Jessica Cohen was 21 in 1999 when she bought her first tiny studio apartment in New York’s upper west side for $93,000. A pre-med student tired of sharing a small walk-up rental with roommates, she scraped together the down payment to purchase the property that would launch both her investment journey and a laudable career in real estate.
“I was still in grad school, paying off loans and working long hours at a health club,” she said. “But at long last I had my privacy, and the payment was cheaper than rent.”
The daughter of an architect who taught her a thing or two about spaces, Cohen went to work as a pharmaceutical rep after college and set out to renovate her studio to make the most of its small square footage. When she sold it three years later for triple what she’d paid for it, she understood the unlimited possibilities in buying and selling property—especially property curated for the new owner’s taste and comfort.
“The day that little studio sold,” she said, “was the day I quit my lucrative job in pharma.”
Inspired by the agent who managed her transaction, Cohen was licensed in 2003 and went to work in her office at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where she doubled her income every year for three years and had more business than she could handle. In 2007, she hired a licensed assistant and two more agents, and the Jessica Cohen team was born.
Barbara Pronin: Teaming was a relatively new concept back then. What prompted your decision to try it?
Jessica Cohen: It was simple. I needed help. In addition to full-time selling, and overseeing my own third renovation, I bought my first investment property on the Upper West Side. It was in bad shape, but by then I had contractors and decorators I could trust. and when we sold it, it drew a bidding war. Over the last 25 years, I’ve turned over nine apartments that way, helping clients develop their dream spaces. I could never have done that without my team members working right beside me.
BP: And it seems the reputation you’ve earned has made you one of New York City’s top teams.
JC: Yes. I’m proud to say we have earned Elliman’s Pinnacle Award every year since 2007; we were the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) Agent of the Year in 2019; and we’ve been ranked among the top 1% of brokers nationwide by the Wall Street Journal. In all, over the years, we’ve posted more than 1,000 closed sales.
BP: In early April of this year, you announced your team was moving from Douglas Elliman to Brown Harris Stevens. Why was that?
JC: Both are prestigious companies in the Manhattan marketplace, but I think I just needed a change. I wanted to push myself in new directions. I felt instantly comfortable and connected at Brown Harris Stevens, and I quickly expanded my team. There are now eight of us, ranging in age from 24 to 78. It’s wonderful. Everyone contributes something uniquely their own. We’re a fun, diverse, extroverted bunch. We’re delighted to learn different skills from one another, and we love to make each other happy.
BP: What do you look for in your new hires?
JC: People who are excited and positive—not necessarily experienced, but ready to work hard and learn. In this business, you need to be all in or all out—and you need to have patience. Nothing happens overnight.
BP: How would you describe your management style?
JC: I’m pretty hands-on. I like to hold weekly meetings to keep us all on the same page, and I do a lot of mentoring because our sales approach is very customized—showing how a single space can become uniquely suited to the way the client wants to live.
BP: What is the market like right now?
JC: It’s no longer a seller’s market, but the city is buzzing. A lot of pent-up buyer demand, as people are coming back to the city after leaving during Covid—and currently, we have a lot of foreign buyers who have kids in New York universities and want to have a pied-a-terre here. A right-priced property can still start a bidding war.
BP: What’s your best advice for new team leaders?
JC: Managing a team is a big job and many high-producing agents get frustrated with the chore because it’s less exciting than closing deals. The key is to assemble a team that has synergy and allows your business to grow while you offer opportunity for your team members to exceed their own performance, had they been on their own without the team.
Jessica Cohen Team Listing
150 Central Park South, Apartment 1610
Midtown West, NYC
Type: Cooperative, 3 Bedrooms 3.5 Baths
Maintenance: $7,144
Features: City views, air conditioning, doorman, health club, pets allowed
Price: $3,495,000
To see the full listing, click here.
To contact the team, email Jessicacohen@bhsusa.com.
