Company History

Principles by which we do business

Our company partners with its agents, staff, managers, customers and clients. Working together we focus on setting personal and company goals, creating the supportive atmosphere to realize our goals and do so  in a cooperative and ethical environment.

Our integrity, both personal and corporate, is fundamental to our business practice and our company culture.

We value learning and know that education and its application is ever ongoing. It is part of creating a “personal best” culture in our organization.

We value innovation because we know market forces are constantly changing and we must always be at the leading edge.

We believe in transparency and run an open book company. We have also strived to create transparency in our marketplace and foster a consumer orientation.

We value achievement and we are results-oriented seeking to establish high standards of performance and business conduct.

We believe in cooperation and sharing, striving as individuals and a corporation toward meeting our social and professional responsibilities.

We remember to laugh and appreciate each others’ uniqueness while doing our tasks with joy and good humor.

These principles help to ground us and enable us to be architects of change and leaders in our field.

Background of Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy

In 1988, William Morris Hunt III and JoAnne Kennedy founded Hunt Kennedy, Inc, specializing in high-end properties on the Upper West Side and soon thereafter on the Upper East Side.

In February 1996, real estate news was made as Hunt Kennedy joined forces with David Michonski and Coldwell Banker, North America’s premier real estate company, to create a wholly owned franchised affiliate. The merger brought to New York City a company that had important national connections and localized expertise.
 
CBHK soon became the fastest growing residential real estate company in Manhattan specializing in the sale and rental of Manhattan properties.

CBHK was the first to announce a stock option plan and shared equity plan for agents that landed its founders on the cover of Today’s Realtor Magazine.

In 1997, David Michonski was named one of the Top Ten Realtors in America by Today’s Realtor Magazine and CBHK became the first in Manhattan to offer Seller Services Guarantee.

In 1998, CBHK purchased Heights Cranford Realty in Brooklyn Heights, becoming the first Manhattan firm to buy a brokerage in Brooklyn. In 2001, CBHK became one of 19 founding firms for the Manhattan Association of Realtors and in 2002, took the lead again by founding Manhattan Multiple Listing Service with 12 other firms.

CBHK, in 2003, purchased Charles H. Greenthal, one of Manhattan’s oldest firms, and made the current Midtown office at 555 Madison their own. A year later, they purchased 3000 square feet of space at 555 Madison to centralize all staff. Most recently, CBHK launched CBHK.NET and patent pending software for tracking consumer responses to ads.

An Internet marketing plan, the first of its kind was announced in 2004 that gave Manhattan consumers exposure for their listings before 91% of the unique users on the Top Ten sites, something matched by no other firm in Manhattan.

In 2005 CBHK announced the appointment of Dawn Tsien as President of CBHK’s New Developments Division and signed a new lease for 7000 square feet of space at 555 Madison to house the New Developments. 

In August 2006 Coldwell Banker Commercial Properties (our commercial company) moved into award winning designed offices and joined the ranks of Manhattan's top tier commercial firms.

In February 2007 CBHK launched a first-of-its kind Success Center for training new sales associates that comprises 90 days of intensive training intended to guarantee a new agent's success. Only 10% of those who apply are admitted to this elite coterie of successful new agents.

In March 2007 Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy announced the relocation of its Downtown offices to new sleek digs at 64 West 21Street.

Ten years from its founding, CBHK has four modern totally networked offices in Manhattan to call its own covering all  key Manhattan areas – er West Side, Downtown and  East Side. They have three hundred agents, an award-winning relocation department with a staggering number of closed sales, concierge services to assist customers with moving related needs, and a New Developments Division that is expanding everyday.

Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy is a part of Coldwell Banker’s international network of 3700 offices and 130,000 agents in over 40 countries.