Eeal estate agents Bonita DeWolf and Janifer Jaeger — two of the region’s more established dealmakers — are making a move, this time landing at Brown Harris Stevens.
The pair arrive from Christie’s International Real Estate and will set up shop at Brown Harris Stevens’ Sag Harbor office, the firm said on Tuesday. Between them, DeWolf and Jaeger bring more than 60 years of Hamptons real estate know-how — a track record built on luxury listings, a Rolodex of loyal buyers and sellers, and the sort of market instincts you only earn after decades in the game.
Bonita DeWolf knows the territory better than most. She’s lived and worked in the Hamptons for more than three decades, carving out a clientele that runs the gamut — first-time buyers and seasoned sellers, landlords leasing beachfront escapes, and tenants dreaming of a season on the water. Her CV includes a start at Dayton Halstead in 1998, a long run at the Corcoran Group, a stop at Christie’s, and now this new epoch at Brown Harris Stevens.
“I’ve spent more than thirty years building my business here,” DeWolf said. “Having the right platform matters.” She points to Brown Harris Stevens’ reputation as a privately owned, 150-year-old company with what she describes as “a clear vision for the future.”
Jaeger’s credentials are just as solid. She’s called Sag Harbor home for years and, much like DeWolf, spent over two decades at Corcoran—climbing the ranks to senior managing director before switching over to Christie’s as an associate broker. Colleagues say Jaeger has an ear for local nuance—she knows the subtle, block-by-block distinctions that matter in a place where rules and personalities can shift from one hamlet to the next.
“Brown Harris Stevens is where I want to write my next chapter,” Jaeger said. “It’s a firm with unmatched history and strong values.”
Robert Nelson and Philip O’Connell, the firm’s executive managing directors for the Hamptons, greeted the news as further proof that Brown Harris Stevens is on a roll. “Their decision to join is a testament to the strength of our platform and the momentum we’re building across the East End,” they said in a joint statement.
There’s a new name joining too — Karaline Menacher. She’s starting her real estate career at Brown Harris Stevens after more than twenty years in architecture and design.
Since 1873, Brown Harris Stevens has built a roster of more than 2,300 agents in four states, with offices in many East End hubs — Southampton, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, Westhampton Beach, and the North Fork — plus its flagship on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
