Seligman attributes much of his success to growing up in the city and having an innate talent for the business. “I have developed a sixth sense for how to match people with property,” he says. “I also think some agents don’t listen to their clients and don’t understand what they want.” Naturally, it helps that many of Seligman’s clients run in his Beatrice Inn–frequenting social circle. (He’s been spotted scoping property with Kirsten Dunst and Nicole Richie too, though he won’t comment.) He and Stam, for instance, first met through mutual friends when he was 17. He helped her find her first condo, and, as her modeling career skyrocketed, found her two subsequent Manhattan apartments as well as a house in the Hamptons. Stam, meanwhile, introduced him to model chums who were shopping for homes of their own. “There’s a reason that he’s still friends with his clients after he sells them apartments,” says Stam. “He’s not a shark. He’s about making the person happy.”
With so many young clients, Seligman’s age has probably helped more than hurt him. “Some Realtors today don’t have BlackBerries,” he says, as if in disbelief. “I recently sold an apartment with no phone, e-mail or text conversations—I did the whole deal via BlackBerry Messenger! I don’t even think anyone in my office knows what that is.”
