Warren Buffett’s NYC brokerage wants to poach commercial brokers

The commercial broker poaching war ain’t over yet, and a new participant has entered the fray. Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices’ New York City office is looking to expand the commercial side of the brokerage, and is on the hunt for more brokers.

The New York City arm of the Warren Buffett-owned firm opened up in Manhattan back in January,  and broker Herb Hirsch joined the team in March, the New York Post reported.

Hirsch is leading the commercial leasing side of the business, according to the newspaper. He has hired two brokers to join the team and is looking for more.

“The name speaks for itself, and there is a lot of interest and people looking to buy commercial property in New York,” Hirsch told the Post. He is shopping a 300,000-square-foot development site downtown, according to the Post.

Soon after launching in New York City, Berkshire Hathaway picked up Westchester’s top residential brokerage, Houlihan Lawrence.

The firm has been expanding in the northeast, targeting a large presence in Westchester County through the acquisition of firms in Scarsdale, Larchmont, Eastchester and Rye.

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Ron Peltier told The Real Deal in January that Berkshire NYC is a “stake in the ground” and that the firm will continue to look for other city brokerages to buy.

There was a flurry of commercial broker poaching in 2016 and the early part of this year, including top producers Doug Harmon and Adam Spies leaving Eastdil Secured for Cushman & Wakefield; and Richard Baxter, Yoron Cohen and Scott Latham jumping from JLL to Colliers. In December, TRD looked at the biggest broker poaches of 2016.

Last week, broker Eric Anton left HFF and joined Marcus & Millichap. [NYP] — Miriam Hall