2023 was a banner year for Christie’s International Real Estate Group, and The Real Deal was there every exciting step of the way. Let’s take a look back at the milestones that marked the Group’s growth into a major tri-state player.
The firm kicked off the year by moving into swanky new headquarters at The Top of the Rock. “One Rockefeller Plaza is truly in the heart of it all here in New York City,” Sonja Cullaro, the firm’s co-founder and EVP, told us. The move was a bold statement that Christie’s International Real Estate Group intends to take over the hot market. As Cullaro said at the time, “This is our flagship New York City office, but there will be others.”
After securing primo office space, Christie’s International Real Estate Group refocused on building a team of incredible brokers. We asked Sherri Balassone, Esq. Vice President and Corporate Broker of Record for Christie’s International Real Estate Group in New York City and The Hamptons, to give us the lowdown on what makes their firm different from the others in the tri-state area. Balassone highlighted the firm’s commitment to one-on-one support for agents in all aspects of marketing, transactions, public relations and more. “We provide our agents with a full suite of personal support. We see our relationship with agents as a partnership, we cannot do it without each other’s input and vision.”
As the firm’s President and CEO Ilija Pavlovic told us, “This close symbiotic relationship with the auction house is also a great source of leads for our agents.” In an in-depth interview, Pavlovic gave The Real Deal insight into how Christie’s International Real Estate Group leverages its international connections to reach the largest possible audience. “Being a true global company, Christie’s has the ability to reach key potential buyers, domestically as well as internationally, through all platforms – in print, digitally, via social media and through Christie’s events,” he said. “We have top affiliates in all major international markets.”
We checked in with some of the team’s newest members in October. “I knew that this was going to be an open frontier for me in the sense of business growth and opportunities,” said Gina Sabio, who joined the firm this year. “I had multiple reasons why I chose Christie’s, but the main one came down to knowing that I was taking the exclusive, prestigious brand and global name of Christie’s, and infusing it with my brand.”
Christie’s made a splash in August when they announced the opening of their first office Out East in East Hampton at 26 Park Place. They quickly welcomed a handful of seasoned Hamptons agents, including, Jane Babcook and Bonita DeWolf. The team of local agents is servicing the Hamptons with full support and access to the unmatched Christie’s global network.
November ushered in another wave of proclamations. Most importantly, is Christie’s International Real Estate Group’s inception of a new development division. The Group entered a partnership with the leading experts of new development marketing, Reuveni Development Marketing (“RDM”). Shlomi Reuveni, President & CEO of RDM, was also named as Chief Strategy Office of Christie’s International Real Estate Group. The creation of this partnership will continue to bring meteoric growth to the company in the tri-state area, setting it apart from competitors.
Last month, Balassone gave us a glimpse at Pl@tform, the robust tech stack that powers every element of Christie’s International Real Estate Group’s brokerage. The unified technology solution streamlines brokers’ everyday tasks and helps them focus on building and maintaining the relationships that are so crucial to succeeding in the tri-state real estate market.
Check out our comprehensive coverage of Christie’s International Real Estate Group here, then reach out to their team to learn more about how the firm can leverage its global connections and local expertise to meet your tri-state real estate needs.