Frances Katzen

Agent, Douglas Elliman

Douglas Elliman’s Frances Katzen is not afraid to speak her mind. 

While it can get her into trouble, it also explains how when she wins a client, she keeps them, as she has done over $3 billion in career sales. 

“I always tell clients, ‘I’m going to say what I think, not what you want to hear,’” she said. 

A former professional dancer, Katzen climbed her way up the top of the industry to become a prolific broker in both the resale and new development market. She has led sales at high-end projects like 108 Leonard and 527 West 27th Street, also known as the Jardim. 

She has also played the savior, coming into projects like Alchemy’s condo 35 XV at 35 West 35th Street and selling out the remaining units in just 10 months. Katzen’s currently trying to do just that at the MoMA Tower at 53 West 53rd Street.  

Katzen’s independent streak is also evident in her loyalty to Douglas Elliman, which she joined in 2006.

While a number of high-profile have left Douglas Elliman after star brokers Tal and Oren Alexander were accused of rape and reports of an unbridled company culture began to surface, Katzen stood by the firm and its former CEO Howard Lorber. 

“The base of what was built is indestructible, irrespective of the slander,” she told The Real Deal following Lorber’s surprise resignation. 

It’s now a new era at Elliman — and Katzen has emerged as one of the remaining pillars at the company.