It was 2006, New York City.

Brian Doughtery and NIck Robert happened upon one another through a mutual friend on the once-popular “Friendster” social media platform, and set up a blind date. 

“I came late, Nick was waiting on the corner,” Brian recalls. “I was on my Palm Pilot, pretending to be all important, but probably really talking with my grandmother. He literally was thinking of walking away.”

That pivotal meet-cute would evolve into a personal and professional partnership that has, two decades later, left its mark on Greater Boston’s real estate scene, with over $550 million in sales including some of the largest residential transactions in the state.

Both Nick and Brian started out with an early exposure to the industry: Nick grew up in Harvard, MA, where his mother was a successful Coldwell Banker agent, while Brian’s grandmother was a top realtor in his corner of New Jersey. 

After graduating Bates College with a degree in economics, Nick pursued his MFA in design at NYU, launching a career as a set designer in TV production and working on shows such as the long-running soap opera “Guiding Light.”

Brian, meanwhile, a graduate of St. Joseph’s University, initially aspired to manage luxury hotels, launching into a series of sales roles for upscale resorts from Jackson Hole to Las Vegas to Turks and Caicos. 

After years together in NYC, they were going to find themselves in-between work projects at the same time, and began dreaming of an opportunity where they could combine their respective talents and interests.   “We concocted this crazy plan to buy an old inn on the Cape, restore it, and run it – and did that for three long years,” Brian recalls. “In hindsight, it’s all related to what we do today.”

The Chatham Gables Inn flourished, and Brian and Nick obtained their MA real estate licenses, helping guests purchase second Cape homes, while cultivating a growing clientele dotting from Chatham back to Boston proper and around the South Shore. 

Ultimately, the couple sold the inn and rolled their profits into a partnership stake with boutique real estate firm Robert Paul Properties, while Nick took a corporate job curating store openings for Restoration Hardware. 

In 2019, Brian was recruited by Compass and joined the agency as a Managing Director, creating The Private Brokerage, and soon brought Nick back into the fold. 

Around the same time, the couple was ready for parenthood, and was looking to leave Boston’s South End for a more family-friendly suburban lifestyle. 

Brunching with friends, they stumbled across Cohasset, and after a series of moves to Milton and back, ended up purchasing and renovating a waterfront home overlooking Cohasset Harbor, where they’ve been living with their son Henry and two shaggy Newfoundland pups, Piper and Rosie.

“We may have overdone it, it’s 8,000-square-feet for just the three of us,” Brian laughs. “We’re looking to simplify.” The home is up for sale, and a new renovation project is in the works. 

Two years ago, Stephanie Anton,  a former colleague and friend from Luxury Portfolio reached out, dropping the premiere name in NYC and Hamptons luxury real estate: The Corcoran Group. 

“She was hired to create a similar network of top agents across the country, and said, ‘You’re our first phone call. Would you want to learn more?’”  Brian recalls. “We never sought out a change,  but the opportunity presented itself to own the affiliate for Massachusetts. We took the meeting.” 

Now up and running, Corcoran Property Advisors has since opened a 4,000-square-foot office on the first block of Newbury Street, plus maintaining their small storefront location in Cohasset. “We call the Cohasset office ‘the bungalow,’ and the Boston office ‘the embassy,’” Brian jokes. 

With over a dozen agents already on board, the team is actively looking to grow, with projected new locations in Osterville, and ultimately, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Wellesley.  

“We don’t want to be the biggest, we want to keep it bespoke,” Brian says. “Corcoran is a premium brand, we care about premium service. We approach our practice with a focus on hospitality – sales through service.” 

What are they looking for in an agent? “Vibe and energy – people have to have the right attitude, and a willingness to collaborate,” Brian says.

But above all else, integrity.  Doing the right thing is paramount, whether serving clients or working with fellow agents. 

“We pride ourselves on these wonderful, far-reaching relationships throughout the region, with colleagues who know of our integrity,” Nick says.

“Do what’s right – that’s how you have longevity,” Brian concurs. “The longer you’re in the business, it gets easier and easier to do.”