About Raphael Toledano
Undeterred by his lack of real estate knowledge, the crisis which gripped the world, or the fact that he did not have any money to sustain himself, Rafi’s will to succeed broke through all barriers enabling him to overcome such immense hurdles.
Although doors were closed to new hires given the economic climate, Rafi found himself a home at a small firm which focused only on residential rentals and sales, Weissman Real Estate, in Lawrence NY.
The benefits of ignorance led Rafi to ‘pound the pavement’ relentlessly, eventually putting Weissman Real Estate on the multi-family sales map, alongside all the other NYC household names.
As expected, year one yielded nothing except for an education in the school of hard knocks. Perhaps it was this education that made the subsequent years bring tremendous success in the industry.
Of note, although Rafi was the lone driver of his ‘business’ within Weissman, he nonetheless chose to stay an extra year, sharing his commissions with the firm at a cost of many hundreds of thousands of dollars as an act of simple gratitude to Mark Weissman, for having given him the opportunity.
Success breeds success, and going out on his own gave him the opportunity to hire salespersons. Rafi had managed to crawl his way into starting his own firm and had garnered the capital to begin changing his life and the lives of others around him.
From partial ownership in a small strip center in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn to approximately 20 NYC buildings, valued at over $250m, it became clear to those watching that Rafi had a certain brilliance and should be regarded as so.
What Rafi never lost sight of was where he came from. His father a clergy, and his mother a homemaker, his charitable contributions were always of paramount importance to him, and he constantly considers new ways to give to those that don’t have.
Understanding that his real first success was from the East Village, and consistent with his creed, Rafi maintains that he must give back this community and thus he supports The Creative Little Garden, an oasis of tranquility in the East Village in which guests can sit down and relax in nature.
There are homeless people in the East Village as well, no different than any other part of the city. In that vein, Rafi is a proud sponsor of the food pantry and homeless shelter there, insuring that those less fortunate can eat wholesome meals.
Additionally, Teens-at-Risk are a demographic close to Rafi’s heart. Project Extreme, a 501(c)3 organization dealing exclusively with the unfortunate teens, is a direct beneficiary of Rafi’s generous heart. The halfway house run by Extreme, Miriam’s House, is generously supported by Rafi.
These are just some of the projects Rafi works on. Now, despite Rafi never receiving a university education himself, he is foraying into the world of academic giving as he understands his journey to success is unique, and that it is unlikely to be replicated.
Although doors were closed to new hires given the economic climate, Rafi found himself a home at a small firm which focused only on residential rentals and sales, Weissman Real Estate, in Lawrence NY.
The benefits of ignorance led Rafi to ‘pound the pavement’ relentlessly, eventually putting Weissman Real Estate on the multi-family sales map, alongside all the other NYC household names.
As expected, year one yielded nothing except for an education in the school of hard knocks. Perhaps it was this education that made the subsequent years bring tremendous success in the industry.
Of note, although Rafi was the lone driver of his ‘business’ within Weissman, he nonetheless chose to stay an extra year, sharing his commissions with the firm at a cost of many hundreds of thousands of dollars as an act of simple gratitude to Mark Weissman, for having given him the opportunity.
Success breeds success, and going out on his own gave him the opportunity to hire salespersons. Rafi had managed to crawl his way into starting his own firm and had garnered the capital to begin changing his life and the lives of others around him.
From partial ownership in a small strip center in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn to approximately 20 NYC buildings, valued at over $250m, it became clear to those watching that Rafi had a certain brilliance and should be regarded as so.
What Rafi never lost sight of was where he came from. His father a clergy, and his mother a homemaker, his charitable contributions were always of paramount importance to him, and he constantly considers new ways to give to those that don’t have.
Understanding that his real first success was from the East Village, and consistent with his creed, Rafi maintains that he must give back this community and thus he supports The Creative Little Garden, an oasis of tranquility in the East Village in which guests can sit down and relax in nature.
There are homeless people in the East Village as well, no different than any other part of the city. In that vein, Rafi is a proud sponsor of the food pantry and homeless shelter there, insuring that those less fortunate can eat wholesome meals.
Additionally, Teens-at-Risk are a demographic close to Rafi’s heart. Project Extreme, a 501(c)3 organization dealing exclusively with the unfortunate teens, is a direct beneficiary of Rafi’s generous heart. The halfway house run by Extreme, Miriam’s House, is generously supported by Rafi.
These are just some of the projects Rafi works on. Now, despite Rafi never receiving a university education himself, he is foraying into the world of academic giving as he understands his journey to success is unique, and that it is unlikely to be replicated.
