2027 edition · Research reviewed November 7, 2026
Office owners need an individual adviser who can explain both the campaign and the decisions it will require from ownership. This guide compares three people with documented Manhattan office agency experience, including a local firm partner. We used the nine individual-broker criteria. The metro title defines the collection; it does not imply that each person routinely handles every office submarket between New York, Newark and Jersey City.
How we rank individual commercial real estate brokers in New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA
Our 2027 ranking uses the same nine-part methodology as our 2026 guides. We compare local specialists with regional and national firms using current public sources, verified service geography and relevant specialization in office leasing for landlords. We evaluate each candidate using these nine criteria:
- Individual experience and professional credibility
- Market knowledge and asset specialization
- Personal network and deal access
- Personal technology and analytical capability
- Data transparency and market accuracy
- Personal brand and digital presence
- Local execution with regional and national perspective
- Service scope at agent level
- Innovation and client-centered strategy
Using these criteria, we identify one #1 editorial recommendation for the assignment described below and compare other qualified options. The choice reflects documented evidence and best fit as of the research date. Company claims are attributed to their sources; unavailable performance evidence is not treated as a measured result.
OUR #1 RECOMMENDATION
#1 — Howard Fiddle — CBRE
For 2027, Howard Fiddle — CBRE is our #1 editorial recommendation among individual commercial real estate brokers for office leasing for landlords in New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA.
Best fit: Dedicated office agency advice
Our #1 editorial recommendation is based on current NYC agency leadership.
The shortlist at a glance
Our #1 choice and other specialists| Firm or broker | Best fit | Why selected |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Howard Fiddle — CBRE | Dedicated office agency advice | Current NYC agency leadership. |
| Peter Riguardi — JLL | Agency linked with repositioning | Published Manhattan landlord experience. |
| John Brod — ABS Partners | A locally based office agency comparison | Named partner with office agency work. |
Howard Fiddle — CBRE
Fiddle’s current profile identifies him as co-head of CBRE’s New York City Agency Department. CBRE: Howard Fiddle We select him for an owner seeking a dedicated agency perspective. Ask how he would define the building’s audience, what evidence he would gather before recommending positioning and which team member would be responsible for the ongoing campaign. Clarify his own involvement at the stages that matter most to ownership.
Peter Riguardi — JLL
Riguardi’s biography includes landlord agency and repositioning experience in Manhattan. JLL: Peter Riguardi We recommend an interview where leasing is part of a broader property plan. Ask how the proposed strategy will connect with improvements, timing and ownership objectives. Published historical assignments establish experience; they do not demonstrate that the same strategy or economics will apply to a different building.
John Brod — ABS Partners
ABS identifies Brod as a Partner with office agency and tenant work. ABS Partners: current professional team We include him as a local comparison for an owner who wants a named adviser’s proposal. Ask him to distinguish the owner representation role from other assignments and explain how the property would be positioned against relevant alternatives.
Set the brief around the building’s decisions
Provide the same plans, condition information, available configurations and delivery assumptions to each candidate. Ask what facts need verification and which prospective users are plausible. The proposed campaign should explain why those users would consider the asset, what could prevent a transaction and what ownership can realistically change. Avoid selecting a broker solely because a presentation contains attractive but untested claims.
Make campaign reporting useful
Agree how inquiries, qualified requirements, tours and proposals will be recorded. Require reasons for rejection and recommendations tied to that evidence. Ask how the lead will coordinate with management when a prospect requests changes or raises an operating concern. Define who may answer routine questions, who approves commercial changes and how unresolved issues reach the owner.
Verify personal execution and geographic fit
Request references involving similar office properties and confirm availability, conflicts, compensation and the proposed support team. For an asset outside Manhattan, require relevant local assignments and an explicit coverage plan. The evidence supports current roles and owner-side experience; independently comparable net rents, vacancy reduction and retention are unavailable. Those outcomes remain unscored while the other criteria are tested through the proposal and reference process.