Journey to the Top
The Brightest Heaven of Invention
With sprawling offices in a prime locations, Barak Dunayer, the President and
Founder of BARAK Realty, may look as if he were born with a silver spoon in his
mouth. On the contrary, Dunayer will be the first to proclaim he is a self-made
man whose company he built, as he would put it, with pure smarts and sweat equity.
The story of the birth of this powerhouse boutique company reveals modest beginnings,
sacrifice, passion, innovation and uncompromised integrity.
The History
A foundation of Intelligence, Work Ethic and Integrity
In 1994, Dunayer arrived in New York City from his native Israel, with nothing more
than $3,000 in his pocket which was hardly enough to survive an entire year while
he attended the very prestigious Juilliard School. After a distinguished career
as a professional trumpeter, he found his limitation: though he was a good trumpet
player, he wasn’t the best. Being the best in any endeavor he takes on has always
been Dunayer’s objective. He soon pursued his MBA to explore other avenues where
he could apply his work ethic, his endless quest for perfection and his exceptional
leadership skills. He discovered real estate.
Upon receiving his license, Dunayer was initially drawn to larger firms where he
would have aspired to be a top producer. Without valuable contacts in the city and
being an unknown in the real estate industry then, his requests for interviews were
ignored. He ended up working for a broker who received more calls from creditors
than from clients.
Despite the lack of training, resources or support, Dunayer was committed to learn
the business on his own and within one year to earn the points required to become
a broker. “I decided that I couldn’t do any worse on my own. The advantage of working
in the worst possible conditions gave me the opportunity to formulate a vision for
a mint-condition company that supported its agents in a way that I never was. I
felt it could have been easier had I only been with a company that partnered up
with me in developing my business. Since I never experienced that, I wanted others
to get it,” says Dunayer validating his philosophy of always being the best and
making a positive difference in people’s lives.
With no capital for an office space and his belief in not borrowing money from investors
lest he compromise his vision, Dunayer’s tiny, 5th floor walk-up, studio apartment
was the only place he had to run his then fledgling company. He built a loft-bed
in the apartment; put a desk, phone and computer under it; and answered the phone
in a falsetto voice to let people think he had a secretary before he “transferred”
the call to himself. Whenever he had to meet with a client, he used Starbucks down
the block to hide the fact that he had no real office. Armed with product knowledge,
a winning smile and pure tenacity, the deals started to close one after another.
After one and a half years of success, his wife Yael Dunayer quit her job and joined
him to grow the family business. “Together, the two of us accomplished the work
of 10 people. Sometimes we stayed up three nights in a row, stuffing and licking
thousands of envelopes for mailings which resulted in exclusive listings. Whatever
it took we did it,” Yael Dunayer reminisces. Although there was exponential growth
in their business, the Dunayers chose to stay in their 5th floor walk-up through
the birth of their daughter, Maya Dunayer, who is now five years old, to build the
capital needed to open up an office. capital needed to open up an office.
The Present
All the Resources and all the Attention to Details
Today the same family-owned firm boasts 2 offices in prime locations - a handsome
floor-through office space on West 72nd Street at Broadway and a chic store front
boutique on Third Avenue at 82nd Street, both heralding BARAK Realty and waving
its personal slogan We’ll see you home. Dunayer is proud to point out that
he is no longer alone in running his business. He has hired what he believes is
the best management team he can assemble to share his vision. Dunayer is quick to
criticize the corporate takeover of NYC’s real estate industry, “New Yorkers have
always loved boutique shops so it’s no surprise that many buyers and sellers out
there are dissatisfied with the service they get from these huge chop shops. Anonymous
corporate service is just not what New York is all about.” Because of the firm’s
attention to details and commitment to personalized service, BARAK Realty has captured
substantial market share away from its corporate competitors and has attracted top
producing agents.
The Future
Capturing More Market Share, Being the Largest Boutique Firm
Continued expansion is high on BARAK Realty’s agenda with plans to open another
office Downtown by 2012, Its growth is arguably the fastest in the city compared
to any other firm. Every year, quarter to quarter, whether the market is on an up
cycle or down, BARAK agents continue to break records in transactions per agent,
revenue per agent and listings per agent. Dunayer says his intention is to make
the boutique approach the standard instead of the exception. “I named the firm BARAK
because my name means ‘lightning’ in Hebrew. We represent a thunderous harbinger
for change in this industry. I believe in our bright future.”
