Sofia Song, a real estate data maven who made a name for herself at StreetEasy and later was a top executive at Compass, is now at Douglas Elliman.
Song’s first day was Aug. 19, two years to the day that StreetEasy was acquired by listings powerhouse Zillow for $50 million. Song left StreetEasy a few months after the Zillow deal and helped to get Compass off the ground.
At Elliman, she’ll be able to stretch her research muscle beyond New York, she told The Real Deal in an interview Thursday.
“Elliman is the biggest brand in New York City but they’re also in several other markets,” Song said. “They have this exclusive partnership with Knight Frank that gives us access to the rest of the world. To have access to all that data – and, as you know, I am a data geek – is exciting for me.” Song is the latest in a long line of agents and executives to cite the Knight Frank partnership as an incentive to come over to Elliman.
At Elliman, Song will oversee all research initiatives and develop data-driven products catering to both agents and clients. She’ll also work closely with Jonathan Miller, whose appraisal firm Miller Samuel produces Elliman’s market reports, as well as Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s head of research.
Song was one of Compass’ most high-profile hires when it launched in 2013. In March, she left her full-time job as the brokerage’s head of research and external affairs, a move she declined to comment on.
StreetEasy changed the way New Yorkers buy and sell real estate by arming consumers with a wealth of market data. These days, most residential brokerages publish their own market reports (with mixed results).
Along with Song, Elliman said it recently hired Jeffrey Hummel as chief technology officer and promoted Stephen Kotler to chief revenue officer to oversee a regional expansion effort.
Last month, Elliman also tapped Leslie Wilson, a former senior vice president at Related, for its new development division. This spring, Roy Kim, a former design executive at Extell Development who spent nine months at Compass, also joined Elliman in a newly-created development role.