Rosalie Klein Flaster, or Rosalie the Realtor as she is affectionately called by her clients, moved to the Beverly Grove neighborhood in 1989, long before the neighborhood was known by that name.

Rosalie Klein Flaster and her husband Morrie Flaster have helped countless people find the perfect residence. (photo courtesy of Rosalie Klein Flaster)

Klein Flaster emigrated from Russia four years earlier and said her assimilation was somewhat difficult. She entered the country on her own and didn’t know anyone in the United States. Coming to a new country as an immigrant, she said, helped her appreciate the opportunities afforded her in the U.S.

“Someone who isn’t born here appreciates freedom on a different level,” Klein Flaster said. “It’s natural to want to work harder.”

Klein Flaster initially worked as a paralegal at a small law firm, but the job was temporary. After finding it tough to find a permanent position in the legal field, she decided to try something else.

She studied real estate law and was thinking about a career in property sales, but was unsure. It was the early 1990s and a recession had sent the housing market into a tailspin. One day in 1992 while walking on Third Street, she entered a Fred Sands Realty office to see what opportunities there were. It was a fortuitous decision that was the first step in her successful career as a realtor.

“I wasn’t dressed for an interview. I had no clue about sales,” Klein Flaster said. “We lived a few blocks away on Maryland, and I just said let’s go in. The manager asked me, ‘Do you have enough money to live for six months?’ It was during the recession, and they told me I was crazy to want to get into real estate. But I was determined to make it.”

She works with her husband Morrie Flaster, who coined the name “Beverly Grove” for the neighborhood between the Beverly Center and The Grove where they live and sell property. The name has since become common, which pleases Rosalie and Morrie. He never trademarked the name Beverly Grove because he hoped everyone would simply adopt it, she added.

Klein Flaster said she is successful because she lives in the area and cares about the community. People trust her.

Throughout the years, Klein Flaster said she’s seen Beverly Grove grow and expand. Her role in that change, she said, comes from her passion for her work.

Rosalie and Morrie have helped countless people find not just a house, but a home. She hopes to continue improving people’s lives as long as she can.

“I will slow down eventually, but I can’t see myself stopping completely.”