Profile: Schlisser’s Actions Speak As Loud As Her Words

As one of Corcoran's top agents, Daniella Schlisser, has distinguished herself from the pack with brainpower and hard work.

After joining Corcoran in 2001, she was promoted to vice president within two years and earned membership of the firm's Multi Million Dollar Club. Seven years in, she is now senior vice president with an impressive list of deals under her belt.

Schlisser attributes her success not just to smarts and strong work ethic, but says her fluency in multiple languages has been a big asset.

I have absolutely gotten business exclusively based on the fact that I speak several languages.

Schlisser speaks English, German, Italian, French and Hebrew.

"I have absolutely gotten business exclusively based on the fact that I speak several languages," she said. "The languages alone don't secure it, but it gets you a foot in the door. Then it's my job to sustain and grow that business."

One of her keys to being successful as an agent is being "as informed as I can be."

"If I have clients of a culture that's different to mine, having an understanding of that, how they work and how to approach them is important," she said. "It's a combination of being as informed as possible and being happily available as much as possible. But really, really genuinely being available."

Personality goes a long way, as well as being likeable, polite and courteous, she said.

"It's an intimate relationship between buyer and seller and it's important," she said. "There's a subconscious level at which people will commit to being with a broker."

Another key is confidence - Schlisser said she's had several cases where she pressed a co-op board to prove how viable a buyer was.

"There have been many times where another broker would let it go, but I was confident that we could get them through," she said. "I've only had one board turndown in my career and it was a calculated turndown. My seller and I calculated we'd take it off the market, if they don't go through."

Though now she works primarily uptown, Schlisser said there's "no neighborhood I don't work in," having also done business in Chelsea, the West Village, Tribeca and Soho.

She was raised in New York City and Vienna, then went to Paris to study political science. Her first job was as a reporter working for the Associated Press in Paris then later working with designer Ralph Lauren as part of a team helping to open a retail store in the City of Lights.

In 1990, she came to a crossroads and had the choice to stay in Paris, move to Vienna, or move to New York. She chose New York.

Living in a community where she felt comfortable and supported in her Jewish identity was one of the key factors to her move.

Schlisser's father, who died from cancer when she was a child, was a Hungarian holocaust survivor. She attended Jewish day school in Manhattan and described her childhood as being a "pronounced Jewish upbringing."

Vienna, which she admitted was a "beautiful place," ultimately proved "too slow" of a pace for her, and most of her friends since she was a child resided in New York.

Back in the Big Apple, she resumed her reporting career with the AP then took a break to have her children.

Finding her calling as a broker stemmed from a practical decision; Post divorce, she needed a job that paid well yet also gave her enough free time to raise her children as a single mother.

"I needed a job flexible and lucrative enough to take care of my children," she said. "Real estate was really all I could come up with that would allow me to do that."

A pragmatic decision on her part, Schlisser didn't expect to enjoy the job at all. "But it turned out that I loved it," she said.

Looking forward into 2013 and beyond, Schlisser sees a confident market, with buyers jumping on opportunities.

"I see buyers quite anxious to secure property," she said. "I've had several buyers who lost out on properties over the holidays."

And after a busy few months, she sees no let up in business. "My buyers are quite aware of the lean inventory and competitiveness in the market now."