Born and raised in Queens, New York, Hanif Ratansi has always been a people person with a sense of humor and an appreciation for architecture and the human endeavor. How did Hanif start selling homes? While working in IT at Microsoft, he attended a real estate interview with a friend on a whim. The conversation sparked his interest and the feeling was mutual. He took the Realtor exam in 2002 and went from tech to real estate overnight. The main focus of Hanif’s real estate career is relocation—for which he has personal experience. “When I moved to Seattle in 1992, it was hard to know what areas were good or bad. You actually had to live somewhere first to know,” he recalls. “As clients move here, I take it as my personal responsibility to make them feel at home like a local from day one.”
He knows that being in a brand new city, with a new job and a new house can be overwhelming because he’s been there. Hanif shares his passions for food, drink and the arts—the things that fuel his soul. And he genuinely shares his signature enthusiasm with each of his clients. They love how he gets as excited as they do when looking for the perfect place. But he also realizes a huge part of his job is simply to listen. Because really good realtors don’t just sell homes, they also play the role of financial adviser, psychologist and friend. Although he has plenty, accolades are not important to Hanif. What makes him different is how he sees the relationship as a team effort that he takes very personal.