Why Elliman? Spotlight on Agents Caroline Holl and Stephen Geller

Agents from across the country call Douglas Elliman home for many reasons. For some, it is the culture steeped in friendship and entrepreneurship or our international alliance with Knight Frank. For others, it’s the accessibility of a skilled sales management team and a connected sales force of 7,000 agents spanning the most influential real estate markets in the country. Still for others, it’s the brokerage’s premier Public Relations, Technology and Marketing leadership that convinced them Elliman was the place to build their careers. Elliman Insider spoke with Caroline Holl and Stephen Geller who recently made the move to Douglas Elliman. We find out why they chose Elliman and what they love most about being part of the Douglas Elliman family. Elliman Insider sat down with agents Caroline Holl and Stephen Geller to find out why they chose Elliman and what they love most about being part of the Douglas Elliman family. Elliman Insider: When did you start considering Douglas Elliman? Caroline Holl and Stephen Geller: We both met Brad Loe and Alfred Renna over a year ago socially and began an informal dialogue with them. While we were very happy at Corcoran for many years, we had both been intrigued by the opportunities that Douglas Elliman presented and felt that Douglas Elliman offered our team a lot of exciting areas to grow our business. The common theme among all of our friends who are agents at Douglas Elliman is that everyone is pulling in the same direction to find a way to get the deal done. That is music to our ears . EI: What about Elliman do you love, or are excited for, the most? (For example, is it Knight Frank, our marketing department, etc.) CH & SG: With the international presence that we have (Caroline is originally from Germany and grew up in the UK and Switzerland), the Knight Frank partnership is one that is particularly exciting to us and one that we feel can really add to our business. In addition, over the years we have watched as Douglas Elliman has grown its market share and become the true luxury real estate industry leader in New York City. We both felt that the best way we could continue to service our clients was to join the best. Elliman Insider: How has Elliman changed your business plan? CH & SG: I think that is a difficult question to really answer as there are so many s at the moment, but we would say that it has really injected a shot of entrepreneurial spirit in our veins. The Douglas Elliman ethos—from the top with Howard all the way down—is about taking control of your business and looking for every angle to grow it in a way that makes the most sense. From the many conversations we have had with Howard, Steven James and others in management, the one thing that seems to consistently ring true is the idea that Elliman is here to support our business and help it grow in any way possible.  There seems to be a true feeling of teamwork and collaboration; what helps our team grow also helps the overall Elliman family. EI: How has it upped your real estate game? (how has it made you do things differently to obtain better results) CH & SG: I think like any change, it has refocused us and re-energized us and we feel like we can run through walls. Whether that is true remains to be seen of course, but we certainly feel we are well-armed to capitalize on the challenges of the new Covid real estate world and to handle the new New York City post-Covid. EI: Tell us about an anecdote, if you have one, that helped confirm your decision to join Elliman. Was it meeting another agent or reading and learning about an agent’s story? CH & SG: There isn’t one specific anecdote we can point to, but rather an amalgamation of encounters we have had over the years with agents at Elliman with whom we have done business. A number of agents that we do a lot of business with, and really respect, have spoken to us about just how happy they are at Elliman and how they feel that the entire management team comes from a “place of yes” and is always looking to help agents grow their business and get deals done. The common theme among all of our friends who are agents at Douglas Elliman is that everyone is pulling in the same direction to find a way to get the deal done. That is music to our ears . Contact Caroline Holl and Stephen Geller for all your real estate needs today.