BHS’ Former Top Downtown Broker Jumps Back From Compass

After nearly seven years with Compass, Rachel Glazer is returning to the firm where she once ruled as its top broker in Downtown Manhattan.

Glazer is joining Brown Harris Stevens, where she launched her real estate career in 2008, the firm announced on Tuesday. Along with her, Glazer is bringing three members of the team she founded while at Compass.

Glazer’s move comes roughly five months after Compass closed its landmark deal to acquire Anywhere Real Estate, making the combined entity the largest brokerage in the country with more than 300,000 agents and franchisees.

Among the reasons for her departure, Glazer said in a statement that she’s heading back to BHS because she “missed the boutique culture and collaborative environment that helped shape my career.”

BHS CEO Bess Freedman has repeatedly touted the firm’s independent status as a draw for agents looking to differentiate themselves from Compass’s massive empire. At The Real Deal’s New York Forum earlier this month, Freedman said that increased industry consolidation has created a lot of “sameness,” which has driven several agents to her firm.

“Sometimes when it gets too big — and that works for some people — but agents can get lost in the sauce,” Freedman said on stage. “You want to be able to talk to your manager or see what’s happening and talk to your colleagues.”

In a statement, Freedman referred to Glazer’s return as “an exciting milestone” for the firm, which has in recent months nabbed a few notable New York City players. Earlier this year, Andres Perea-Garzon left Corcoran’s top-producing Carrie Chiang Team to join the firm.

A spokesperson for Compass said the firm “wish[es] Rachel well.”
Glazer joined Compass in 2019 after more than a decade with BHS, where she was among the brokerage’s top luxury agents. Last year, she closed more than $119 million in sales, according to a press release.

Before leaving Compass, Glazer’s listings included a $5.4 million condo at 49 Chambers Street and a two-bedroom unit at 108 Leonard Street, both in Tribeca. Last year, she sold a West Village townhouse at 85 Charles Street for $11.5 million and another at 545 3rd Street in Park Slope for $6.3 million.