With Elliman Yachts, the Luxury Real Estate Brokerage Meets Clients Where Their Passions Live
by ELLIMAN INSIDER TEAM
September 2026
Six months after its official launch in March 2026, Elliman Yachts is joining the international yachting community this week at the Monaco Yacht Show, held September 23–26 in Monaco’s Port Hercule.
The launch of the new division, at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, signaled an exciting new stage for the premier real estate brokerage in its evolution as a luxury lifestyle brand with increasingly global reach. Having established its reputation for providing unparalleled real estate advisory services to many of the world’s most discerning clients for more than a century, the firm now offers yacht acquisition, brokerage and bespoke charter services through a strategic relationship with Royal Yacht International (RYI).
Elliman Yachts is a natural extension for a company whose business is built on trust, discretion and access to the world’s most exceptional properties, whether they’re on land or at sea. And as the brokerage continues its strategic expansion into international markets with key luxury coastal communities — including Monaco and the French Riviera — the division enables the firm to provide holistic brokerage and advisory services to ultra-high-net-worth clients whose lifestyles span ship and shore.
Growing Client Relationships with Elliman Yachts
For Michael S. Liebowitz, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Elliman Inc., the decision to launch Elliman Yachts was informed by his own experience as a boat enthusiast and client of Royal Yacht International. He emphasized that the relationships he developed with RYI Chairman Tommaso Chiabra and CEO Manuele Thiella exemplify the same kind of client service that Elliman agents strive to provide.
“I've been a boater for a long time — I actually bought my boat from Manu and Tommy,” Liebowitz said. “They did an unbelievable job for me. Everything about the experience was incredible. And as service people, we know that what happens after the transaction closes is critical. It says everything about the people you're dealing with in that relationship and how much they care.”
Indeed, the enduring power of those client relationships is what inspired Dan Goodstadt, a Miami-based agent for Douglas Elliman and licensed yacht salesperson, to propose that the brokerage form Elliman Yachts. A longtime Miami Beach resident and former Hamptons resident, Goodstadt knows intimately the natural connection between waterfront real estate and boat sales.
“When your client buys a waterfront home, and they say to you, ‘I would love to put a 50-foot sport boat behind my house’ — or they want to charter in St. Barth this winter or in the Med next summer — they know they can turn to you and Elliman Yachts,” he said, noting that the average ownership period for a waterfront home in Miami Beach is three to five years. “Being able to help your client with buying or chartering or selling a yacht helps you to maintain a dialogue, so they’ll still be your client in when it’s time to sell their home.”
Goodstadt added that boating can offer the chance to connect with clients completely outside of the sales cycle.
“Agents can just invite their clients and tag along with me or a Royal Yacht broker while we’re showing some boats,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to have some social time with their clients and extend that relationship without the pressure of selling a home.”
The Boating Lifestyle
For both Liebowitz and Goodstadt, boating is an experience and lifestyle unlike anything else, one that can draw you in completely.
“I grew up on boats on Long Island, and a lot of people that get into that situation end up buying a second, smaller ‘day boat,’” Goodstadt said. “Lots of high-net-worth individuals end up purchasing boats that they don't enjoy the same way they enjoy a day boat, because it's 150 or 200 feet, and they can't get behind the steering wheel. So, the yacht gives them a luxury five-star experience, and the day boat better suits the dock of their waterfront home.”
Much like Douglas Elliman’s other divisions such as Equestrian and Farm & Ranch, which cater to different lifestyle categories, Elliman Yachts enables the brokerage to meet clients where their passions live. The timing of Elliman’s entry into the yachting space reflects a clear understanding of where ultra-high-net-worth wealth is moving. Valued at more than $11 billion in 2025 and projected to nearly double by 2035, the global luxury yacht market is experiencing dynamic growth, with shipyards operating at near full capacity and a new-build pipeline valued at over $15 billion.
And like its longstanding affiliation with the world of equestrian sports, Elliman’s new foray into the boating world reflects a passion that many at the brokerage share.
“I’ve been a boater for a long time,” said Liebowitz. “It's just such an unbelievable experience once you enter that boating world. When I go on my boat, there's a level of happiness and relaxation that I don't really get anywhere else. So, it’s exciting to think that you, as an agent, can really help your clients see an amazing world they may not be in or aware of yet.”
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