account whenever I need to know the best (and, because it’s Bryn, inevitably local) place.

This macro-mentality of connecting clients not just to a house or a town, but to a home and community, is the passion that fuels Bryn’s 24/7 efforts as a committed Realtor and a proud son of the south shore.  “I’m so fortunate to love what I do, but I also get to work in the town that I love.  Being a Realtor is so much more than showing a listing with the numbers of bedrooms you need---it’s about finding the house where you want your kids to grow up.  The American Dream starts with buying a home; my work is to make sure the reverie continues well after you move in.”