Timur Mone is a creature of habit. Mone, a young broker who recently jumped to Corcoran after being named Rookie of the Year at Platinum Properties, followed a strict regimen as he started his career in the real estate industry.
He would wake up at 5 a.m., go to a gym near New Jersey Transit an hour later, and then clock in at Platinum’s 30 Wall Street offices by 7. 30 a.m.
While that sounds like a hectic start to a day, it was just Mone’s warm-up routine.
“I powered through the 14-hour day creating hundreds of ads, scheduling showings (and) attending broker previews,” he said.
“I worked a lot. In the first six months, I had maybe a couple of days off because it was Christmas or my mom’s birthday.”
Less than six months after joining Platinum Properties he was named Rookie of the Year because, said president Danny Hedaya, “he not only surpassed other agents in production, but also exhibited an unparalleled work ethic and characteristic resilience.
The boss said, “”Timur fully embraced the force that drives this business, and worked insatiably toward his sales goal since day one.
Mone, who started his real estate career in 2014, attributes his work ethic to a conversation he had with Larry Silverstein, the chairman of Silverstein Properties.
He met the developer at a party for luxury condo building, 30 Park Place. Before Silverstein ended their conversation, he apparently imparted some life lessons. “The key to success is hard work. Nothing beats it, young man,” Silverstein told the young agent.
Those words have since imprinted themselves into Mone’s worldview. He said it continues to “ring in my ear” as he attempts to claw his way into million-dollar deals.
With his expanding contact list and his increasingly bright prospects, Mone, who has a biological science degree from University of Connecticut, said he has several reasons for getting into real estate; love of New York City, architecture, flexible hours or working with people in an exciting environment all contributed to his decision.
But the potential to make money was also a major driving force. “I was spending so much for school. I wanted to help my parents financially,” he explained.
While Silverstein provided the inspiration, he said his personal history was the real source of his dreams.
Mone, who migrated to the US from Kyrgyzstan at the age of 16, said that his goals hinge on one person. “My mom. She came here in 1999. She’s cleaning toilets in Brooklyn. And she’s a dentist, she’s a well-respected woman from my country,” he said.
“When you come here, you can’t do anything. So she had me and my two brothers to feed back in Kyrgyzstan. When I came here, she was already better off in life.
“Then my dad got cancer and he lost his job. My mom at the time was a nursing assistant and she was making minimum wage. And I was going to school. So the whole family had to work overtime, and go to school full-time.
“That’s why when I got closer to graduation, I didn’t want to go on to graduate school at all. I had to work. I couldn’t just see her working full time and me just studying. I needed to take control of things and help her.”
He credited Platinum for providing a path to making money. He said that he joined the firm because it offered the learning environment that he was looking for. “I knew the firm. I wanted to work here because I knew what kind of firm I wanted to be in. I needed a guide. I needed someone to teach me,” he said.
However, in spite of what he described as an “incredible partnership,” he said he was presented with an offer than he couldn’t refuse.
“After a memorable and incredible partnership with Platinum Properties, I received an opportunity from The Corcoran Group. After a thorough and careful consideration, I realized that this opportunity is too exciting for me to turn down,” he said.
For Mone, the process of making money continues to grow easier. When he spoke to Real Estate Weekly, he had just closed on a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom unit at The Alfred (161 West 61st Street) that sold for $1.325 million.
He also recently moved to Chelsea, which made his mornings a little less hectic.
