- Originally published at Inman News - Lillian Dickerson
The Warburg Realty founder had been at his firm, which he sold to Coldwell Banker in 2021, for more than 30 years. Kevelyn Guzman took over leadership at the firm in 2024.
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Nearly a year-and-a-half after handing over the reins of Coldwell Banker Warburg to Kevelyn Guzman, Frederick Warburg Peters has moved to Brown Harris Stevens.
Peters founded Warburg Realty in 1991, and has long been known as a spunky fixture of New York City real estate. The real estate vet sold his company to Coldwell Banker in 2021, and at the end of 2023, announced that he would be stepping into a president emeritus role at the brokerage the following year.
The Real Deal first reported the news based on an email sent out internally at Coldwell Banker Warburg on Thursday. Shortly thereafter, Brown Harris Stevens released a press statement about Peters’ move to the firm.
“The choice of Brown Harris Stevens was an easy one for me,” Peters said in a statement. “[BHS President] Hall Willkie has been a peer and a good friend for decades, and Bess Freedman has steered the company through the 21st century with great skill, modernizing the agent experience while maintaining the high standards of integrity and ethics for which BHS has always been known.”
Despite his move to an emeritus role at Coldwell Banker Warburg last year, Peters has consistently been an active agent since he started his real estate career in 1980. His lifetime transaction volume exceeds $1 billion.
Peters declined to elaborate further to Inman on his reasons for leaving Coldwell Banker Warburg.
Peters was a founding member of the Real Estate Board of New York’s Residential Division and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors. He has been the recipient of multiple REBNY awards over the course of his career, including the Henry Forster Memorial Award for lifetime achievement and contribution to the industry (1996), the Kenneth R. Gerrety Humanitarian Award for service (2010) and the Eileen Spinola Award for distinguished service (2023).
“Fred is synonymous with New York City real estate, and we are honored that he has chosen to continue his meteoric career with us at Brown Harris Stevens,” CEO Bess Freedman said in a statement. “His reputation and knowledge of the city, its buildings, and its people are beyond reproach. I look forward to working with him in this next chapter.”
Some of Peters’ latest deals have included the sale of a $6.3 million Park Ave co-op and the sale of a $5.6 million penthouse on East 74th Street, according to listing portal StreetEasy.
A spokesperson for Coldwell Banker Warburg said, “Coldwell Banker Warburg thanks its founder, Frederick Warburg Peters, for his leadership of not only the firm, but the New York real estate industry. The company wishes him happiness and success in his next chapter. Coldwell Banker Warburg continues to grow and thrive, with a bright future ahead.”
Peters will continue to write his regular column for Forbes as he moves to Brown Harris Stevens. He will be based out of the brokerage’s flagship office at 445 Park Avenue.
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