Brown Harris Stevens

A fourth generation New Yorker with a thorough understanding of his hometown’s evolving neighborhoods and fluctuating real estate market, Jeff is not only devoted, but an expert at helping his clients achieve their goals. He works with sellers to sell their properties for the best possible price and helps buyers fulfill their dreams by finding and securing their new home or pied-a-terre. Jeff also draws on his extensive international travels and the skills he developed over 25 years as an advertising executive to help investor clients find promising investment properties.

Jeff grew up in Manhattan Beach (Brooklyn, not California!), and has also lived in Park Slope, Boerum Hill, the East Village, not to mention Britain (London), and now Harlem, where he serves on his condo’s Board of Managers and is a former president. “This extraordinary city is totally and completely in my blood,” he says. “Its pace, the mix of people, and our diverse culture are my favorite things about New York.”

Jeff combines his love of the city’s rich history and his commitment to bringing New York’s great neighborhoods to life for his cli¬ents and friends by hosting several industry award-winning programs. One is a series of well-attended walking tours, aptly titled Rediscovering New York. “My goal in creating these tour events was to do something related to the places I help clients buy and sell property so people can discover these wonderful neighborhoods,” Jeff says. “My tours reflect my commitment to showcasing the city’s great neighborhoods, sometimes before clients make a decision on what neighborhood to buy in.”

After being named a finalist for the Inman News “Most Innovative Real Estate Agent” award in 2018 and being recognized as a 2019 RISMedia Newsmaker in the “Trendsetter” category, Jeff expanded his New York neighborhood programming by producing and hosting a weekly radio show, called Rediscovering New York. It can be heard live each week on www.talkradio.nyc, and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, and other services. The program earned Jeff recognition again as a 2020 RISMedia Newsmaker in the “Trendsetter” category. Jeff continued his innovative programming by producing a unique Zoom series of his neighborhood content during the pandemic, and this series again earned him RISMedia recognition as a Newsmaker “Trendsetter” in 2021 and 2022. Due to his ongoing innovative neighborhood programming, RISMedia recognized Jeff as a 2023 Newsmaker, for the fifth year in a row, this time as a “Trailblazer.”

Jeff is active in the Real Estate Board of New York, serving on the Upper Manhattan Task Force; in the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; in the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce; and in the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals. Jeff is also an active member and director of a local chapter of the National Association of Divorce Professionals, an organization that provides education and resources to support professionals who work with people going through the divorce process.

During his limited downtime Jeff enjoys live music performance. He regularly attends the New York Philharmonic and the Metro¬politan Opera, and also enjoys live folk music and bluegrass. Jeff is also an active volunteer, serving in different roles that support a variety of causes. Jeff serves on the New York Metro Council Chair for A Wider Bridge and is also on the Board of Directors for All Out Arts, which produces the Fresh Fruit Festival in New York. Some of his recent board affiliations were Out Professionals, a professional and networking group, and the Leslie Lohman Museum, the first dedicated LGBTQ art museum in the world.

Jeff values Brown Harris Stevens’ commitment to serving clients. “There is no other New York real estate company that has as many tools to be of service to its clients, and who’s committed to giving them the personal attention that is so vital when they are making the most financially consequential decisions of their lives,” he says.

Testimonials

198 Washington Park was/is an extraordinary house, called a trophy house by realtors. It was my home for 36 years, and the thought of selling [it made us] extremely sad, but it was time. Because of the condition of the house, I had my doubts it would fetch a decent asking, and further doubts that the estate I shared the house with and I would be able to work together. Not only did Jeff middle that very prickly path beautifully by keeping both parties in the loop, he also did a great job of marketing because he was knowledgeable about the architecture of the house and familiar with Fort Greene. Very specially, he used his podcast and neighborhood video of Fort Greene to really embellish the marketing. All of Jeff’s hard work paid off! We got our full asking price within a week of the house being on the market, despite the hurdle of COVID. It doesn’t get better than that! – Sue A.

After moving from the suburbs to New York City we decided to rent a place on the Upper West Side. After a year or two, we decided to buy. We met with three or four realtors, and then we met Jeff. While we continued to rent for another two years, Jeff kept in touch. Our search to buy became more complicated when we learned that we were also searching for an apartment for my mother-in-law. Further, my daughter was returning to America and we also needed a place for her.

I compliment Jeff on one of his key attributes: patience. He worked diligently on finding just what we wanted. Jeff was especially valuable during our purchase process, [pointing] out several questions we should ask that we hadn't thought of. The bottom line is Jeff did everything in the best interest of his client. I think we worked with Jeff on and off for nearly three years. While we are now settled comfortably in our co-op, we continue to stay in touch. When we can, we attend Jeff's walking tours. And of course, whenever I run into someone in need of a realtor, I recommend Jeff without hesitation. – Daniel & Kathleen M.

Throughout the search process, Jeff was just a pleasure to work with. He was incredibly responsive…[and] clearly knowledgeable about the New York real estate market broadly and about specific properties that we visited. He was also incredibly patient. We were very picky and even as our search took many months, Jeff always encouraged us to wait for the property that we loved. When we finally found that property, we also found ourselves in the middle of a heated bidding war (12 offers in 24 hours). It was Jeff's advice around how to analyze the home's value and structure our final bid that landed us as winner of that bidding war.

Even after the property was found, Jeff remained a tremendous resource, making sure that our co-op application and other details of the purchase went smoothly. We really appreciated that he even sat through our multi-hour closing, just to be sure there were no last-minute problems. We are, in the end, just thrilled with our co-op—and know that we wouldn't be living there were it not for Jeff. [We also] know that not many real estate agents would have made the process of getting there as pleasant. We've already recommended Jeff to one friend and colleague (and will happily do so again). – Carrie & Brett

Jeff Goodman was wonderful throughout my search for my first home. His diligence, availability to answer any and all questions, real estate expertise, and sense of humor were key to making the apartment search as smooth as possible. Jeff guided me through viewing countless properties…and I was so appreciative of his attention and commitment to keeping me informed of developments as soon as they happened. Jeff's guidance and expert review of all co-op board packages resulted in a board package that the listing agent complimented as perhaps the most meticulous he had ever seen from a buyer. I credit Jeff with having guided me to a wonderful new home. I truly value his professionalism and the personal connection we have formed. I cannot speak highly enough about him. – Laura G.

For well over a year, Jeff helped us search for a home that met our needs and wants. For a variety of reasons, this move and search was unusually stressful for us. We are [also] both legally blind, and this makes looking for a new home even more challenging. Jeff took this in stride and patiently answered all of our questions, giving us the extra time we needed to check out each property. During our nearly year-and-a-half search we viewed more than 130 apartments. Many of these apartments were in neighborhoods that were unfamiliar to us…and we were always amazed at Jeff’s knowledge of the area.

Once we found our perfect home, Jeff guided us through the process of negotiating an acceptable price and contract terms. After that came the true adventure of securing all items for our board package. Jeff took control of this process in a manner that eased our stress and anxiety and ensured that a complete and beautiful package was delivered to the co-op on time. Another example of Jeff’s going above and beyond is that the seller did not vacate the property until the morning of closing…Jeff stayed at the apartment until the move was complete. Jeff made what is one of the most stressful events in a person’s life very easy and comfortable. Should we ever have the need again for a new home we will, without hesitation, ask Jeff to guide us again. We also will recommend Jeff to any of our friends who may need to purchase a new home or sell their existing home. – Howard O.

Like many people, the sale of a first home can be emotional, but my situation was further complicated by the fact that I had to sell my apartment quickly, as my family and I were moving to a new apartment. Jeff turned out to be perfectly equipped to handle our situation. He was quickly able to assess the market, formulate a process, and establish an optimal pricing strategy. He explained that he would put out an asking price that was a little below what the property was worth in order to generate significant demand that would ultimately command a higher price. With some trepidation, I agreed and I am happy to say my trust in Jeff was rewarded.

We received seven offers, with the highest bid substantially above the asking price. After the buyer ended up taking longer to close than we thought, Jeff allayed all my concerns and ensured a smooth closing by taking care of all the small details that were not technically part of his job. I have worked with other brokers in the past, but none took such pride in making sure every important aspect of the transaction was handled properly. Jeff is a quintessential professional whom I would recommend enthusiastically. I know that in the future when I need help with a real estate transaction, Jeff will be my first call. – Juan T.

Thank you so, so much for your representation and guidance on the recent sale of our Harlem townhouse. You eased every step of the process for us. You visited the property well before time to market to advise us on repairs and sprucing up. Your marketing plan was solid and proactive, your marketing materials were superb and very effective at driving buyer traffic, and your team was very well-staffed to accommodate the traffic during open houses. And through it all, you were extremely gracious and considerate of our tenants, minimizing disruption to them.

All of this combined with your pricing strategy to fetch us multiple offer above asking within days and an accepted offer within a week! As we moved forward with contract signing, inspections, and closing, you were ahead of every detail, looking around the corner to smooth out wrinkles before they appeared. We closed barely three months after listing the property, with happy parties on both sides of the table and nary a hiccup in the process. We [also] appreciate the personal touch you brought to the transaction. It never felt as though we were involved in a business relationship. Rather, it felt as though we were relying on the support of a friend to see us through the process. Your management kept things running smoothly, but your personal manner kept it running pleasantly. Closing was indeed bittersweet. Successful as it was, it also meant winding down the more intense phase of our relationship. Fortunately, we remain neighbors, so I look forward to our continued friendship in the neighborhood! – Danny C.

When it no longer made sense for my wife and I to continue holding our former apartment as an investment property, we approached Jeff about selling it. He had always been fast at finding qualified and reliable renters for our apartment and we hoped he would demonstrate the same success with our sale. He did. Jeff gave us a very realistic assessment of our apartment value and expectations for sale. We had tried selling the apartment on two prior occasions before we met Jeff and never received the traffic or offers we felt should have been possible. Jeff took a much more pragmatic approach with our sale than we had experienced with prior brokers. Rather than listing the home at our ideal price, we listed at slightly below market. Furthermore, Jeff offered us suggestions on how best to stage the empty apartment to provide the most appeal to buyers. We followed all of his advice.

As a result, we had more traffic in our first open house than had ever visited the apartment on our previous attempts and we were immediately receiving offers. Jeff also demonstrated just how ethically he conducted himself. Though it was clear that one offer could have earned him far more commission than the others, he presented all offers without prejudice. The offer we accepted was the best possible deal for us and was exactly what we felt we should receive for the apartment. The process from listing to accepted offer went exactly to script from a realtor who knows what he is doing. Jeff's experience and attention to detail did a whole lot to smooth out the process. He ended up handling details with the attorneys, the building managing agent, and other vendors involved in the staging and sale process. Furthermore, all of this was achieved with the good nature and professionalism that I have known of Jeff for years. He is a genuine pleasure to work with. – Brice & Mayra

Jeff was very professional and reassuring about his expertise, and I decided to list my property with him. I’m thankful I did. Jeff took care of all the details, including marketing my apartment and meeting with buyers continually. Within six weeks of listing with Jeff I had an accepted offer. Little did I realize that most of his work on this sale would come after the contract was signed. To say that the board approval process was difficult would be an understatement. Aside from his work in assembling what I was told by the management company was an exceptional board package, a number of very challenging issues came up during the approval process with the board. Jeff was there every step of the way, shepherding the transaction and creating solutions in the midst of what seemed like insurmountable obstacles. – Barbara S.