Hardworking pair lead Realty Advisors to new location

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Reality Advisors celebrated its official relaunch on Wednesday, Nov. 20, after moving from the Cherrywood Shopping Center in Wantagh to Park Avenue, one block away from the Wantagh Long Island Rail Road station.

Pies-On Wheels was hired by the realty group to serve the community free pizza during the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.

Owner Christopher Kaufman moved his group downtown area after 16 years in his previous location. The Realty Advisor head was initially a small business owner with two businesses located in Long Beach and East Northport. Then, in the mid 1990’s, Kaufman came to a realization after searching to buy a new home.

“I was looking to buy a home in Bellmore and I started to become interested in the business,” Kaufman said. “I then sold both of my businesses and became involved in real estate.”

Kaufman started his real estate venture working for All-Island Estates. He began to gain a better understanding of the business and soon discovered his most important lesson to date.

“You have to be a samurai with your word,” Kaufman said. “In this business, all you have is your word.”

On Jan. 8, 2000, Kaufman opened the Realty Store. “It was my first venture into realty ownership,” Kaufman said. There, he met Laura Dupkin Memisha. Memisha provided a spark that Kaufman hadn’t seen before or since.

Memisha, a manager at P.C. Richard & Sons at the time, worked nearly 80 hours a week between her managerial job and her newfound real estate career. Kaufman, who also had to learn real estate on the fly, took a liking to Memisha who had to do the same.

By nature, Memisha likes to stay very active. Along with being a member of Realty Advisors, she is an active member of the Wantagh Library Board, sits on the Wantagh Scholarship Committee, and has earned the Wantagh Woman of Distinction and Citizen of the Year awards.

“To me, I feel like I can’t be in the town and not do something for the town,” Memisha said.

Memisha’s stick-to-itiveness and inexhaustible engine is what makes her personality a perfect fit for the business. “This business works on 100% commission,” Memisha said. “What you put in is what you get out, so you have to work hard to accomplish those goals, and you can’t be shy.”

Soon after meeting Memisha, Kaufman pivoted his ownership of the Realty Store into opening Realty Advisors. Kaufman brought Memisha on as the company manager as well as a broker.

“She has that fire and that ‘it’ factor that you rarely see,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman says the difference between his company and other real estate companies in the area is that he doesn’t care if you come in looking to sell your house with them or not. He says his focus is on giving sound and honest advice to prospective buyers or sellers, and that builds up his reputation in the community.

“It’s all about community relations,” Kaufman said.