2019 Ones to Watch: Isaac Shrem, Westbridge Realty Group

Name: Isaac Shrem 

Title: Director

Company Name: Westbridge Realty Group

What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment in the past 12 months?

Being named director of our firm towards the end of 2018 was a monumental accomplishment in my career. I started here at Westbridge when the firm was literally one month old, and I had minimal knowledge of the industry. With hard work and determination, we were named the Real Deal’s top 5 Bronx brokerages of 2018 based on dollar volume. This was exhilarating, especially since we are an office with only 10 brokers.

If you have a mentor, who is it and how have they influenced your personal & professional growth?

I just recently lost my mentor, my grandfather Abe Seruya a few months back. He was the single greatest influence on my professional and personal life. He taught me that all people, whether it be Jack Welch, or your local gas pumper, deserve the same level of respect. He also stressed that I have the ability to achieve anything in the world, I just need to wholeheartedly believe in myself and put in the work. 

Furthermore, one of his proudest achievements was teaching me and all of his other 20+ grandchildren how to swim, adding to his legend status. 

Who are some leaders that you admire and why?

I really admire Elon Musk. Yes, he’s had his ups and downs recently, but everyone has to admit that the man is one of the most brilliant people in the world. I seriously wonder if he can think inside the box. Who would have thought of an underground car tunnel to help solve the traffic issues in LA? Or the colonization of Mars? The characteristic I appreciate most about him is his ability to activate multiple life altering ideas and be passionate enough to pursue them all at the same time. 

Who or what do you attribute to your success?

My clientele, some of whom I have surprisingly never transacted with. Back in 2015 when I first started out, all of these veteran investors that I met kept telling me that the Bronx is the place to be, which led me to start working on deals there back when nobody wanted to step foot in the borough. Right now the Bronx is one of the few places in NYC where you can still find deals that are fairly priced and “make sense.” They have taught, and continue to teach me the nooks and crannies of the industry.