Red Door Real Estate: What it takes to be a Top Real Estate Firm in Buffalo
What is Red Door Real Estate? On the surface, it seems no different and no more original than any other firm in Western New York. They sell houses, mostly in the city, but venture out to the suburbs and Niagara Falls too, they close deals with investors looking for income generating properties, they’re always advertising for new customers too, a ubiquitous reminder that real estate firms exist. But Red Door means much more to Western New York, from Niagara Falls to Buffalo to all the suburbs. Agents at Red Door give just as much of themselves to the community as they do to their work selling homes.
Renee Moran is the embodiment of Red Door Real Estate. All of Red Door’s values start with her. Leading the first woman-owned real estate brokerage in Buffalo is no small effort. Her record is astounding, having closed more than $5 million in sales volume in the past year. With every sale, though, Renee’s first look is to the community. What can she do for the town? What can she do for the neighbors? With that in mind, she leads Red Door into projects meant to revitalize the community when she can.
For most of the 21st century, the Grand Island Motel at 1725 Grand Island Boulevard was a wrinkled husk of its former self. The property, once a key lodging opportunity to travelers trekking to the falls, slowly fell apart after its heyday in the 1960s. By 2010, the motel looked more like a roadside fire hazard than a welcoming inn. Renee led the team that sold the property to the e2i Ventures development group. She sold it to buyers with an aim to refurbish and reinvent the property, and, after some time, e2i unveiled their new creation, a string of luxury apartments. Some apartments are now available for lease, but the exterior of the building is still under construction. The new complex has drawn investments to adjacent properties too. Who knows, in five years we may see more suburban renewal on Grand Island Boulevard.
1725 Grand Island BLVD in 2014 (top)
1725 Grand Island BLVD Design (to be finished in 2022) (bottom)
Teams take on the personalities and the determination of their leaders and Red Door’s agents are no exception. Ahmad Nieves is a full time teacher during the school year. When that school year ends, though, he doesn’t stop teaching. In addition to being Red Door’s specialist in selling city lots, Ahmad teaches a financial education class for adults every week. He teaches the nuances of mortgages, taxes, savings, and how best to protect your money to students ranging from their teens to their fifties. The West Side is on the rebound and Ahmed is doing his part to make sure the neighborhood keeps that momentum moving forward.
The true test of a real estate agency is how well they help first-time buyers purchase their home. It is the most important financial decision of their lives, and buyers should be supported through the whole process. At Red Door, Liz Wandersee specializes in helping first time homebuyers change their lives. Last year, Liz helped a single mother, Tamika, purchase her first home. The impact it had on her life is unfathomable. For the first time, Tamika and her son are living in a secure and stable environment, one close to his school but also close enough to Tamika’s job so that they can save money. Liz has closed more than $4 million in sales in the past year too. From Kenmore to Hamburg to all over the city of Buffalo, if you’re a first time home buyer looking for a place to put down roots Liz is your go-to agent — especially in 2021’s crazy market.
Renee Moran is the heart and soul of the agency, but business development manager and licensed agent Francis Fernando has played a key role in Red Door’s recent success, particularly in the city of Niagara Falls. In recent decades, Niagara Falls has looked like Buffalo before its comeback in the early 2010’s. The offices in downtown Niagara Falls are empty. Old Falls street, once a bustling hub of businesses and restaurants, is eerily quiet, as if the people who once thrived there have evaporated. Francis wants to redress those old wounds. Just a few weeks ago, he organized a bike ride through Niagara Falls, starting outside the TreC Startup Incubator, during which he and other community leaders discussed how to best revitalize the neighborhoods and business hubs of Niagara Falls. Now, the Falls is on a comeback and, with Francis Fernando’s help, Red Door looks to keep it that way.
Red Door is not the average run of the mill agency. Yes, they sell houses. They’re always looking to find investors too. The thing that separates Red Door from the other agencies in Western New York is their passion to revitalize Western New York and their upright zeal to change the community for the better.
