Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter!

Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

SA realtor to assist students in apartment searches

Need an apartment? Now the Student Association and Bradley Buslik say they can help.

A senior in the School of Business, Buslik was named the SA’s director of off-campus housing this month and will be showing and renting apartments to students for no additional charge to the student.

Buslik, who will be graduating in May with a degree in finance, explained that there are several factors motivating his decision to collaborate with the SA.

“First, this service will provide me with knowledge through experience and the opportunity to give back to a school that has given me so much,” Buslik said. “I’m confident that students will be more comfortable dealing with someone their own age as opposed to an agent who only wants to work with their parents or doesn’t take them seriously.”

Buslik said he would receive a percentage of the students’ first month of rent, paid by the landlord at no extra cost to the student.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity for students to branch out and look at other housing options, and we have full faith in Bradley doing a good job,” said sophomore Gina Fernandes, SA President Audai Shakour’s chief of staff.

“We feel that providing basic student services is what the SA should be doing,” Fernandes said. “We’re just trying to make sure that students are well taken care of and getting the help that they need.”

Over winter break, Buslik decided to do “something constructive” and enrolled in a real estate agency class. After he completed the mandatory 72 hours of classes in January, he took a general real estate test and received his D.C. real estate license.

After a real estate broker came into one of his classes as a guest speaker, Buslik approached him and set up an interview that led to a job offer in real estate firm Long and Foster’s Georgetown office.

Darrell Parsons, office manager at Long and Foster’s Georgetown, said he is optimistic about Buslik’s new affiliation with the SA.

“I hired him because he’s energetic, smart, has a family background in real estate and is very enthusiastic about the business,” Parsons said in an interview. “As for targeting students, I think it’s a wonderful idea; he’s an ideal candidate for that.”

Struggling with apartment hunting is what first got Buslik into the real estate business. He tried to get an apartment through a realtor two years ago, but said he had difficulty being taken seriously.

“They just saw me as a student looking for apartment with mommy and daddy’s money,” he said. “My goal through this program with the SA is to be the person that I needed then.”

Although he did not initially plan to target students as his main clientele, Buslik quickly realized that his age and desire to create a niche market made a good combination.

“It’s a referral-based business, and it’s hard for a recent college graduate to compete with older realtors who have established reputations,” Buslik said. “So this gives me the opportunity to use my assets to benefit both myself and my fellow students.”

More to Discover
Donate to The GW Hatchet