Aston Rose, a first-of-its-kind luxury national real estate firm, has already started making a huge name for itself in the real estate market. This real estate firm works exclusively to find properties for people whose net worth is millions of dollars.
The firm officially launched on March 17th in the Californian and Floridian real estate markets. Since then, it has gained a lot of attention, with high-end publishers like Forbes putting a spotlight on it.
So: what’s the hype about this firm in a market that already has millions of luxury firms operating?
The company has distinguished itself from other firms in the market with a two-fold angle.
For one, it’s an entirely black-owned real estate firm with four professional athletes as the cofounders. The firm, in essence, with its motive to help high-end investors find the best properties, goes by the slogan “By Pros for Pros.”
Secondly, the firm is primarily focused on bringing in professionals that assist minorities, especially African Americans, to help bridge the minority representation gap. According to one of the cofounders, Lisa Leslie, first-timer minority athletes often fall into the trap of investing in things that don’t increase in value over time. The firm is trying to change that, while also working on minority representation in real estate firms to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
Let’s talk about the cofounders. To get a glimpse of their success in the real estate market, together, the cofounders’ real estate transactions cross the $500M mark.
Tomi Rose, besides being the cofounder, is the firm’s senior director, too. With her real estate experience spanning over 20 years, Rose is currently one of the top-leading real estate agents in the world. Previously a professional cheerleader and the vice president of the National Basketball Wives Association (NBWA), Rose now has numerous achievements in the real estate world. Some of the leading real estate firms like ONE Sotheby’s, Douglas Elliman, and Compass have adopted her revolutionary idea of creating sports and entertainment divisions in real estate that she proposed back in 2013.
Lisa Leslie’s popularity doesn’t just end at the fact that she was a former American professional basketball player: she has won the WNBA twice and the Olympic gold medal four times! Leslie has been working as a luxury realtor for the past five years and has successfully grabbed high-profile clients such as Anita Baker, Chris Webber, and Kyrie Irving. Her array of experience isn’t just limited to sports or real estate, but she is also an author, an executive coach, a former ESPN commentator, and a current analyst for ABC.
Robert Hite, the man behind bringing the cofounders together, was previously an NBA player. If not already, Hite is on his way to becoming South Florida’s leading real estate agent. With his shift to a career in real estate, he’s helped investors discover the best amongst the never-ending options in the luxury real estate market. Hite has worked tirelessly in the industry, leading him to gain the title of Top-20 producers by ONE Sotheby’s. One of his most renowned achievements includes David and Victoria Beckham’s penthouse sale at Miami’s One Thousand Museum.
Lastly, Rod Watson is a popular name in international professional basketball. Before his partnership in Aston Rose, Watson worked with Keller Williams Beverly Hills in a position well-fitted for him: he was the Director of Sports and Entertainment. His work in real estate for over 15 years has led him to work with high-end clients, including NBA stars such as Melo Ball, De’Aaron Fox, Zach Randolph, and Moochie Norris. His real estate market knowledge has made him an expert advisor on luxury properties.
Overall, Aston Rose is leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors in terms of minority representation. Their experienced team of cofounders aims to create a more productive and diverse real estate industry. They are already making a splash with additional features in their transactions, like Personalized NFTs and other Metaverse creations, in order to be in line with the digital economic trends of today’s real estate firms.
