20 Facts About Douglas Elliman Real Estate Broker Chris Leavitt

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Photo by Nicholas Mele Photography

Not long before becoming one of the most successful brokers in South Florida’s ultra-competitive luxury real estate arena, Chris Leavitt was eyeing a career in entertainment. While his friends struggled with their economics and psychology courses, Chris attended film and media classes that analyzed “James Bond” films and pop culture sitcom classics, like “The Jeffersons,” where he was pursuing a degree in Cinema and Television Arts at the University of Southern California. At 21, he joined The Corcoran Group in 1996. The company’s founder, Barbara Corcoran, who also stars on ABC’s popular reality show, “Shark Tank,” was his mentor and helped to steer his fledgling footsteps. After nine years, the Boston native moved on to pursue other opportunities, which, ultimately, included the role of director of sales at The Miami Beach EDITION. During his tenure there, he sold a triplex penthouse for $34 million, which, at the time, was the largest condominium sale in Florida history.

In 2014, he was cast on “Million Dollar Listing Miami,” the Bravo hit series that followed him and his rivalrous castmates around Magic City’s impressive real estate market. As director of luxury sales at Douglas Elliman in Palm Beach, he guides clients through the purchase of their dream homes and provides a concierge-like service that keeps them tickled. With many of his clients being new to the area, they often won’t know where to go or what to try. Who’s the best trainer? Where should I get infrared sauna treatments? Being deeply tapped into Palm Beach’s lifestyle and wellness scene, Chris is their go-to guy.

“The good thing about me is that I am like these clients—I am very demanding, and I demand the best,” he says. “So, I am a great resource; I have more intel than an American Express Centurion Card concierge.” Today, when he’s not scouring the town for his next multimillion-dollar listing, he enjoys spending time at his Gramercy apartment in New York City and planning events like the Palm Beach Heart Ball, which takes place at The Breakers on Feb. 14.

1. WORK DUDS A Ralph Lauren Purple Label suit. I’m kind of on the thin side, and they’re very tapered and form-fitting.

2. DRINK DU JOUR Perrier with a splash of pineapple juice and a lime.

3. GO-TO SNACK Chunkie Dunkies. They’re vegan cookies made by a local company in Riviera Beach.

4. BINGE WATCHES “The Real Housewives of New York City” because I have a friend who’s on it.

5. WHAT’S PLAYING Top 40. I love anything new and current.

6. ALWAYS CARRIES Creed cologne’s Vetiver Geranium and Cedre Blanc. I keep a bottle of cologne in my briefcase because I always want to be fresh and smell great.

7. ACTIVE ENDEAVOR Swimming in my pool. I live in a really fabulous building with one of the largest pools in Palm Beach County.

8. HIDDEN TALENT My concierge services.

9. SWEET RIDE Aston Martin DB11.

10. MOST ADMIRES Barbara Corcoran. She guided me through a lot of big decisions in my real estate career.

11. SELF-PORTRAYAL Eccentric, fun and flamboyant.

12. BOOK WORM “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s something that I go back to weekly to make sure I’m behaving and working at my best capacity.

13. HAPPY PLACE I’m extremely hyper-social and go to a lot of things, so I am most happy at home reading books and watching TV.

14. PAYING IT FORWARD For the fifth year in a row, I am the junior chairman for the Palm Beach Heart Ball and, having a father inflicted with Alzheimer’s, I am getting very involved with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation in New York City.

15. SOLO SOJOURN If I need a getaway, I drive straight to The Ritz-Carlton in Naples. It’s one of my favorite places to go and disconnect.

16. MOST COVETED PURCHASE A condo for a family member that needed a new home. I was so honored to be able to do it for them.

17. GASTRO GO-TO My favorite place in Palm Beach is Imoto, and I cannot wait for La Goulue to open.

18. OUT-OF-TOWNER TREAT I always take guests to HMF to highlight The Breakers, which is the best example of the luxury and history of Palm Beach.

19. GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE Three massages a week.

20. TRY ONCE Go to The Ranch 4.0 in Malibu. It’s a life-changing experience.

21. WORDS OF WISDOM Life is too short, don’t sweat the small stuff.

22. CEASE AND DESIST I have to work on not saying words like “um” and “like.”

23. NEXT GOAL To write a book about navigating life.

 

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