Native New Yorker Lauren Muss has been active in the real estate business since 1994, working as a broker at Douglas Elliman. Before her career in real estate, she ran her own high-end accessories company, where, as a trained gemologist, she sold her products nationwide. Her determination and commitment have helped her establish herself as a respected expert in the real estate industry. In total, she has achieved sales exceeding US$7 billion in some of Manhattan's most renowned neighbourhoods.
At the start of her career, Muss was unsure which path to take. A survey of her friends resulted in the recommendation to obtain a broker's license and enter the real estate industry. She followed this advice. "I started with my first listing for US$400,000 and had an open house every weekend," Muss recalls. "It was like the Fabergé advertisement – for those who remember: those people told two friends, and those people in turn told two friends, and suddenly I was in business."
Career Highlights and Team Strategy
When asked about the biggest deal of her career, Lauren Muss cited the sale of several penthouses valued at US$40 million to US$50 million in properties such as The Pierre, 160 Leroy Street, The Baccarat, and 33 East 74th Street. This year alone, she has already sold several townhouses, units in The Surrey, 70 Vestry, 200 East 79th Street, as well as new-build projects worth approximately US$20 million.
Muss sees her most ambitious professional goal in assembling her seventeen-person team, each member boasting 12 to 23 years of industry experience. She emphasises that her team members work with her, not for her. This allows clients to work directly with any member of her team. She has no assistants; each team member is trained to adopt her working methods and take full responsibility for their respective tasks.
She was once asked if she feared losing clients to her own team members. Her reply was that this was precisely the goal. To date, not a single team member has left the company. This underscores the success of her cooperative and empowering team structure.
Personal Insights
- —What might surprise people about her: She possesses a sensitive side.
- —Her preferred takeaway food: Chicken Paillard, a light protein source with salad.
- —Current series: "Lioness", "Dutton Ranch", "Ted Lasso" and "Lucky". She recently finished "Margot Has Money Problems" and "Your Friends and Neighbors".
- —Musical preferences: Fleetwood Mac, America, James Taylor, Neil Young, Lenny Kravitz, Pink Floyd, Sting, U2, and Sofi Tukker shape her Spotify playlist.
Her favourite architects and interior designers are varied. She names Candela as well as Studio Sofield, AM Stern (known for 220 Central Park South and 70 Vestry), and Herzog & de Meuron. Her preferred interior designer, however, is Julie Hillman.
