Shah and Maggie Haleem, The Shah and Maggie Haleem Team—Realm Real Estate Professionals

Living the American Dream
By Woodie Stephenson

“America is a country where you can receive anything if you work hard,” says REALM Realtor Shah Haleem, “The system we have in our country allows you to achieve your dreams. We might have problems here, just like in any other country, but America is truly the greatest country in the world and if you don’t like it, you can leave. We have so much freedom and people are allowed to disagree. Immigrants like me come here everyday because you don’t need bribes or nepotism to make it; all you need is a strong work ethic and a desire to succeed.”

For Shah Haleem, one of the top-producing Realtors and team leaders at REALM Professionals, becoming an American citizen and a successful businessman have been a dream come true for him. Born and raised in Bangladesh, India, to a successful and affluent family, Shah came to America after high school with dreams of freedom and paving his own road to success.

The son of an important political leader and social worker, Shah grew up with his brother and two sisters watching American movies and television shows such as Little House on the Prairie and yearned for the opportunities that he could find in a country that embraced diversity and freedom.

After moving to the Houston, Shah attended classes at the University of Houston and got his first taste of success in sales while supporting himself with work in retail. With no experience, Shah began working in fine-clothing stores at the mall where he quickly established himself as a diligent top salesman.

“Although I was familiar with American culture from television and a movie, getting used to my new home wasn’t always easy,” Shah says, “I spoke pretty good English, but I had to learn the culture, society, and language thoroughly. I could have gone to med school, but for me my dream was to someday own my own business and help people.”

In 1999 Shah graduated from college as a computer network analyst and took a job working on computer systems for Cardinal Health Care.

Finished with school, and poised for work and success, Shah still desired to meet the woman that could give him a family. Keeping his eyes peeled, one day he noticed a girl of great beauty in a friend’s wedding photograph and inquired about her. Maggie, who was living in Bangladesh and working for the Polish embassy, was soon contacted via email by Shah who began to write to her regularly. After a year-long email affair, the two hopeful lovebirds met in person in Bangladesh and were married shortly after in 2000. Maggie recalls being impressed with Shah’s supportive attitude to help her do whatever it took to succeed in her own professional career.

“I really found something special in Shah,” Maggie says, “He had a great personality, education, and he respected my education and supported my ambition to continue my education and find my own success.”

Life was good, his job was good, and the salary was good for Shah, but the go-getter still felt that he could still do much better by working in a more innovative career where he had the ability to help people and produce his own business.

Enamored with the idea of working for himself and helping people find homes, Shah began taking real estate classes and graduated in April, 2003. The rookie agent, who had heard great things about REALM Real Estate Professionals, joined his first and only office under industry pioneers Neil and Anita Reed.

With his license barely in the hands of his new brokers, and without a copy of his own yet, Shah was already on the way to making his first real estate transaction, a sale to his good friend who had been waiting to buy a home from Shah.

“I surprised everyone by selling a home just as soon as I had passed my test and received my license,” Shah says, “My good friend Arif, who was on the same flight to America with me when I first came, had been waiting for me to become an agent so he could buy a house from me. I took him to look at homes and, to my surprise, he wanted to buy the first house I showed him, but I didn’t want him to have any regrets, so I forced him to look at more houses and he still bought the first one.”

Shah, who has always been with REALM, considers his mentors Neil and Anita to have been instrumental to his success in real estate. At REALM, Shah feels he has received all the support and tools he has needed to rise to the top of his profession. When he joined his new office he was the 80th agent; now, just five years later, Shah ranks in the top percent of over 750 agents.

“I was attracted to the flexibility, support systems, availability, and friendly atmosphere that my brokers offered me,” Shah says, “I was working real estate part-time at first and I would work hard to sell a couple homes every weekend. In my first month I surprised everybody by selling 10 houses.”

Anita Reed, Co-Founder of REALM along with her husband Neil, says she has always seen a special drive in Shah. A mentor and broker to Shah, Anita says she has never seen a more goal-oriented and driven Realtor.

“When Shah first joined us at REALM, Neil and I saw in him a very eager, determined, and goal-oriented person,” Anita recalls, “He came in prepared to learn, and was never afraid to ask questions, listen to advise, and put what he learned to work. He was working with us part-time at first, but he was so determined that he was able to achieve tremendous results right away. I feel that he has taken the same opportunities that anyone in this country has, and embraced those opportunities with a passion. Shah has never looked at his status as an immigrant as an obstacle to overcome; he takes nothing for granted, and appreciates every opportunity he has been blessed with.”

Anita, like many people that know and respect Shah, understands that he could not have achieved his level of success without the support of his wife, Maggie.

“Maggie is such a big support to Shah. She has encouraged him in everything he has done. A great deal of his success can be attributed to her dauntless encouragement and understanding. She has helped him all along the way and never complained about the long hours they have had to put in. After 30 years in this business, I know that someone can’t succeed unless their partner is behind them 100%. Shah is a fantastic agent, husband, father, and friend, and Neil and I are proud he is a member of our family here at REALM.”

Maggie, who holds a Masters degree in biology, had been working as a teacher, but it wasn’t long before Shah convinced his wife to join him in his career in real estate.

“I was very happy teaching and I was surprised when Shah asked me to take real estate classes with him,” says Maggie, who received her license in 2003, “I was reluctant at first, but Shah was a great teacher, and he helped me to understand our new business very quickly. I loved real estate right away. I would help Shah by listing and showing houses, working with buyers on inspections, and closings. Shah is so friendly, talkative, honest, and eager to get things done; real estate was so natural for him, and I love working together.”

Shah’s business philosophy and principles come mostly from the lessons he learned watching his late father lead his community back in Bangladesh. Among the lessons Shah learned from his father are to always help people without regard to your reward and to be there for people at all times, not just when you need them.

“My father taught me to put people’s needs first,” Shah shares, “I learned that to be a good businessman, you must be a friend to people and be there for them all the time, not just when you need them. I always follow-up with my clients and make sure I am there to take care of them when they need me. For me, in this business, it’s not about the bottom line and making money; it’s about helping people and selling myself in advance by being a good friend. If someone from my country is in trouble, I help them, or if a widow needs my help, I will sell her house without my own fees.”

Shah and Maggie, who sell over 100 homes a year, work all over the Greater Houston area with a large concentration of business on the west side of town in Sugraland, Katy, and Cinco Ranch. In order to showcase their listings, Shah and Maggie utilize several online databases, and their own website, along with the support systems that REALM offers. Shah also holds an accreditation as an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) and is working towards his GRI and CRS certifications. Shah and Maggie especially pride themselves in their ability to make themselves available for their customers and generate referrals.

“We always put people’s needs first,” Shah says, “If the people had all the answers, they wouldn’t come to us, and if they weren’t there to ask questions and seek my opinion, I wouldn’t have a job. I try to always make myself available to my clients and to accommodate to their schedule; when they’re available—I’m available.”

Above all, Shah believes in being honest and protecting his buyers’ interests when it comes to selling homes.

“My job is to get my client the best deal for their money and that is how I can make a difference in lives and help families. If I can’t sell a house personally, I will never ask a customer of mine to buy it; even if they absolutely love a house, if it’s in a bad location or is listed too high, I will tell them, ‘Don’t buy this house. I’d rather take you out every weekend for the next three months, and help you find the right home.’”

Maggie feels Shah and her posses a special chemistry that allows them to earn the respect and trust of their clients.

“It feels so good to work together with Shah,” Maggie says, “It’s great when we can help somebody find a home, and they invite us to visit them once they move in. We get so many referrals that I feel like we really have earned the respect and friendship of our clients.”

An extremely large cross-section of Shah and Maggie’s business is immigrants. Being transplants from another country themselves, Shah and Maggie are able to reach out to families of all nationalities and earn their trust in the real estate business. No matter where an immigrant is from, Shah feels a special kinship and a duty to help these people to own their own piece of the American dream.

“America is historically a country of immigrants,” Shah says, “and I can relate to any immigrant who wants to buy their first home and own a piece of our country. I have clients from Albania, Russia, Vietnam, Lebanon, Japan, and places all over the world, and regardless of their place of origin, I can relate to their excitement and their evolution in this country.”

Those who work with Shah and Maggie can best understand the special care and respect they bring to each transaction. Clients Rehana and Syed Mansur believe that Shah and Maggie helped them achieve their own American dream.

“We are truly thankful to Shah for helping us out in selecting and negotiating for the purchase of our new home,” Syed says, “I have referred my colleagues to Shah,. My wife, Rehana, and I are extremely grateful to Shah and Maggie for all their help in getting our loan approved and for enabling us to achieve one of the American dreams.”

“Shah found the right house for us within few days,” said buyers John and Edlema Rodriguez, “He guided us to the right area and the right home in Sugarland, helped us process our loan, and helped us buy our home insurance. We are very pleased with his services.”

“Shah’s knowledge of the Houston area helped me find the right home,” says client Golam Mostofa. “He was very patient in showing me countless listings. He also negotiated many items with the seller and saved me thousands of dollars!”

Colleague Hasan Imam of Allied National Mortgage considers Shah a true friend and a great Realtor.

“When I first got into the mortgage business, Shah helped me so much,” Imam says, “Shah has introduced me to a lot of Realtors and brought me some of my greatest clients. I talk to his clients often, and they say great things about him. He is so aggressive when it comes to getting his clients the best deal. Shah always delivers what he says he will to his clients, negotiates for the best deal, and follows up with them. Not only do I refer Shah and Maggie to all my friends and clients, but he is my family’s Realtor, too.”

Andrew Phem of StarTex Title respects the commitment that Shah and Maggie make to their clients and their profession.

“Shah and Maggie truly set an example in the business,” Phem says, “They are professional, aggressive, and they are there anywhere/anytime for our clients. Although there are a lot of husband-and-wife teams in the business, they have excellent teamwork chemistry. I am proud to be a part of their success through the deals that we partner on.”

In order to serve his clients the best, Shah has assembled his own team at REALM to aid him in transactions and give buyers and sellers all the support they need. Among his team members are licensed assistant Bobby Felder who helps follow-up with clients, and the anchor of Shah’s team, his wife, Maggie.

“Maggie is such a big part of my success today,” Shah says, “Without my family’s support, I couldn’t do this job. She helps me in my closings, inspections, negotiations, contracts, and most of all, recently, by caring for my son.”

Shah and Maggie’s received their firstborn Zarek on June 21, 2007, and the healthy baby boy has left the couple feeling overjoyed and blessed. Although Maggie has been a huge part of Shah’s real estate operation, she has been taking time off from the business to raise their son.

“It’s important for us to raise our child ourselves,” Shah explains, “A lot of parents rely on daycare, but Maggie and I have decided that we will never send our son away to daycare. Family will always come first, and we will be there everyday to raise our own child. I wish for my son to be healthy, and to grow up and be someone like my father. Although he will never have the chance to personally know my father, I will work hard to instill the same values in him and make him in my father’s image; in this way, he will know what kind of man my father was, and he will be the same kind of man.”

Although Maggie is missed at the office, Shah plans to hire another assistant to help fill the enormous void left by her.

When Shah is not committed to his clients, the community-minded Realtor and his wife are dedicated to volunteering their time and energy to various projects with the Bangladesh Association of Houston. Shah was recently given a Community Leadership Award for his efforts to help raise money for floods in India, Red Cross, Unicef, and Salvation Army.

“Maggie and I are very involved in the community,” Shah says, “We attend fundraisers and social events every weekend with our organization, and now that we have Zarek, we bring him out, too.”

When they are not volunteering and socializing, The Haleems enjoy shopping, dining out at Italian restaurants, racquetball, and traveling to Europe. The couples also visit family in Bangladesh often. Recently, Shah returned to help dedicate and name a school built in his father’s honor. Shah’s father, who served as advisor to two presidents in India, has an active foundation in the Gopalgong District which awards scholarships to needy students and disaster relief to catastrophe victims. Shah’s mother in Bangladesh heads the foundation and Shah serves on the committee, returning from time to time to resume his duties.

Shah, although he has only been in real estate since 2003, has achieved immense success and is always eager to advise other agents who are committed to reaching his level of proficiency. Shah advises rookies to choose good real estate mentors.

“I’ve always looked up to the giants—” Shah says, “Successful agents like Rothcild and Dale Ross. Look at what they’re doing and figure out what can apply to your business model, and if you can, copy their business practices and make them better.

In order to achieve success, Shah advises Realtors to work on building trust with each client, committing to their needs, and exceeding their expectations.

“Always take one customer at a time and meet their needs 110% before you go on to the next customer. Make sure everything is perfect and your partners collaborating on the transaction are holding up their end of the bargain and being fair. Never worry about the money—if you earn your customers trust, the money you deserve will come to you in the end. And always remember, after the sale, you’re work is not done; follow-up with your customer after they move in, and make sure they have everything they need. If you can give each client the respect and attention they need, you will earn their trust and referrals.”

Shah vows in the future to continue helping people and making a difference in lives. Whenever a family in crisis needs him, Shah vows to continue to be there without regard for financial compensation. Whenever he has the opportunity, Shah vows to fight so hard-working families can save money and receive protection from those who wish to take advantage of them.

“I try my hardest to touch lives every day by helping save families money,” Shah says, “I have their best interest in mind, and I work hard to save them from bad builders and crooked lenders. For me, personal incentives are not what this job is about; it’s about making a difference in lives at the end of the day. There have been times when a family is poised to lose their home and I have personally lent money to them rather than to list their property. There have been times when a family thought they had no choice but to sell their home because of divorce, and, in some way, I was able to convince them to give their marriage a second chance first.”

For Shah and Maggie Haleem, real estate has allowed the happy couple to live their own American dream, but the humble and hard-working partners in life and business vow to continue their hard work and commitment to client service.

“Although real estate has allowed us to achieve our dreams, I will never let myself become too satisfied; I will continue to work hard to touch lives everyday by helping families achieve their own dreams.”