A Day with the Nation’s Top Broker

Compass President Leonard Steinberg budgets time for life’s simple luxuries, whether on or off the clock, advising clients in Manhattan or taking five in Capri.

As told to: Amy Perry
Image: Lauren Naefe

As a company leader, acclaimed agent, and inadvertent spiritual advisor, Leonard Steinberg has five words to live by: “Time is the last luxury.”

He preaches it from his digital newsletter, press appearances, and industry panels. In fact, it’s evolved into an unofficial Compass slogan as we aim to make real estate data more concise, use technology to take the headache out of home-shopping, and guide sellers and buyers through more informed decisions. We call it a more sophisticated real estate experience.

“Experiences are proven to deliver more happiness than possessions alone,” he says. And in the whir of modern life, is there no greater delight than taking a moment to unplug, contemplate, and sometimes indulge?

To this, Steinberg says “yes,” building time for ritual amid the routine as he helps spread the Compass ethos nationwide.

Write my daily memo, sipping hibiscus tea from a delicate Bernardaud cup. This company-wide email is my journal, where I explore subjects to better grasp them.

Catch a workout of treadmill and weights at my building’s gym (150 Charles Street) while tuning into Bloomberg News — facts without all the pundits.

Slip into a custom suit made by my Amsterdam tailor, today in white linen. Good craftsmanship is the ultimate confidence-booster. Pair it with a pale blue polo shirt — to match my hard hat!

Read the print edition of The Wall Street Journal over a cappuccino at Sant Ambroeus,
an offshoot of the original Italian café opened in 1936. It’s Milanese perfection. There’s something so civilized about reading a print newspaper; I scroll the rest of the day at work.

Host a broker’s breakfast at Chelsea’s 560 West 24th Street. Designed by Steven Harris, it’s a taste of Paris in New York — and these industry events allow fellow agents to meander through the apartment unrushed and really study its features.

Eat lunch at my desk, squeezing in a jaunt to Union Square’s Hu Kitchen to pick up some salmon cakes and a broccoli chili lime salad.

Polish off a brand and social media strategy proposal for a developer.

Guide buyers through a construction tour of a new downtown development, using our Toursheets tool to organize the afternoon’s itinerary.

Schedule a much-needed vacation (Babylonstoren in my native Cape Town, Punta Tragara in Capri?) on the intuitive Booking.com app.

Dine with a client at Perry Street, a West Village favorite tucked into a Richard Meier building. The lamps over the tables cast
a glow that makes everyone look fabulous.

Stroll the Hudson River Park promenade while on a call with a West Coast client, enjoying the ever-changing panoramas of fragrant chokecherry trees, filigreed crape myrtles, and lush azaleas.

Come home to cobbled, tree-lined streets that lift the soul. Ahead, the river soothes. Behind, the city beckons me toward tomorrow.

Learn more about Leonard and his award-winning real estate team at Compass.com.