CONNECT WITH JUSTIN
How do you build community through your work?
Describe a day in the life of Justin Martinez.
I’m a runner, so to start my day, I run at least 10 miles in the morning. I’m out the door by 7 or 7:30. I usually have coffee at home, but when I don’t, we’ve got Hungry Ghost and a bunch of other coffee shops nearby. After that, I’m jumping on calls, then going between pitches, showings, and working on social media content for most of the day. Then maybe around 6, I’ll go for my second run, maybe up by Domino Park.
What’s your
favorite part of
the job?
name
Justin Martinez
HOMETOWN
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
years IN REAL ESTATE
15
CURRENT RESIDENCE
East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Real estate never stops ticking. With each installment of ‘Clocking In,’ we’ll join a different agent from across the Corcoran network — in places they know best — to learn how they live, work, and play.
Photography by Alexandra Moreo
What do you love most about where you live? Williamsburg feels like SoHo did maybe 10–15 years ago. Just being there, you know you’re in a place that’s just emerging very rapidly. I love the culture, the shopping, the proximity to transportation, and just seeing the overall growth of the neighborhood. I’ve been working in this neighborhood since 2012, and it just continues to transform year by year. You work across all neighborhoods and boroughs — no easy feat. What are some of the ways you’ve been able to grow across such a broad area? I attribute a lot of it to working with developers and doing market research studies for them. I’ll analyze different neighborhoods in terms of everything from price per square foot to what concessions are being given. And now, by doing these social media videos, I just get to see a crazy amount of inventory. I’ve been to Staten Island more in the last two years than I have in the rest of my life.
You’ve built a strong social media following, particularly on Instagram. How has that influenced your approach? I’ve started this series where I’ll choose a price point and compare it across neighborhoods. I’m of course from New York, but a lot of newcomers still associate “the city” with just being Manhattan. So I thought, why not show people what they can get for different price points throughout all five boroughs? We started on Instagram and spun off the same concept on YouTube. Our top video has about 800k views, and if I put out videos consistently enough, we’d probably get the channel past 50k followers. We’ve grown on social to the point where sellers and developers find us all the time. We’ve gotten buyers from it. We even sold a penthouse in Greenpoint where the client initially reached out by Instagram DM.
Well — when you work with new developments, you’re literally building communities from the ground up. I’ve done a lot of small projects, and I’ve also done bigger-sized ones with 200 units.
You’ll occasionally hear people say things like, “Oh, brokers just care about their commission.” What drives me most is the relationships. Knowing I’ve helped make the buying or selling experience go as smoothly as possible for my clients is, for me, the most fulfilling. Yesterday, for example, I had a call with one of my developers, and they said, “I’m really grateful to be working with you, and we’ve learned so much.” Hearing that type of thing, that you’ve done a good job and made a difference, means everything.
What’s your best piece of advice for a first-time New York City homebuyer, whether they already live here or are new to the city entirely? I always tell people, “Know your budget.” You always think of the total amount, obviously, and the down payment. But in terms of the monthly payment, what’s the most you’re comfortable paying every 30 days? And the second thing is to check out neighborhoods and see as much as possible. I want you to know the inventory like the back of your hand. I usually have my buyers start by seeing as much as they can by themselves, so when they’re ready, we can focus on where they really want to be.
You’re actively involved with the YMCA and community service. Tell us a little us about that.
Whenever I’ve qualified for the New York City Marathon, I’ve only run it for charity. I learned that the YMCA has a great program that gives free memberships for after-school programs to families that need them. In 2024, I raised enough to basically get free memberships for 100 kids.
I don’t generally talk about philanthropy openly because I feel like people should just give back without posting about it, right? I do it because making other people smile makes me smile. The next step for me is focusing on veterans because my dad is a 20-year vet himself. I’d also love to do something for animals. We have a cat and a 20-year-old Yorkie/Chihuahua mix. I’ve had dogs all my life.
clocking in
with Justin Martinez
Corcoran | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
