Stephen H. Kotler

About Stephen

As CEO of Brokerage for the Western Region, Stephen Kotler brings over 30 years of experience in real estate sales and management to Douglas Elliman’s California and Colorado operations. 

  

Widely recognized in the industry for his leadership ability, market knowledge and creative expertise, Stephen helped engineer the company’s strategic expansion into Aspen and Los Angeles, and in 2017 masterminded its acquisition of Teles Properties, a move which expanded Elliman’s footprint overnight from a boutique operation in Beverly Hills into a sprawling brokerage that stretches from Carmel to Coronado comprised of over 700 agents. 

  

A native of New Jersey, Stephen studied at Ithaca College before joining J.I. Sopher and Company – Manhattan’s largest rental business – in 1985, where he eventually became general manager. In 1991, he joined Douglas Elliman and formed The Kotler Group, one of the first agent teams to operate out of a New York brokerage. The team consistently ranked among the firm’s Top Ten producers and went on to become the first rental-focused agent groups to earn $1 million in gross commissions. When tapped for management roles, Stephen led the company’s office at 485 Madison Avenue and ultimately served the firm as Chief Operating Officer before making the move to the West Coast. 

  

Among his notable achievements at the firm have been his work to expand corporate relocation services to key clients like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, American Express, Pfizer and ING; the sale in 2005 of 40 East 66^th Street to Vornado for $158 million; and the 2014 Global Alliance between Douglas Elliman and Knight Frank Residential – a business deal that established Elliman within a network of offices and agents across the globe, and which served to make Elliman the unparalleled go-to resource for luxury homeowners in the United States.