Former head of Douglas Elliman’s Western Region operations Stephen Kotler has left the luxury firm after more than three decades.
Kotler’s son, Max Kotler, has also left Douglas Elliman and joined the Corcoran Group, The Real Deal reported. Max announced his move on Instagram on Thursday, calling it “the next chapter” for The Kotler Team. Stephen Kotler also reposted Max’s post with the hashtag #proudparentmoment. Stephen is not joining Corcoran.
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“What hasn’t changed is our dedication to our clients,” Max’s post said. “You can continue to rely on us for the same integrity and commitment — now backed by a company that aligns with our values.”
A representative for Douglas Elliman said the firm wished Max well in his next career step. The brokerage declined to comment on Stephen’s departure. Inman was unable to immediately reach Stephen for comment.
Douglas Elliman announced Stephen Kotler was stepping down from the Western Region CEO role in February after several months of dealing with lawsuits from former disgruntled employees. At that time, Kotler joined the Kotler Team in New York City, which included both Max and Stephen’s brother, Michael Kotler.
Michael Kotler continues to run what is now known as the Michael Kotler Team at Douglas Elliman. The seven-person team specializes in residential sales, rentals and relocation services across New York City.
“We’re happy to welcome Max Kotler to Corcoran’s Park Avenue South office,” a Corcoran representative told Inman in an emailed statement. “Max joins us as an individual agent with plans to build a dedicated team that will allow him to provide even greater support to his clients. We’re confident that Corcoran’s resources, tools and collaborative environment will empower Max to take his business to the next level.”
Stephen Kotler joined Douglas Elliman in New York City as an agent in 1991 when the firm had less than 300 agents. Today, it has around 6,600 agents. He moved up through various management roles until the firm expanded into California in 2014, at which point he started spending more time in the state and was ultimately promoted to lead the company’s Western region, which grew into Colorado, Nevada and Texas.
Kotler’s stepping down from the Western Region CEO role came after a series of leadership shakeups at the firm that started in October 2024. At that time, former chairman and CEO Howard Lorber announced his retirement, former brokerage CEO Scott Durkin was terminated, and then in December, Executive Vice President and COO Richard Lampen said he was retiring but would remain on the company’s board.
At the time of Lorber’s retirement, the firm had undergone an internal investigation into the company’s culture following mounting lawsuits alleging sexual assault against former top brokers Tal and Oren Alexander. When Lorber stepped down, Michael S. Liebowitz was announced as the new president and CEO.
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