It may be the age of big data, but Douglas Elliman has cut one of its key numbers people.
Sofia Song, a real estate data expert who made her mark at StreetEasy and later moved on to Compass and Douglas Elliman, has been laid off from her position at Elliman, the residential brokerage confirmed.
“Douglas Elliman has eliminated Sofia Song’s position as executive vice president, data and research,” a spokesperson told The Real Deal, noting that the firm was continuing its longstanding relationship with appraiser Jonathan Miller, who prepares its popular market reports.
“I’m proud of what the data and research team achieved at Elliman,” Song said in a statement. “I was lucky to have worked with some great colleagues and I’m excited about what lies ahead.”
Last year, Song was hired by Elliman’s former global chief marketing officer Nicole Oge, who left the company in May after launching an all-out marketing blitz for two years. She was tasked with overseeing research initiatives and developing new data-driven products geared toward agents and clients. She was to work closely with Miller as well as Liam Bailey, the head of research for Knight Frank, which is Elliman’s overseas partner.
Song was best known for her work at StreetEasy, where she worked before listings giant Zillow acquired the startup for $50 million. The company is credited with fundamentally changing the way New Yorkers scoured for real estate by providing access to listings and relevant market data.
Song’s departure comes less a month after Elliman named a new COO, Scott Durkin. Durkin was a longtime Corcoran Group manager who jumped to Douglas Elliman earlier this year.
Mindy Budgor, a senior director of regional marketing operations at Elliman, also recently left the company.