For the Holl-Geller-Russell Team, Three Is the Magic Number

By Grace Cassidy When it comes to defining what makes a real estate team work, agents often describe it in terms of chemistry—an undefinable, sometimes precarious blend of personalities, experience and group dynamics that somehow gel and result in a unified composite. For the New York City-based Holl-Geller-Russell Team at Douglas Elliman, the better analogy is a jigsaw puzzle in which interlocking pieces fall into place to complete the picture. Ranked among the brokerage’s top two percent of teams nationwide, the team—led by Caroline Holl , Stephen Geller and Michael Russell —recently closed $1 million in GCI in a single day in June, with sales of properties at 110 East 70th Street and Central Park Tower . When asked what they believe makes the team work the way it does, all three readily point to how different each is from the other. Originally from Europe, where she grew up between London and Switzerland, Holl graduated from Brown University and Harvard Business School before going on to work in investment and private banking at JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank. In 2011, she met Geller, a lifelong New Yorker who worked as an NYC prosecutor and commercial litigator before entering real estate. The two became business partners in 2016, around the same time they met Russell, the son of top-producing real estate brokers in Atlanta who had only recently graduated college and begun working in interior design. The decision to team up was a case of creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. “Stephen and I floated the idea of teaming up for many months before moving forward,” Holl recalled. “We wanted to be certain that this made sense for everyone and, most importantly, establish a profound level of trust amongst ourselves. I think that has been a key to our success.” “One of the things that works well and has allowed us to grow our business is that each of us has a different skill set,” Geller said. “As a result, we have a different network of people that we do business with and socialize with, which has allowed us to diversify to grow the business.” “Opposites really attract with the three of us,” Russell added. “Our strengths really complement and sometimes compensate for one another’s skill sets.” That breadth of experience and variety of backgrounds enables the Holl-Geller-Russell Team to have a more expansive wheelhouse, a more extensive reach and a more diverse clientele. They also have partnerships with top agents in the Hamptons and Palm Beach areas, giving them entrée to some of the most sought-after markets in the U.S. “Irrespective of price points, you have to focus on doing the job and servicing the clients,” Geller said. The team’s collaborative approach means that clients receive the benefit of each individual’s unique experience and expertise, even when they’re primarily working with just one of the agents. “Something that works well and benefits our clients is that it’s very helpful to bounce ideas off your partners,” Geller said. “You can’t really do it with your colleagues because they’re your competitors, but we have weekly meetings to troubleshoot and brainstorm.” The team dynamic also provides a vital source of stability and support for each of the members. “In real estate, there’s a dry season and monsoon season,” Russell said. “When you have two other business partners, and you’re in a dry spell, the other two probably aren’t. Psychologically, it’s helpful.” Financially, too. Despite an overall down market, the team has exceeded $80 million in sales in just the first half of the year. Holl is optimistic about what lies ahead. “We remain bullish on the NYC real estate market,” she said. “We are excited for the second half of the year to be as strong as the first.”