Paulina Keszler is a Ross alum from the Class of 2012. In her time since graduating from Ross School, she has pursued higher education and has now gone on to become one of the East End's "Up & Coming Agents to Know in Hamptons Real Estate," according to James Lane Post.
Paulina was raised in Germany and moved to the Hamptons permanently at the beginning of middle school. She attended Ross School from middle school through Grade 12 and later went on to pursue an art degree at Parsons School for Design at The New School in New York City, studying fashion design.
Raised by her mother Michaela Keszler, successful Hamptons real estate agent, Paulina developed a natural interest in real estate and property development from a relatively young age. Now, Michaela and Paulina are a vastly successful mother-daughter duo taking the Hamptons real estate world by storm!
"Working alongside her has been an education, and I’m able to implement many of the insightful things I’ve learned from her in my own career," she explained to Ty Wenzel for James Lane Post. "Having a successful parent in real estate made stepping into the industry a little less intimidating because I have known some of my colleagues for well over ten years. In a competitive market like this, it’s helpful to know some people and have relationships."
As Paulina was growing up and her mother was pursuing a future in real estate, she recalled, "I remember being really intrigued by the fact that my mom was going back to school. I remember that really well for some reason." After studying at Ross School and immersing herself in her personal, creative passions, Paulina pursued a degree in fashion from Parsons School of Design at The New School. She began a career working in fashion styling when she discovered a passion for screenwriting.
Paulina contributes much of her success to the support of her parents and family. When she expressed interest in fashion and then later, writing films, she said, "My parents — I told them this and they supported me — they were super happy — and said as long as I can figure out how to pay my bills, I’m allowed to pursue whatever I want." But it wasn't long before she discovered her passion for real estate. "I fell in love with the high stakes and the pressure and the fast pace. And I love how people live in their homes too, which is also super interesting. My phone was ringing nonstop and all of a sudden I had a career.”
Paulina joined the team at Douglas Elliman in Southampton back in 2019 and has been making a name for herself in the industry ever since. According to Behind the Hedges, while they do many transactions together, Paulina and her mother are not officially a team. Michaela says she felt it was important her daughter have her own customers and be independent. “She picks exactly the right house or something comes up and she says, ‘This is for this person.’ This just gives me the satisfaction she’s really made for this because she understands not to waste somebody’s time and pick the right houses for the right people,” Michaela explained.
When asked about the effects the pandemic has had on Hamptons real estate, Paulina explains, "In the Hamptons, we are now a larger first home market than ever before. People want to live here full-time. We are seeing more young families with children enrolled in the schools. The quality of life here is unbeatable, and now that a lot of people have the flexibility to work from home, there is less of a need to live in the city full time."
The Ross community looks forward to seeing all of Paulina's future successes in the Hamptons real estate market as she continues her career. To stay up-to-date on her work, click below to view her real estate website.
