In the cutthroat world of luxury real estate, where competition and drama can force people apart, one industry professional is carving out a funny niche for himself — in bringing hearts together.
Meet Mike Fabbri, an agent at Mauricio Umansky’s The Agency, whose passion for connecting people romantically as a matchmaker has led to nearly 300 matches since 2020.
“I’m a very gregarious person. I’m very social. I’ve got a lot of friends, a big network. And that naturally came about because I’m a connector. I like to connect people,” Fabbri, 37, told The Post.
With 32 couples still thriving from his introductions out of the nearly 300 he initially set up, Fabbri’s knack for fostering love has transcended mere coincidence.
Take Ben Arthur, 36, and Josh Garner, 35, for instance. Their serendipitous meeting via social media blossomed into a whirlwind romance that saw Arthur relocating from San Francisco to New York City to be with Garner.
Garner told The Post that he had traveled to Aspen with Fabbri, when the agent posted an Instagram story of Garner that caught the attention of Arthur just more than a year ago.
Garner recalled the moment, saying, “Ben responded to that story. And Mike said something along the lines of like: ‘Hey, what do you think of this guy?’ I thought he was cute. And then Mike connected us on Instagram, and we started DMing each other, escalating to text, which escalated to FaceTime.”
Not long after the two had formed an online relationship, Arthur decided to fly to New York City.
“We ended up spending the entire month together,” Garner, who also works in real estate himself as a licensed salesperson, said. “And then here we are a year later, celebrating what is now our one-year anniversary and our second Valentine’s Day together,” he added.
Arthur, who works in finance, was already considering relocating from San Francisco to New York City. Now, two just got a dog together and are hoping to buy property in Connecticut in the future, where Garner’s family lives.
“[Arthur’s] met my whole family. He spent the past holidays with my family. We hosted his mom back in December. I have flown out to San Francisco to meet his friends,” Garner said. “And, you know, it’s definitely been intertwined and interconnected, and we effectively live together.”
But Fabbri’s matchmaking ventures aren’t confined to bringing people to New York.
Graeden Ambrose, 53, a real estate agent hailing from Nantucket, and Molly Kussell, 37, a finance professional in Palm Beach, found themselves in love thanks to Fabbri.
Their meeting occurred mid-July on Nantucket’s sandy shores, where Kussell typically spends her summers — and it all started rather casually.
“I got a phone call from Mike, and he said that he wanted me to stop by and say hi, and that he had somebody that he wanted to introduce me to,” Ambrose said. “The rest, as they say, is history.”
It was fate, with Ambrose musing on the countless times their paths might have previously crossed on the island.
“Molly and I have a lot of mutual friends … however, I’ve never met Molly before,” Ambrose said.
For Kussell, the connection was instant.
“We hit it off and it was just kind of a perfect match because from that point on I was locked and loaded with Molly from that night,” Ambrose said. Kussell herself echoed the sentiment.
“We’ve talked about situations or parties where we were both at and probably just a couple of feet apart and we just never connected. So I think we’re really thankful for Mike for making the introduction,” Kussell said.
Their romance has blossomed despite living on opposite ends of the East Coast, with Ambrose meeting Kussell’s parents and Kussell meeting Ambrose’s children. They fly back and forth to see each other.
They’re even scouring the Palm Beach apartment market, seeking a home where they can enjoy year-round favorable weather, as well as each other’s company more frequently.
Even more recent connections, such as that of Gaby Smith, 34, and Mark Fischer, 32, are burgeoning under Fabbri’s guidance.
Their story, still in its early chapters, began during the holiday season.
“We met at a cocktail party that Mike hosted in December, and then he connected us, and we’ve gone on a few dates then, so, nothing serious yet, but. But we’re still chatting,” Smith, a nurse manager at a doctor’s office, said.
In a city where swiping left and right has become the norm, Smith’s sentiment about the complexities of dating in New York City resonates deeply.
“I think as you go into your 30s, it’s kind of easier if it’s either friends of friends or someone that’s doing it a little more intentionally,” she said of establishing links with potential partners. “Because I think that it just feels more natural that way.”
Fischer, who crossed paths with Fabbri back in 2020 at a bar in Montauk, expressed his appreciation for Fabbri’s unique approach to matchmaking.
“He had me fill out a questionnaire — I’ve never seen that before,” Fischer, who works at a furniture curation tech company, said. “Mike, what he’s doing, is he asks you everything of what you’re looking for. He doesn’t want you to be alone. He wants the specifics so that he doesn’t waste your time.”
Indeed, Fabbri made a carefully crafted questionnaire designed to gather data and facilitate matches on a grand scale. (He doesn’t charge for his services.)
“I use IG stories with lifestyle content that appeals to singles and then once a DM conversation starts, I send them the questionnaire, which I’ve now amended several times,” Fabbri said. “Over time, it took off.”
For Fischer, who had spent a year navigating the single life, Fabbri’s intervention couldn’t have come at a better time.
“I’ve been on a couple of dates,” Fischer said. “I don’t think either one of us is rushing into anything. So we’re going to kind of see where it goes.”
For Fabbri, love is a benefit, but it’s not everything. In the end, it’s about forging meaningful relationships of all kinds.
“The No. 1 goal for me is to create a connection, whether that’s love, friendship or anything of work opportunity,” Fabbri said. “I love connecting people … I find that a success to me is any meaningful connection.”
Fabbri’s revelation came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when lengthy periods of isolation highlighted the lack, and the need, for human connection.
“It wasn’t until COVID hit that I truly realized how pivotal relationships are to our wellbeing,” Fabbri said. “I suddenly understood that I had a unique period of locked-down life where I could dedicate proper time to making intentional connections in the area of love.”
Armed with this newfound perspective, Fabbri took to social media, leveraging platforms like Instagram to reach singles seeking companionship.
“Through the reactions mainly to my [Instagram] stories, I realized just how many incredible and interesting people in my social circle and my following were single,” Fabbri said. “I started brainstorming the ways in which relationships and lifestyles need to be in alignment.”
Fabbri, who has been in a long-term relationship himself for more than 15 years, says success isn’t just measured in romantic pairings.
“Another benchmark is when connections decide not to date but remain good friends — always a win in a city of many lonely hearts,” he said. “Everyone could use a new quality friend if they are being honest with themselves.”
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