How Elliman Agent Recruiter Elisa Angelone Spots Top Talent

In 2022, after nearly 20 years of working in real estate, Elisa Angelone decided to pivot. The veteran agent wasn’t leaving the property business behind, however. Having spent a decade of her “selling years” at Douglas Elliman, Angelone returned to the firm in a wholly new role focused on recruiting agents at a very particular moment in their careers—the moment when they are ready to grow like never before.

As the New York region’s lead agent recruiter, Angelone has drawn on her experience with building and growing teams, managing offices, and mentoring colleagues to identify the right agents at the right points in their journeys and challenge them to elevate their business with the power of the Elliman platform.

“Elisa has been the backbone of recruiting for NYC,” said Richard Ferrari, President and CEO of Brokerage, NYC, Northeast & Mid-Atlantic. “She is actively working on our behalf with agents throughout the NYC industry. She is also training and guiding  our sales management team. Her value to us cannot be measured!”

Todd Bourgard, CEO of Brokerage, Long Island, Hamptons & North Fork, echoed that praise.

"Elisa has brought an incredible level of insight and authenticity to our recruiting efforts,” Bourgard said. “Her ability to identify driven agents and help them realize their potential has elevated our entire region. She truly embodies what Douglas Elliman stands for, professionalism, collaboration, and a genuine passion for helping others grow.”

Elliman Insider spoke with the Port Washington native about her approach to recruiting talent, how it works best, and what Elliman can offer agents that other brokerages can’t. The following is an edited transcript of her remarks.

An entirely new recruitment role

What I learned from my experience, both as an agent in the field and later as a manager, is that I love to see people grow. I’m passionate about being able to inspire them to level up.

When I began talking with the leadership at Elliman about coming back to the company, I said that I would love to work in a recruiting role—but not recruiting just anybody and everybody. I mean recruiting the people that we want.

Some brokerages are recruiting mills, where they’re like, “Do you have a license? Can you fog up a mirror? All right, come on board!” They’re calling down lists of people and throwing stuff out there to see what they can catch. Yes, you will get people from that, but you're not going to get real quality.

When you’re a manager, your job is to grow your people and make them feel loved. At the same time, you have this insane pressure on you to recruit. You can't do both effectively and consistently.

My solution was to create an entirely new recruitment role, where we can identify people we like working with and who have a desire to grow into their vision for their specific real estate business. Both managers and agents will recommend agents for me to reach out to, in addition to my own research to find amazing candidates.

After nearly three years, I can tell you that what I do works—and it works on a high level. I created a roadmap for this role, here in this region, based on my experience and my abilities. I've been in the field. I have managed and coached people. So, my conversations are neutral, thoughtful, and on a different level.

Resources and opportunity for agents to grow

My role here is really to connect with agents, learn about them and what they're looking to do in their career, and determine if what we offer will work for them. It's not: “This is Douglas Elliman. Do you fit into our box?”

When I was an agent here, I loved the company culture and what we had to offer. I really felt like it gave agents the best, most robust system and tools to be able to grow your business—especially into the luxury space, where there's no other brand that compares to Elliman.

We really have the ability to grow an agent. That's generally my pitch: We have resources and opportunity that you will not find anywhere else.

So, I ask agents to imagine that a great, big opportunity in real estate falls in their lap—something they've never done before, whether it’s a $25-million waterfront property or a new development in New York City. Then I ask, “Who at your brokerage do you go to for help with that opportunity?” And often there’s a long silence because the resources at other companies are typically very thin.

But here at Elliman, if you need help in any department, we do it way better than any other company. We have incredibly talented people here, from our thought leadership and our public relations team to marketing, new developments, and beyond—it’s all here, and then some.

What’s cool is that I can reach out to anyone, in any one of our departments, and connect them with the agent I am interviewing to really showcase our strengths. We are truly a collaborative team. If you want to get those big opportunities, you need to have resources like this on a really high level. Some agents will ask if we’re going to give them leads. I tell them we don’t give them leads—we give agents the support,  resources, and guidance that show them on how to generate leads. When the opportunity comes, from all of this, you have it ready to go in a nice, neat package.

One of a select few

I really look to speak with a few different types of agents: those who are seasoned and have a proven track record; the rising stars who've been in business for a couple of years; and then there are the top agents looking to break records. The bottom line for all of them is that they really have the need to grow. We are about 6,700 agents total, so we have the ability to really support an agent at any of these levels and truly deliver white-glove service. We know who our agents are. We know their names and faces. They are not one of many: they are one of a select few. To be part of this organization is to be part of a special club.

We have more agents here that make over $1 million, $2 million, and beyond, in GCI, than any other company in our region. There’s a reason for that. If you’re looking to grow, you want to surround yourself with people who are doing better—much better—than you are. And that's why agents come here: to surround themselves with these people in a collaborative environment so they can grow and be better.

But, ultimately, they have to be ready to make a move. A lot of people will tell me they want to come over, but then they just can’t break away. When that happens it’s usually because the person really isn't ready to grow and change. Change is uncomfortable for most of us, but change is growth.

Elite, boutique, luxury

Other real estate brands have “luxury” divisions, but if you’re really luxury, you don't have to say it. Douglas Elliman truly is a luxury brand.

And it’s actually part of the culture here and one of the benefits of working for a corporation. A franchise is only as good as the owner’s pockets are deep. When you work for a corporation, there's continuity throughout the brand.

What that means for an agent who comes to work here is that you can deliver luxury service to any client, which truly sets you apart from the rest of the pack. That’s priceless.

The agents out there who our agents like working with—and who are ready to join what is truly an elite boutique luxury brokerage—that’s who I want to connect and have a conversation with.

Contact Elisa at elisa.angelone@elliman.com or text 516-779-2484.