Douglas Elliman is celebrating its top-producing agents in New York City, who rose among the ranks of the firm as it waded through a turbulent 2024.
The brokerage on Wednesday announced the winners of its annual Ellie awards, recognizing brokers who earned the largest sales volumes and gross commission incomes, and closed the highest number of transactions last year.
Elliman’s agents “didn’t just have an outstanding 2024; they defined it,” Richard Ferrari, the head of the company’s brokerage, wrote in a statement. CEO Michael Liebowitz pointed to “their expertise, entrepreneurial drive, and commitment to excellence”
Agents and teams with operations in the Big Apple racked up company-wide accolades this year, including the Eklund-Gomes Team, which once again snagged the Billion Dollar Club Award for exceeding $1 billion in sales. The cohort, led by Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes, also nabbed the highest GCI among the firm’s mega teams, followed by Noble Black & Partners.
In Manhattan, Ann Cutbill Lenane was named the top agent by sales volume, transactions and GCI, adding a third honor to her spoils from the year prior. Lenane — who placed 26th in The Real Deal’s latest ranking of the city’s top agents with $76 million in sell-side deals — was also the No. 4 agent by GCI for the entire company.
Following Lenane in sales volume and GCI was Michelle Griffith, who led sales at the Reuben Brothers’ Upper East Side hotel-condo conversion, alongside top broker Lauren Muss. The project, known as the Surrey, was a fixture atop weekly contract reports in the borough, scoring signed contracts for at least three units priced north of $20 million.
The Michael Lorber Team finished first in sales, transactions and commission income among Elliman’s large teams in New York City. The group slid into the top spot after the 2024 winner, the Holly Parker Team, jumped from Elliman to Compass earlier this year amid a wave of brokers exiting the firm over the last few months.
Lorber’s team, which placed 11th in TRD’s rankings with $103 million in sales, was also the third top-earning large team overall.
Also among the top teams highlighted in the awards was the Rubin Team, which was No. 1 in GCI and transactions among the firm’s medium teams in Manhattan. The Lindsay Barton Barrett Team earned the most commission income, sales volume and transactions among the company’s small teams.
In Brooklyn, the top-selling individual agent was Rebekah Carver, and the top-selling medium and small teams were the Scott Robles Team and The Bartolucci Team, respectively.
Elliman tapped its honorees following an end to the year rife with executive turnover. The firm’s longtime CEO and chairman Howard Lorber abruptly retired in October under pressure from the board.
The head of the company’s brokerage, Scott Durkin, was terminated just days after Lorber stepped down from his post. Chief operations officer Richard Lampen also exited the firm at the end of last year.
Elliman, Manhattan’s third-largest brokerage by TRD’s analysis of sales volume, closed 2024 with a $76 million loss, up from the $43 million lost the previous year. The brokerage has been in the red for more than two years, though it pushed its revenue above $1 billion last year.
Read more
Elliman closes bumpy 2024 with $76M loss
Elliman honors top NYC performers in 2024 Ellies
Ranking NYC’s top residential brokers of 2023