Meet Michael
Three decades in Manhattan, one Upper West Side.
Michael J. Carroll is a Manhattan real estate agent at Brown Harris Stevens, ranked in the top 1 percent nationwide by WSJ / RealTrends, and a sitting Upper West Side condominium board president. He helps clients buy and sell apartments across Manhattan, with over three decades of life on the Upper West Side and a former editorial career at the Times, the Journal, and Harvard Business Review behind every conversation.
Michael J. Carroll
- Brokerage
- Brown Harris Stevens
- Office
- West Side Office
- Direct
- (212) 588-5694
Who is Michael J. Carroll?
A neighbor who happens to sell apartments.
Michael came to New York more than thirty years ago and never left the Upper West Side. He raised his family between Central Park and the Hudson, and most of the people he works with today still come from somewhere in that walking radius — introduced by a former client, a neighbor, or a fellow board member.
For the past 10 years he has sold Manhattan apartments at Brown Harris Stevens, the oldest real estate brokerage in New York City, founded in 1873. His practice runs almost entirely on referrals, and a typical relationship lasts about a year from the first meeting to the closing table.
He has handled transactions from $500,000 to over $25,000,000, from first-time buyers to longtime owners trading up to four bedrooms on the park. Whatever the price, he treats every search as the important decision it actually is.
He works with buyers and sellers in English and French.
- 10+Years at Brown Harris Stevens
- 30+Years on the Upper West Side
- 5Deals closed over $10 million
- Top 1%Nationwide, WSJ / RealTrends 2024–2026
Before real estate
An editorial career, behind every conversation.
Before he sold his first apartment, Michael spent more than twenty years in publishing. Earlier still, he was Director of Advertising for Air France. In publishing he held leadership roles at Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, and served as Associate Publisher of Town & Country. He won the Publisher's Award at The New York Times.
That work taught him how to listen, what makes a story true, and how to explain something complicated in language a real person can actually use. The job is different now, but the habits are the same. He reads building financials the way an editor reads a draft: carefully, in context, with an eye for what is missing.
A Rhode Island native and Boston University graduate, he brought his editorial instincts to Brown Harris Stevens a decade ago and never looked back.
- The New York TimesLeadership role · Publisher's Award
- The Wall Street JournalLeadership role
- Harvard Business ReviewLeadership role
- Town & CountryAssociate Publisher
- Air FranceDirector of Advertising · earlier career
- Brown Harris StevensLicensed Real Estate Salesperson, 10 years
Michael's Manhattan
The neighborhood, every morning.
Pre-war facades, Central Park paths, the corner bakery on a Saturday — the rooms and rituals that make the Upper West Side feel like home, three decades in.
Central Park surrounded by the Manhattan skyline, seen from above
Manhattan skyline anchored by the Empire State Building at sunset
The Manhattan skyline glowing at golden hour
The city skyline seen down a tree-lined street at sunset
A modern Manhattan condominium with cascading balconies
The Manhattan skyline over the East River
What Michael knows
The Manhattan questions he has answered the most.
Every client arrives with a different version of the same handful of questions. These are the areas Michael spends his days in — and the ones his clients tell him made the difference.
- Upper West Side condos and co-ops
- Upper East Side condos and co-ops
- Co-op board approval and board interviews
- Condo versus co-op decisions
- Manhattan building application process
- Buying an apartment in New York City
- Selling a Manhattan apartment
- Co-op and condo board management
Recognition & memberships
Recognized by the industry, trusted by clients.
Awards and rankings
- Ranked #40 companywide, Brown Harris Stevens — July 2026
- Ranked #17 companywide, Brown Harris Stevens — March 2026
- WSJ and RealTrends Verified — Top 1% nationwide, 2026
- Ranked #12 companywide, Brown Harris Stevens — November 2025
- WSJ and RealTrends Verified — Top 1% nationwide, 2025
- RealTrends Verified — New York individual agent by sales volume, 2024
- WSJ and RealTrends Verified — Top 1% nationwide, 2024
- Ranked #2 companywide, Brown Harris Stevens — July 2023
- Ranked #15 companywide — Top 1% companywide, Brown Harris Stevens, 2023
- Brown Harris Stevens NYC Million Dollar Club, 2023
- Brown Harris Stevens NYC Producers Council, 2022
- Brown Harris Stevens NYC Top 50 Sales, 2022
- Ranked #6 companywide, Brown Harris Stevens — May 2022
- Ranked #9 companywide, Brown Harris Stevens — February 2022
- Manhattan Rookie of the Year, Brown Harris Stevens — 2017
Transactions from $500,000 to over $25,000,000. A practice built almost entirely on referrals and personal relationships.
Memberships & service
Real Estate Board of New York
Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums
Central Park Conservancy
New York Athletic Club
President, Upper West Side condominium board
Leads a working group of neighborhood co-op and condo board members.
“The job is different now, but the habits are the same — listen first, read everything, explain plainly.”
— Michael J. Carroll
A private consultation
Have a question for Michael?
Whether you are ready to look this week or just starting to think about buying or selling, the next step is a simple conversation. Michael reads every message himself and follows up personally, usually the same day.
What happens next
- 01
Michael reads your note personally
No team inbox. He sees the form himself.
- 02
You'll hear back, usually the same day
By phone or email — whichever you prefer.
- 03
A no-pressure first conversation
Whether you're ready this week or thinking it through.
10+
Years at BHS
Top 1%
Nationwide
$500K–$25M+
Transaction range
Tell Michael about your search
A few quick questions.
Your details stay between you and Michael. No spam. No list.