UPDATED, March 5 2021, 5:40 p.m.: Awards season is here for residential brokerages, but like this year’s Golden Globes, it’s being celebrated in a much lower key. Douglas Elliman swapped its gala for an announcement, while Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group announced its awards virtually.
Annual awards are a tradition for some firms, providing a platform for the head honchos to recognize agents who earned the most in gross commission income, or GCI, which is split between brokerage and agent. Typically, everyone dresses to the nines to attend a fancy party where the top earners are revealed.
This year everyone stayed home as firms tried to celebrate their biggest producers at a distance.
“Even though we cannot celebrate together in person as in years past, it is important for us to honor our incredibly skilled agents,” said Howard Lorber, Elliman’s executive chairman, in a statement.
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Elliman’s awards, dubbed the Ellies, came as the firm announced its national sales volume totalled $29.6 billion over more than 46,300 sales and rental deals. Of its 6,700 agents nationwide, 72 agents and teams earned more than $1 million in GCI last year, making them so-called Pinnacle winners.
The top Manhattan team by GCI was Holly Parker’s, while Jennifer Kalish was the top individual broker in the borough. No. 1 by transaction volume was the Rubin Team, led by Josh Rubin, and Ann Cutbill Lenane closed the most deals as an individual.
Brooklyn’s strongest performers were Aran Scott and Anthony Robles’ team, while the individual agent who earned the most was Bren Salamon. The Scott/Robles Team and Salamon both also led the firm in Brooklyn transaction volume. The firm highlighted the role of Lindsay Barton Barrett’s team in closing the most expensive home sale in Brooklyn history — $25.5 million for billionaire Vincent Viola’s Brooklyn Heights townhouse.
Elliman also acknowledged the Eklund-Gomes Team’s 10-year anniversary with an inaugural Icon Award. The team’s size and expansion into markets outside New York City was conditioned on its withdrawal from the Ellies.
Corcoran Sunshine held its awards virtually, honoring its sales team at GID Development Group’s Waterline Square as the team of the year for generating the highest sales volume across the firm’s portfolio. The team was led by Melissa Win and included agents Joe Alvarez, Norma-Jean Callahan, Jordana Espinosa and Elizabeth Venter.
The sales team at Tishman Speyer’s 11 Hoyt was recognized for the largest number of contracts signed, 63, which Corcoran Sunshine claimed was a citywide record. The team included Liliane David, Bess Dulany, Elyse Leff, Desiree McTear, Jennifer Williams and senior sales director Blake Weissberg.
The new-development marketing arm highlighted a $19.5 million sale at L + M Development’s 25 Park Row as the deal of the year, in which the buyer purchased a penthouse — won over by its outdoor space during the pandemic.
The Corcoran Group’s top New York City agents were the Carrie Chiang & Janet Wang Team in Manhattan, and Deborah Rieders in Brooklyn. The DelleCave Team was the biggest producer in the rental market.
Brown Harris Stevens also held a virtual event on Thursday, at which Lisa Lippman was heralded at the top broker in New York City and across the company. Mike Lubin’s team got the nod as the top team in New York City. The firm also gave former Halstead agents Richard Orenstein and the Harkov Lewis Team a nod.
Update: This piece was updated to include information from the Corcoran Group and Brown Harris Stevens.