Steven James

For more than four decades, Steven L. James, President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ New York Properties’ New York City brokerage, has been a revered leader and an influential force in the City’s real estate market. In addition to successfully fronting a myriad of the area’s most substantial listings and sales, his oversight has included supporting and mentoring many agents to reach the next level in their careers. James has been steadfast in his hands-on approach to management, implementing a platform at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New York Properties that addresses what agents do on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that they are recognized for their achievements. He is known as an advocate and a sounding board, maintaining an open-door policy for collaboration and discourse, as well as a focus on agent and consumer value propositions and relations. Along with supervising operations and branding throughout all of the brokerage’s New York City offices, his reach extends to strategic growth and acquisition opportunities. The leadership he shows in the New York City brokerage mirrors the leadership roles he has played in the industry as a whole. James most recently served as Executive Director of Brokerage Development for HomeServices of America, the parent company of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise network. Before joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, he was president and CEO of Douglas Elliman's New York City brokerage and director of sales for the Madison Avenue office, the single most profitable residential real estate office in the country for over 15 years. There, he advised brokers on all aspects of dealmaking and worked closely with sales management. James began his real estate career in 1979 as a full-time salesperson and joined Elliman in 1990. He is a longtime member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), having served on the Board of Directors for 15 years as well as REBNY's Ethics and Deal of the Year event committees. In 1998, Steven was recognized with the Henry Forrester Memorial Award, the highest honor awarded to a residential broker. Originally from Texas, Steven attended North Texas University and the University of Hawaii before moving to New York to pursue acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.