An award-winning real estate agent who spent 22 years working for brokerage Douglas Elliman has left the company to join rival firm Brown Harris Stevens.
Jessica Cohen has closed more than 1,000 real estate sales while at Elliman and is considered one of New York City's most accomplished agents, Brown Harris Stevens said Tuesday in a statement. Cohen will join two other former Elliman agents — Elia Clemente and Joseph Polivy — to form a new brokerage at BHS that will be based on Manhattan's west side. BHS CEO Bess Freedman said the brokerage hired Cohen because her "reputation and consistent success speak for themselves."
Cohen has a laundry list of awards for her work, including being named Agent of the Year in 2019 by the Real Estate Board of New York. She won Elliman's Pinnacle Award every year between 2007 and 2019. Elliman also awarded her a lifetime achievement award last year.
Elliman did not immediately respond to a request to comment about Cohen's departure.
Cohen works mostly as a seller's agent, helping homeowners offload million-dollar properties. Over a five-year period, Cohen helped sell $61.8 million worth of residential real estate, with each transaction averaging about $1.2 million, according to Homes.com.
In the statement, Cohen said she's excited to join BHS and "tap into the incredible level of individualized service and expertise" the brokerage has.
Cohen is leaving a firm that was shaken last summer by allegations of sexual misconduct among its star agents, brothers Tal and Oren Alexander, and the subsequent departure of two senior leaders.
Other agents have also exited Elliman in recent months. Dennis Mangone, for example, left the brokerage last month to join Compass, he announced on social media. Another former Elliman agent, Lisa Simonsen, joined BHS in August.
