With over 25 years of experience, Jim Gricar brings with him a set of skills and roles unmatched in the residential brokerage field. As a Licensed Broker and co-founder of Best Life Team, Jim employs these skills daily.
Jim entered the NYC market as an agent with The Corcoran Group in the late nineties, during a severe real estate recession in the city. Within 2 years he was in the company’s top tier. At that point, Barbara Corcoran tapped Jim to lead the firm’s downtown business of over 125 agents. For five years, pre and post-9/11, he and his agents dominated the challenging downtown luxury market, tripling revenue and becoming one of the top 5 brokerage operations in a national network of over 2000.
In 2004, Jim decamped to Terra Holdings, the parent company of Brown Harris Stevens and Halstead Property. For Terra, he served as Managing Director of the Brown Harris Stevens West Side business, again dramatically increasing the operation’s gross revenue and profit, helping his associates achieve a 50 percent luxury market share. While at BHS he also served as head of Project Marketing, the division responsible for marketing high-end new development products. In 2011 Terra moved Jim to their competing brokerage brand, Halstead, where he served as General Sales Manager, responsible for 30 offices in 3 states. He was subsequently promoted to President.
Jim’s experience isn’t limited to the city, however. He served as head of sales at Westchester-based Houlihan Lawrence. Again responsible for 30 offices in New York and Connecticut, his deep dive into suburban real estate gave him a fuller understanding of the macro east coast market, and in particular the synergy among city, suburban and international clientele. Jim is uniquely qualified to help his clients navigate these vibrant, inherently interconnected markets.
Jim is proud to represent the Sotheby's brand here in Westport. His roots in the area run deep: Jim purchased a weekend home in lower Weston over 20 years ago, moving here full-time in 2014. After nearly 30 years in Manhattan, Jim is thrilled to spend his time and energy in this wonderful corner of the world. He has a knowledge of local history that belies his years living here. And you won’t find a more enthusiastic promoter of Westport and its environs!
What he brings to his clientele is a perspective and understanding of the business that is simply broader than most. In his previous capacities, he was responsible for market forecasting and executing business plans designed to stay in front of any given market, driving profit (or managing loss) accordingly. He knows what works and what techniques are just bells and whistles. He’s honest to a fault, respectfully so, and he takes his fiduciary obligations seriously.
Jim has joined forces with his good friend and colleague Kristi Law to form Best Life Team of William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty. To learn more about how they work, visit bestlifect.com
