Husband and wife team offer service with 'Hart.' (Hart of New York Real Estate Co.'s Peter and Angela Hart)(Company Profile)

While their free-spirited sense of humor and unique husband and wife teamwork often draws comparisons to the more famous television duo, if you're looking for real estate, there is only one "Hart to Hart" team.

Hart of New York Real Estate Company and Hart Management Associates are run by the husband and wife team of Peter and Angela Hart, and with the same flair of Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers, they offer a no-nonsense approach to uncovering the best office space for their customers.

Instead of the usual drudgery, relaxed customers of the pair find themselves in an uncomplicated business environment of simplicity and fun. As Mrs. Hart says, "So much time is spent looking at space together, the customer might as well enjoy it. With Peter's personality, there is always an element of spontaneity."

Underneath this is a genuine concern for the needs of the customer, versus what can sometimes be an impersonal approach with some larger organizations. This was evident recently when Hart of New York closed nine deals at Rockefeller Center. Among those tenants were a group of dentists some more seasoned and ready to retire and the others younger, "eager to expand" professionals who wanted the deal to close as soon as possible.

"It was like pulling teeth," Peter jokes. But in the end, all were satisfied and the renewal lease negotiations were brought to a successful close with the landlord.

In addition to representing renewal tenants in Rockefeller Center, Hart of New York has been very active negotiating leases for numerous tenants in other areas of town.

"What makes this business so interesting is the opportunity we are given to work with such a diverse clientele," Peter says, adding, "Some of the deals we have brokered were for computer-related companies, nonprofits, law firms, diamond traders and financial investment groups, among many others."

Just as Hart and Hart share an exclusive relationship, their relationship with their customers is always on an exclusive basis. "Since we focus on a few tenants at a time, we are very devoted to their needs and will not walk away until we have satisfied them,' Peter says. "A lot of brokers work on what we call a 'lottery system' - showing space to many tenants at a time, hoping one will hit. We don't agree with that philosophy. We won't spread ourselves out too thin because we pay attention to the details of each tenant's unique requirement."

By bringing to the table 13 years of leasing experience with Rockefeller Center Management Corporation and Helmsley-Spear Inc., (as well as two years in residential sales) Angela Hart possesses unique expertise in various nuances of negotiating tactics. Some of the transactions she has negotiated on behalf of landlords were leases with Multimedia Entertainment Corporation, DG Bank and Fonawin Corporation.

Peter Hart compliments the team with his own 15 years' experience as a former senior vice president with several major Wall Street investment firms. In addition to financial consulting to international corporations and individual investors, Peter was responsible for raising funds for venture capital firms.

He says that he raised the limits even higher and became "upwardly mobile" recently, as a licensed commercial pilot and an aviation enthusiast!

In conjunction with Hart of New York Real Estate, Peter also heads Hart Management Associates, an insurance brokerage company. Since the brokerage company specializes in corporate health care plans, there is a synergy of service to the customer.

As Dr. Spalten (one if the dentists represented in the dentist's renewal deal) says, "The Harts offer one-stop shopping. We not only had our real estate requirements met, but also receive excellent advice and service for our health insurance plan from people we have come to know and trust."

After working on the real estate transaction, the tenant had a good sense of the Harts work style and focused attention to detail that saved them money and time. The customer knew that the servicing of their health plan would be just as thorough - and at no cost to them.

"We hired a great team," Dr. Spalten says, "with Angela knowing what to get and Peter knowing how to get it."

Hart of New York is also very involved in the real estate community. They work a lot with brokers on a referral basis and give the referring broker 50 percent of the commission. "This is a little unusual in this business," Angela says. "However, we have a lot of friends and contacts who appreciate the unique service we offer. Although we do all the work, we believe in splitting the deal in half. These brokers are people with whom we have long-standing relationships."

The Harts also serve on the Rental Conditions Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York for the Grand Central Office Building District.

With respect to ethics and integrity, another very important aspect of the real estate business, The Harts believe very strongly in being completely up-front and communicative with tenants throughout the relocation process.

"We never want any surprises appearing in a deal that the tenant hadn't expected before hand," Angela says. "We want them to know what to expect from the very beginning. This is especially important for startup companies, since these companies often require adherence to strict budgets in order to survive the first few years in business."

However, there is one type of surprise that clients of the Harts should get ready for. It is not unusual for a complimentary breakfast to arrive for their entire staff with a note that says "Sit back and enjoy your breakfast, we are taking good care of your lease renewal." The Harts love having breakfasts sent on a Monday morning, because they know it helps start the week off on a pleasant note for their customers and their employees. It is one of the ways the Harts show appreciation to their customers for their business.

One tenant recently commented, "The Harts spontaneous, high-spirited personalities can be contagious. We really enjoyed working with them." The tenant was happy to learn that Hart of New York continues this relationship after the closing. In fact, the Harts prefer that the tenant consider Hart of New York its "in-house real estate department." When issues come up that require time-consuming letter writing or follow-up with the landlord, the Harts do it for them. This is an area of service that the Harts feel the typical larger company won't offer to an average size tenant.

While so much has been written lately about the merging of large real estate brokerage firms, Angela says "I can guarantee you that the typical broker of a large firm will not spend time servicing a 7,000 square-foot tenant after the leases are signed!"

"We are in two service businesses in which the customer doesn't pay directly," Peter adds. "We are paid by landlords and health insurance companies. However, the incentive is that the synergy of our two companies is very profitable."

The Harts believe that the trend of merging real estate firms misses what the merger of Hart and Hart has to offer. "Sure, we have the same sophisticated market data and computerized services that the merged larger firms use, but we pride ourselves in helping to keep the tenant out of the real estate business, so that they can continue to manage their own," Angela says. "Our typical customer is an entrepreneur who doesn't have to produce paper to show he or she did the right job in choosing office space - they know it in their heart."