At Home in New York and South Florida with The Assouline Team

For high-net-worth clients, luxury real estate is more than just a location—it’s a lifestyle, often spanning multiple homes across different cities. If that lifestyle includes residences in both New York and South Florida, there’s a good chance The Assouline Team at Douglas Elliman helped seal the deal.

Founded by Ruthie Assouline and Ethan Assouline, the team has built a thriving dual-home, dual-city business specializing in clients who want to maintain lives in both New York and Florida’s Atlantic coast. They have mastered the art of helping clients transition between the two cities, facilitating transactions in both markets with a strategic and service-driven approach. As they approach the $1 billion mark in total sales across both regions, their expertise is more in demand than ever.

“The majority of our clients own multiple properties, for many, there is no such thing as a sole primary residence,” Ruthie explains. “When purchasing in Miami, they’re not necessarily relocating—they’re reconfiguring for the next phase of their lives. With increased work-life flexibility, they can hop on a plane and get from New York to Miami faster than it takes to drive to the Hamptons.”

Their recent listings reflect this high-level movement and demand: a $35.9 million, drop-dead four-bedroom condo at 10201 Collins Avenue, 2601/02, in Bal Harbour spanning nearly 10,000 square feet of total interior & exterior living space, and complete with extraordinary, uninterrupted ocean views from its floor-to-ceiling windows; the second, a spectacular quintessential Soho penthouse being sold off-market for $60 million.

Southern expansion

While the Assouline’s built their reputation as Elliman agents in New York, Ruthie–a Miami native–always envisioned expanding to South Florida. The game changer was Covid. All of a sudden, everyone they knew—and many they represented—wanted to head south.

“There was uncertainty, but we knew New York City would endure and used the moment as an opportunity to secure incredible deals for our buyers, said Ruthie. “When things were very quiet in August of 2020, we were able to secure a prime Greenwich Village townhome for our buyer at $15,850,000, a record price for that asset class at the time. Nothing had traded at that level in the city since the beginning COVID which made it a significant transaction.”

Back in 2020, the duo also leveraged their deep-rooted, dual-market connections to secure a $45.5 million off-market Miami Beach home for their New York client, representing both Buyer and Seller. Since then, the momentum has only grown. Recent headline-making deals by The Assouline Team include the record off-market sale of a penthouse at the Puck building in TriBeCa for $32.5 million and an off-market sale of an estate on Miami Beach’s coveted Altos del Mar neighborhood for $35.6 million, also record breaking.

Much of the team’s success is driven by referrals, from clients who appreciate the discretion, efficiency, and expertise the Assouline Team brings to the table. And their relationships with clients extend beyond the closing table, offering ongoing guidance to get clients set up in their new city. With a trusted network of local experts—including designers, contractors and movers—they help clients navigate every detail, including private school to private club recommendations.

“When you’re moving between cities, having an agent with the right connections makes all the difference,” Ethan notes. “We make sure that our clients have ready access to names and opportunities in both places, and that they feel at home from day one. We’re ready for every contingency.”

The team successfully closed multiple and complex two-part transactions for clients moving from New York to Miami—selling a primary residence and securing a new home in South Florida. “Each step presents unique challenges, but that’s what we do best—navigate complexity to create seamless solutions,” Ethan says.

Take, for example, a recent challenge involving the sale of a New York co-op to a buyer who wanted to use a family trust for the purchase, which the co-op board was determined to kibosh. The Assoulines worked tirelessly to make sure that didn’t happen and were able to close the transaction at a record number, all while helping the client relocate to their new home in Miami in 29 days.

“That took a lot of pulling strings, strategic negotiations, and non-stop follow up,” Ruthie says. “But we got it done, and they were happy.”