MARKETMAKERS
When he wants to sell a house, he parks Rolls Royces and Maseratis in the driveway, puts
swimsuit models in the pool and hires “The Next American Idol” (his words) to belt out Christina
Aguilera on the floating double staircase. Then he invites the cognoscenti of Wall Street and the
glitterati of the design world to mix and mingle.
“I always found that an event brought people together,” he explains.
Shawn Elliott and Barbara Sellinger
For his latest event in Upper Brookville, NY, he started with a guest list of 250. More than 500
showed up at the 14,500-square-foot Mediterranean-style Villa at Chestnut Hill. To get past the
phalanx of black-clad bodyguards, guests had to produce a business card. “It became the place to
be,” he says. So much so that the line of Mercedes, Porsches and other imports squeezed the
streets of the gated community into one lane and stretched for more than a half-mile. Not bad for
a Wednesday night in March on Long Island’s North Shore.
Shawn says the Villa was the right venue for his party. He had the ability to utilize his strategic
partnerships with Rolls Royce Motorcars Long Island, Ferrari of Long Island and Maserati of
Long Island to fill the gated courtyard, Thomas Grimaldi Billiards to furnish Ms. Pac-Man and
pool tables and the Echo Agency to supply a bevy of white-clad models serving up de Loach
chardonnay and tuna tartar. A couple also lounged in the indoor pool room, soaking in the hot
tub and chatting with guests.
By Karen M. Harris
Photography by
Charles Harris
“There is the anticipation that if someone didn’t buy that night, then 500 people would tell 10
about the home and so on,” Shawn says. His theory paid off: there was a bid during the party.
Shawn has always had a knack for making the deal. He began his career in the family retail shoe
business, honing his sales skills. After graduating with a marketing degree from the University of
Miami, he decided to branch out from the family business. Since the women who bought shoes
from the Elliotts would also obviously have to buy clothes, he opened a shop and used the shoe
store’s mailing list for promotion. From there, he branched out to United Colors of Benetton
franchises, eventually opening 14 stores which became the most profitable in the U.S.
With his proven retail success and marketing
background, Shawn decided in 1999 to form
The Elliott Retail Group, a consultant for major
wholesalers wanting to expand into the retail
sector. His first client was a West Coast chain of
stores. Good and bad: a successful new career
but constant commuting to L.A. The travel
eventually became too much for the family –
wife Betsy and sons Jake (now in 11th grade)
and Zachary (an undergrad at the University
of Miami). So Shawn decided it was time for
another career makeover.
Betsy Elliott
M AY 2 0 1 0 A S P 1 R E M A G A Z I N E
67
MARKETMAKERS
His mom says Shawn was a born real-estate agent. She remembers
taking him to look at a house when he was 5. “He told me we couldn’t
buy the house because the driveway was too long and he’d be late for
school,” she remembers.
He got his real estate license in 2001 and joined a major broker. His
first sale in his first month was north of $1 million. Shawn Elliott
Luxury Listings was quickly born under the aegis of his employer.
The business lasted a year, when Shawn decided it was time to go out
on his own.
In 2002, Shawn Elliot Luxury Homes & Estates was born, quickly
growing from three to five to 20 agents. A second office was opened.
Other agencies were acquired. The business grew to 30 agents and
associate brokers.
With the real-estate brokerage going strong, Shawn decided in 2008
to add condos to his repertoire. He bought another firm, growing his
organization to more than 100 full-time agents. He also branched out
in the industry with Luxury Title Agency.
By mid-2009, Shawn Elliot Luxury Homes & Estates had put into
contract more homes worth more than $5 million than in the history
of the company. Sales reached in excess of $200 million.
Shawn credits his ability to be creative and proactive for his success,
saying Realtors can’t stick with traditional sales methods. Open
houses from 3 to 5 don’t bring in potential buyers. But a sunset
party with engraved invitations at the home of a professional athlete
do. The New York Times covered it. The $4.5 million house was in
contract within a week of the party.
His customer base includes “the Who’s Who of the North Shore”:
Fortune 500 businessmen, physicians, athletes and entertainers.
Partygoers include Talon Air Vice President Jason Sanders, jewelry
designer Ron Rizzo and handbag designer Kathy Van Zeeland. “This
is relationship driven,” he says. “Everybody helping everybody.”
Maryanne Caputo &
Laurie La Calandra
James Bouler
Shawn’s next venture is magazine publisher, the perfect marriage for
real estate and promotion. Shawn Elliott Luxury magazine debuted in
the fall of 2009 and will be published quarterly. Each magazine will
coincide with a party at a listed Gold Coast home.
“I want to build a brand, do something different,” he says, adding that
Long Island needs a lifestyle magazine so he’s filling the niche. His
“strategic alliances” are showcased in the pages. From interior
designers to exotic car dealers to builders, all those who work with
Shawn are also in print.
Shawn Elliott Luxury has a distribution of 25,000 copies. The size is
growing: from 58 pages in the first issue to probably 84 with the third
issue in June. He envisions the brand expanding beyond print. He
hired a film crew for the Villa event and is putting together a demo to
pitch to HGTV and Bravo.
Guests of Shawn Elliott
But that isn’t enough for 2010. He’s also buying another real estate
company. One more way that, as his office phone message states,
he can “sell your home faster and for more money than the
competition.”
Shawn & Betsy’s Family
Source:
SHAWN ELLIOT
LUXURY HOMES & ESTATES
(516) 364-HOME
www.shawnelliott.com
Innovative Glass Family