Horvath & Tremblay Tabs Jason Braun to Grow Southern MA, RI Multifamily Brokerage

LYNNFIELD—A familiar face in New England multifamily sales is joining a burgeoning brand in the business, as Horvath & Tremblay has retained industry veteran Jason H. Braun to increase its presence in southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, ground zero for a career nearing 15 years during which time he has brokered over $1 billion in transactions from New Hampshire to Florida. Most of those assignments were as a top producer for another independent shop, United Multi Family Corp., the Quincy entity founded by Richard F. Cawley which also concentrates on southern New England.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Horvath & Tremblay Senior VP Dennis Kelleher says in making the announcement to Real Reporter, he a principal leading the multifamily practice group that, like UMF, is focused on the lower spectrum of the multi-million-dollar sales realm, generally taking on apartment deals up to $15 million but it is also a group equipped to handle larger listings including portfolio assignments. That is even truer now, Kelleher maintains.

“Any time you can hire such a quality person with so much experience and integrity as Jason, someone whose track record speaks for itself, you want to make that happen . . . and we are very glad to have (accomplished) that,” he explains, adding, “this is an important hire that is going help us grow geographically, and we believe it gives our platform a competitive edge going forward in many other ways as well.” The upstart startup launched barely two years ago by namesakes Robert Horvath and Todd Tremblay specializes in net-leased retail and multifamily listings driven by a proprietary roster listing potential investors and properties. Braun deems the combined data positive because sellers often struggle to find a passive vehicle into which proceeds can be piled to avoid capital gains taxes prior to trading their holdings.

“Being able to control a sizeable share of net leased and retail properties provides 1031 exchange clients the confidence to sell their real estate assets knowing they will get a quality replacement property,” Braun outlines in a statement provided exclusively to therealreporter.com in which he cites that aspect as “a competitive advantage” which he observes is enhanced by “synergy between the multifamily team and the retail team,” operations coordinating that process from the Horvath & Tremblay nerve center and trading floor here at Marketplace Center.

Braun, who comes aboard as a Senior VP, says he was further piqued by Horvath & Tremblay, “because they offer specific market knowledge and expertise within a product type and geographic location which helps produce exceptional results for their clients,” describing its foundations as “a proactive marketing approach” featuring its “custom-built” information network. The company’s ambitious expansion plans were another lure, he indicates.

Horvath & Tremblay declares itself the largest private client brokerage firm in New England and among the fastest growing shops across the land, its listings extending down the East Coast and to the Midwest and Southwest. A Real Reporter article last month detailed over $400 million of transactions completed nationally in the opening frame of 2018 alone.

Although there is no set boundary, Braun is targeting the southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island markets where he has been a dominant broker doing a prolific level of deals in any given season as reflected in having over 500 closings to his credit prior to coming aboard Horvath & Tremblay. On top of his history negotiating Sunshine State sales, Braun has done business in every New England state except Maine. “This is going to help us enormously as we continue to grow geographically,” says Kelleher of reeling in Braun.
A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, Braun today resides in Norwood with his wife, Kate F. Braun, and their two children.

Jason Braun

Dennis Kelleher

Todd Tremblay

Robert Horvath