Steven James

With more than three and half decades of residential sales experience, Steven James is a consummate and well-respected real estate professional.  As CEO of Douglas Elliman’s New York City Brokerage and director of sales for its East Side office, the most profitable residential real estate office in the U.S. for over fifteen years, Steven capably advises brokers and oversees all aspects of their deals.  He also works closely with the executive sales management team throughout all of Douglas Elliman’s New York City offices.  His dedication to making the transaction process a smooth one indirectly yet enormously affects the lives of buyers and sellers alike.

Steven joined Douglas Elliman in 1990 and his outstanding reputation has earned him great respect in the real estate industry.  For over 15 years, Steven has served on the Board of Directors at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), as well as serving terms on REBNY’s Ethics Committee and Deal of the Year Dinner-Dance Committee, among others.  In 1998, his great achievements were recognized with the Henry Forrester Memorial Award, the highest honor awarded to a residential broker.   

By 1979, he embraced real estate full-time as a sales representative, applying his well-developed concentration and listening skills to benefit his clientele.  He sold his first house to his very first customer, and the rest was history.  Soon after, he carved an impressive record of selling no less than three apartments a month.  Steven has a particular knack for reading between the lines to determine what people are looking for.  As CEO, he works diligently to enhance the efforts of brokers who rely on his expertise as well as the entire sales management team at Douglas Elliman in growing each office’s business.  Steven has also shared his knowledge with his peers over the years presenting guest lectures at NYU, Columbia Business School and REBNY.  Currently, he gives the opening address to the DE Training classes each month as he enjoys giving back.

Originally from Texas, Steven’s passion for people and architecture made him a natural when it came to appreciating the value of real estate.  After studying at North Texas University and the University of Hawaii, he moved to New York to pursue acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.