With over 25 years of experience in real estate, Karen Sharf has taken over as the new manager of Daniel Gale Realty’s Roslyn office.
Sharf, who began working for Daniel Gale in the Glen Head office the spring of 2013, said joining Daniel Gale was the “best decision for her business life and overall happiness.”
In taking on her new position, Sharf succeeds Lea Frank, who worked as the Roslyn office manager for Daniel Gale since 2001, when the company acquired Sterling Properties, a real estate company Frank co-owned with Jane Salamon and Linda Wohl.
Frank, who has not yet determined her future plans, said the three chose Daniel Gale because of the company’s “excellent service and outstanding values.”
“I think it was a very seamless relationship because Sterling Properties subscribed to the same level of professionalism,” Frank said.
Sharf said Frank has “welcomed her with open arms” while working with her during the transition period.
“I am really working alongside her and sharing with her the roles and responsibilities of a manager,” Frank said. “She’s nice to work with and very enthusiastic. It’s refreshing.”
Sharf began her real estate career at a small company located down the street from Daniel Gale’s Roslyn office and moved on to open up her own company, Glorious Homes, which she said she sold about 15 years ago. She also worked at her own boutique agency, The Hunt-Ashley Group, until 2008, when she said she decided to take a “brief hiatus” from real estate due to a slow real estate market.
She said that when she was looking into returning to real estate, she never considered joining any other company besides Daniel Gale.
“I had zero hesitation that I wanted Daniel Gale,” Sharf said. “I feel the brand of Daniel Gale is synonymous with luxury at every price point. It had the reputation I wanted and that I hope I project in my personal business. I want to be as professional as I possibly can.”
Sharf said that after about a year in the Glen Head office, the company inquired about her interest in management, but she said she was not interested in taking a management position at the time.
However, about a month ago, Sharf received a call from Daniel Gale regional director Deirdre O’Connell, who said she wanted to talk about a management position in the Roslyn office.
“After owning a company and having agents that work for me for many years, I just felt that I had something more to give in terms of my real estate knowledge and skills than listing and selling houses,” Sharf said. “I needed more to fulfill what I had to offer.”
Sharf said that she knows the inventory in the Roslyn market “very well” and feels “completely at home and comfortable” after just a few weeks in the management position.
“The Roslyn office was a perfect fit,” she said. “They were a good fit for me, and I was the right fit for them.”
Sharf said her first goal in her new position is to get to know her agents and inventory. She also said she plans on working to spread awareness to the public of the office’s location at 1400 Northern Blvd.
Frank said her best advice to Sharf is “to be a good listener and supportive to all the agents.”
“We are a family. We care about each other,” Frank said of the Roslyn office. “ I think that’s a great benefit to Karen to be steeping into that kind of atmosphere and culture.”
