During their conversation, Freedman repeatedly needled Liebman over Corcoran\u2019s place within the Compass empire, warning that the deal would create \u201csameness\u201d across brands. She also took aim at Compass\u2019 campaign to expand private listings within its ecosystem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to work at Brown Harris Stevens, we believe in marketing your properties to everybody,\u201d Freedman said. \u201cShe should encourage Compass, Rob [Reffkin], to make sure that they take down the wall for the private listings network and share those listings with everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freedman\u2019s criticisms echo a broader concern among smaller independent firms in the city, which are now fighting for their place in the industry as a handful of national players threaten to dominate it. The challenge in holding their own against the giants is also exacerbated by the growing popularity of private exclusives, which could squeeze many of the little firms out of the listings business.<\/p>\n
Some of these smaller shops have taken themselves out of the independent game entirely, opting to sell to a heavyweight outside of the Compass network, such as Howard Hanna\u2019s recent acquisition<\/a> of Elegran Real Estate, while others, like BHS, are marketing themselves as alternatives to the corporate behemoths.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes when it gets too big \u2014 and that works for some people \u2014 but agents can get lost in the sauce,\u201d Freedman said. \u201cYou want to be able to talk to your manager or see what\u2019s happening and talk to your colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n Leslie J. Garfield, which specializes in townhouse deals, has expanded outside of its expertise niche with its recent acquisition of a boutique new development marketing firm, Cantor Pecorella. The firm, now under the Garfield umbrella, will head sales at 227 West 19th Street, an eight-unit luxury development which includes a four-bedroom townhouse, when they launch this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cConsolidation creates a vacuum, and that vacuum is exactly where we\u2019re operating,\u201d said Garfield\u2019s managing partner, Jed Garfield. \u201cWhen firms get bigger, the client experience can get thinner. We\u2019ve built 50 years of business on the opposite model.\u201d<\/p>\n Other brokerages have attached themselves to bigger names with wider nets to stand out. Last month, Platinum Properties announced it was joining<\/a> the Forbes Global Properties Network as its only New York outpost, taking the spot vacated by Elegran. The firm then rebranded as Platinum Forbes Global Properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of, if not our biggest, strengths has been the fact that we\u2019re small and nimble, and I just don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to be that way when you\u2019re a massive firm,\u201d the brokerage\u2019s CEO and co-founder, Dezireh Eyn, told TRD in April. \u201cWe pivot on a dime because we can do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In case you missed it\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n New York Gov. Kathy Hochul finally released<\/a> her proposed $268 million budget for the state, including a pied-\u00e0-terre tax, which has raised eyebrows \u2014 and serious concerns \u2014 across the industry. The proposed tax would be an annual levy on second homes in the city valued at $5 million or more.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though Hochul\u2019s office projects the tax will bring in $500 million in revenue, others expect that estimate to be much lower. An analysis by the city\u2019s comptroller shows the revenue from the tax is more likely to fall between $340 million and $380 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n NYC Deal of the Week<\/p>\n The priciest deal to hit the city rolls this week was for a penthouse at Madison Realty Capital\u2019s 16 Fifth Avenue, which sold to an anonymous buyer for $32.5 million<\/a>. The deal closed for a significant discount from its last asking price of $45 million before it entered contract last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unit PH2 is a duplex spanning 6,800 square feet. It also has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, an elevator and two terraces.\u00a0<\/p>\n Corcoran\u2019s Tara King-Brown and Ryan Kaplan are heading sales at the project.<\/p>\n \tRead more \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u201cNo one\u2019s telling me what to do\u201d: Pam Liebman clashes with Bess Freedman at TRD Forum<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Howard Hanna acquires Elegran Real Estate<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"BHS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Pam-Liebman-Clashes-With-Bess-Freedman-At-TRD-Forum-200x133.jpg\")
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