Following the success of last year, where over £80,000 was awarded to charities both in the UK and overseas through two rounds of the Grant Programme, the organisation aims to surpass this total in 2023.
Jon Cooke, trustee of the Fine & Country Foundation, emphasised the Grant Scheme’s focus on providing financial support to non-profit organisations, particularly those dedicated to combating homelessness and poverty.
Cooke said: “Grants are issued in Spring and Autumn, with Fine & Country offices worldwide encouraged to submit applications nominating a charity of their choice to receive a donation of up to £3,000.
“These proposals undergo rigorous review by The Foundation’s board, and successful projects are awarded grants. The financial assistance provided to these charities will supply much-needed funds to continue their vital work within their communities.”
Hunters: Easingwold Golf Club recently hosted The Hunters Golf Day in aid of The Nikki Waterhouse Trust. The event is in its 20th year and has been supporting local charities over those years.
“Everyone enjoyed the day”, said Oliver Hanlon of Hunters York, “it was great to see so many people taking part and supported by so many businesses too.”
“As well as locals there were many people and companies that had travelled 3 and 4 hours to support the day and I would like to thank them along with the Hunters team who had worked so hard to make it a success”, said Rob Smith, managing director at Hunters.
Simply Conveyancing was the headline sponsor and thanks were also expressed towards local developers Daniel Gath Homes, Yorvik Homes & Mulgrave Properties. Despite the cost of living crisis, thanks to the generosity of all those who spent so wisely on the day, the event raised approximately £15,000.
The Nikki Waterhouse Trust was set up in February 2015 in memory of the 32-year-old estate agent who worked for Hunters and was tragically taken away from her family and friends in October 2013. Nikki loved children, so it felt right to create a trust in her name to help make a difference to their lives.
“Hunters is a national network and has donated to children and organizations across the country, but local charity Martin House and York hospital have been regular recipients of the Trusts assistance. We also help individual children under 18 and we support every application if we can,” said John Waterhouse, a director of the Trust.
The Nikki Waterhouse Trust welcomes applications for funds from all over the United Kingdom. Find out more: http://www.thenikkiwaterhousetrust.com
Northern Estate Agencies Group: A team of estate agents have launched their most ambitious fundraising initiative to date this week, travelling the breadth of Yorkshire to Lancashire on foot or two wheels to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
More than 80 staff across the Northern Estate Agencies Group (Manning Stainton, Ryder & Dutton and Mortimers) joined for The Coffee Cup Relay between Monday 25 to Friday 29 September, walking, running and cycling their way between each of their 36 branches to raise thousands for the charity.
Sales negotiator Jacob Onyando from the Manning Stainton Oakwood branch came up with the idea for the relay. He said: “My idea was to cycle to every single branch within our network over a day, but then I realised I wasn’t Bradley Wiggins.
“I took the idea to the senior team and we agreed to extend the challenge to a five-day relay during the week of Macmillan Coffee Cup Morning, and make it on foot as well as on wheels. It’s been great to get involved with everyone from the company and feel that connection. It’s a good way of bringing everyone together.”
Northern Estate Agencies Group, which has a 36-branch network across Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, has a long-term partnership with Macmillan, with a commitment to raise more than £60,000 for the cancer charity in the next four years. It has supported Macmillan Support in West Yorkshire since 2012.
Sarah Whyte, Macmillan’s relationship fundraising co-ordinator, said: “We are in awe of the collective effort from staff across the branches for the inaugural Coffee Cup Relay. If they manage to raise the target this could fund a Macmillan nurse for five weeks. The company’s drive to raise funds through various activities over the past decade is incredibly humbling, and all money raised will go such a long way in helping Macmillan do whatever it takes for people living with cancer.”
Mark Manning, managing director of Manning Stainton, added: “I’m proud of the whole team for making this mammoth relay happen for a charity that’s so dear to so many of us. We’ve been supporting Macmillan for the past 10 years, because we are so grateful for the invaluable clinical and emotional support they offer to people living with cancer.
“I ran the London marathon this year, so I’ll be donning my running shoes once more and running part of the relay with some of my team. Please drop into any of our branches this week to have a coffee and cake, and support this worthy cause with a much appreciated donation.”
Find out more: Coffee Cup Relay fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support on JustGiving.
David Wilson Homes: Developer David Wilson Homes has donated £15,000 to local Sittingbourne children’s charity, Demelza.
The housebuilder, which is behind the Applegate Park development in nearby Borden, has contributed towards the charity efforts in providing clinical care and emotional support to children with serious or life-limiting conditions.
Children’s charities such as Demelza, which has a hospice in Sittingbourne, are vital in aiding children and their families through difficult times. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Demelza supports families by providing services such as creative therapies, short breaks, sibling support, and, when needed, end of life care and bereavement services.
In recognition of their efforts, David Wilson Kent’s Manging Director, Will Walsh, visited the centre in September to find out more about the work carried out there, future plans for the charity, and ended the visit with a cheque of £15,000 to contribute to the ongoing costs of providing care.
Will Walsh, managing director at David Wilson Kent, said: “Cuts to our healthcare service has been tough on many, but its impact on children’s healthcare funding has been one of the most hard-hit areas.
“Our children’s health should not be compromised, and all too often we rely on charities such as Demelza to provide care to those who need it most. It was an extremely insightful opportunity to visit Demelza’s centre in Sittingbourne, and to see one of their play groups in action truly showcased how important charities like this are in our local area. We are so proud to partner with Demelza, whose incredible efforts have supported families for decades, and we hope our help adds to their work in continuing to make a difference.”
Lavinia Jarrett, chief executive at Demelza, added: “We were delighted to welcome Will to our hospice in Sittingbourne to see firsthand how the incredible donation from David Wilson Homes is making a difference. 86% of our funding comes from our generous supporters, helping us to provide outstanding clinical care, short breaks, family liaison, creative therapies, end of life care and bereavement services to families in the South East. Thank you, we couldn’t do what we do without your support”.
Alongside this donation, David Wilson Kent is broadening its support for community healthcare via S106 agreements by investing over £86,000 to NHS Swale’s facilities to ensure all corners of healthcare are supported.
Michael Day: Industry consultant and trainer Michael Day has completed his one million steps challenge in support of Diabetes UK.
Michael started the three-month challenge on 1 July and completed it with a week to go whilst successfully undertaking the London Bridges 10 Mile Wellness Walk with his daughter Carrie on Sunday 24 September.
At one hundred steps per minute, Michael estimates that he has spent around 167 hours walking. That’s effectively seven, 24-hour days, during the completion of the challenge.
Michael has been a type one diabetic for 35 years and also successfully underwent triple heart bypass surgery in 2021.
He also set out to raise £500 for the charity but his efforts have actually raised more than £3,000 so far and he is hoping that the final total will be even higher.
Michael said: “The one million step challenge has been amazing on so many different levels and I am proud of what I have achieved. I deliberately went very public about my plans as this ensured I stayed focused on the end goal.
“Like the best way of eating an elephant, I broke the one million steps down into bite size pieces and actually completed an average of just over 11,750 steps every day for 85 days.
“By monitoring my progress daily I was able to keep ahead of the required ‘run rate’ and complete the challenge well within the scheduled timeframe.
“I have been encouraged by family, friends and industry contacts all of the way and have to say thank you to all of those that have sent messages of support as well as made generous donations by way of sponsorship. Every pound raised is greatly appreciated and goes directly to the work that Diabetes UK does to help people manage and minimise the impact of diabetes in their lives.
“It was particularly pleasing to receive a hand-written and personal thank you card a few weeks back from the Diabetes UK fund raising team for my efforts.”
Michael joked that he would possibly never walk again and that his trainers may soon appear on Ebay but, in reality, he will do so but at a more moderate level in the future.
Find out more and donate: https://steps.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/michael-day2023
The Estate Agent Content Club: An industry partner is celebrating its fourth birthday by increasing the charitable support it helps agents share with their communities.
The Estate Agent Content Club (EACC) has been providing content for non-competing agents since September 2019, when it launched.
More than £38,000 has been donated overall through its charitable arm, The Karma Club, which saw it win Best Supplier Fundraising at last year’s Agents Giving awards.
EACC founder Jerry Lyons said: “When we started the club, it was with the idea we could help estate agents raise their marketing profile through consistently good content and support them with the charitable work they do in their communities.
“The Karma Club takes £5 from each member’s monthly subscriptions, which is put into a digital kitty. Then we ask our members each month if they have good community causes or local charities they wish to support, and we match fund them.
“On average, we have donated almost £800 each month we have been in business. Thanks to the generosity of our members, these amounts are match-funded. So when that’s taken into account, we’ve played a part in more than £70,000 in community and charitable giving since we began. It’s something our members love and that we are very proud of.
“It’s been an exciting four years, and we have plans to expand our business, including the launch of the Ethical Agent Network, and to keep doing all we can to help our members succeed.”
To mark the club’s birthday, it has donated an additional £455 in September to Stephen Brown’s Computers for Schools appeal on top of its regular charitable giving.
Spicerhaart: A team of around 50 fearless fundraisers took on a trio of mountain climbing challenges to raise more than £17,000 for a charity dedicated to helping poorly children and their families make unforgettable memories.
Colleagues from across the Spicerhaart group took on mountain climbs to support the estate agency groups’ Magic Moments charity.
Entrants could either take on the National Three Peaks Challenge in 24 hours – which meant scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in a day, the National Three Peaks Challenge in 36 hours, or an ascent just up Snowdon.
The team smashed through their £10,000 fundraising target which is a huge boost to Magic Moments which is now in its 25th year.
The charity, which has raised more than £2.5msince it was formed in 1988, is dedicated to taking children who are being given hospice care, and their families, as well as those who have been recently bereaved, on annual trips to Disneyland Paris.
Ben Fuller, senior residential sales consultant at haart in Lincoln, was the first to finish the 24-hour challenge and walked up and down Snowdon in a remarkable time of just 1 hour and 36 minutes – one of the quickest times ever recorded for that leg.
Emma Barber, chair of Magic Moments Charity, said: “It was a fantastic weekend and I am so proud of everyone who took part and helped raise money for our brilliant charity.
“We’ve organised these Three Peaks Challenge events on a number of occasions now, and the efforts people go to, and the generosity of others who donate, never ceases to amaze me.
“The money will go a long way and help get families to Disneyland.”
Find out more and donate: https://magicmomentscharity.enthuse.com/profile
Agents Giving: Industry charity Agents Giving’s Great British Property Cycle kicks off in October.
Everyone can take part and you can cycle in your own time – you can either hop on your road bike, mountain bike or static bike in your front room, office or gym and ride any mileage you can. Clock your mileage on Strava and see if collectively we can make our way round the British Isles.
This event is to help raise funds for mental health charity Mind, The Trussell Trust and for Agents Giving to help with grants towards your fundraising events – you just need to sign up, start clocking up your miles and your pennies in October.
You can ride on your own, with family, friends or colleagues, it’s all about taking part, having fun, get moving and fundraising for some great causes. You can cycle around your village or town, office to office relays or ride in your front room watching TV – the choice is yours.
Join the amazing cycle team already signed up of agents and suppliers including Kerfuffle, Property Academy, Andrews, Loop, Oakwood Homes, Acorn Group, Winkworth, Base Property Specialists, Dawsons, Beckett Estate Agents, National Home Move, Paramount, ESTAS, Pygott & Crone, Macleod & MacCallum, Veya, Sort Group and more – let’s see just how far we can cycle.
Find out more: https://agentsgiving.org/event/the-great-british-property-cycle/
If you have any fundraising planned, Agents Giving can help by providing a grant of up to £350 to help with your fundraising costs.
The Agents Giving Grant Fund supported by The Guild of Property Professionals will help towards the costs of your fundraising challenge or event, meaning more of the money you raise goes direct to your chosen charity.
So, if you are an estate agent, letting agent or supplier to the industry and organising an event which incurs a cost then Agents Giving can help with a grant – Agents Giving will also help with the promotion of your event.
Find out more: http://agentsgiving.org/the-agents-giving-grant-fund
Zoopla: Property portal Zoopla and homelessness charity Crisis are celebrating a year of working together.
Throughout the past year, Zoopla has leveraged its unique data, brand recognition and leading industry position to support Crisis with changing the perceptions of homelessness.
Together, they have also called for meaningful reform when it comes to housing benefits and the shortfall in affordable housing.
Highlights from the partnership over the last year include carrying out joint market analysis to shine a light on the availability of low-cost rented accommodation for people claiming housing benefit in England, supporting the Crisis at Christmas campaign across the Zoopla website and via marketing channels delivering 24 million impressions and a coordinated volunteering and fundraising effort across Zoopla which resulted in 207 employee volunteer days and more than £65,000 raised.
Zoopla staff have also given dozens of hours of their time to support the Crisis retail warehouse to coordinate, prepare and price up donated stock for Crisis’ network of Shops from Crisis, in addition to volunteering at one of the Crisis at Christmas centres in December last year.
In terms of what’s next for the partnership, Zoopla said it is excited to continue to stand side by side with Crisis as they begin their 10-year strategy to end homelessness, working together wherever possible to influence key stakeholders to make the market fairer for people looking to access safe and affordable accommodation.
Charlie Bryant, chief executive of Zoopla, said: “It’s been a hugely successful year working with Crisis, one which our staff have embraced and proactively engaged with through fundraising and promoting the need to better understand the causes of homelessness.
“We haven’t seen the increased investment in local housing allowance that we’d hoped for after the publication of our ‘Falling Short’ report, so we must continue to work together to highlight how chronic underinvestment in housing benefits prevents people from accessing affordable homes in the private-rented market. We are looking forward to making further progress with Crisis in tackling homelessness in 2024.”
Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, added: “Zoopla and Crisis share a conviction that we should – and, crucially, that we can – bring an end to homelessness. Our partnership shows how much can be achieved when charities and businesses come together with an aligned purpose.
“Their up-to-the minute understanding of the housing market, and access to unique data, has enriched our policy and campaigning by demonstrating the growing shortage of truly affordable homes in the private rented sector for the 1.9 million people who rely on housing benefit to pay their rent.
“We are also hugely grateful to the entire team at Zoopla for getting behind the partnership with so much energy and commitment, donating their valuable time as well as vital funds to support our work to help people across Great Britain rebuild their lives away from homelessness. We are excited to continue to work together to highlight the issues contributing to rising homelessness and the solutions required to reverse these trends.”
Rising numbers of property owners are dropping the asking price of their homes in a bid to secure a quick sale.
Latest figures reveal average age new seller asking prices fell by 1.9 per cent this month to £364,895, the biggest fall in August since 2018.
Earlier this month, the estate agent, Hamptons said that 50% of homes in England and Wales sold following a price reduction in July, up from 47% in June and from 34% in July last year.
But despite the growing trend there are other options available. There’s no doubt that lots more people are currently reducing the price of their property.
In many cases this can be a knee jerk reaction to concerns they have about the property market.
But in most cases it relates to difficulties which exist in selling a home, which is a headache that can come about for a number of reasons.
The current up and down nature of the market makes it likely that even more people will be tempted to further reduce prices in the future.
Dropping the price is never pleasant. But in many cases, it can be avoided if the property is presented properly and the asking price when first marketing was correct.
We all have our own ideas on other options to suggest, but here are a few of mine to get things going:
Photos and marketing: are they looking a bit tired? Do the garden shots give away the date they were taken – daffodils in August? Is there too much of the owner’s life on show? Moving clutter, toothbrushes and kid’s toys can lift the appeal.
Have they got a board up – the old 24/7 silent salesmen can work wonders – try a “before we look at the price, we need to get a board up so we know we’ve tried everything.”
Look at the EPC; is it on the border of being in the next band above? If so, suggest a few cheap changes like LED bulbs. It might move it up and entice money-conscious eco-buyers.
Revisit the sales blurb, is it a bit out of date? Although BTL has all but disappeared, I still see many agents details pushing the investment value, especially in the apartment sector. It can still be mentioned, but be honest, most of the buyers now are owner-occupiers, so that’s where the focus needs to be. Check OFSTED school reports that might have changed recently – an improved local school should be mentioned. Is the home now in a 20MPH Zone or even ULEZ? Might as well mention that too, make a selling feature out of quieter, less polluted streets (whatever your thoughts are on the subject!).
Remember social media. Ask the owners to share posts about the property and look at spending a few pounds with a local advert, you’ll get thousands of eyes on the listing for about a penny each. We have all had surprise sales that land in the lap when a neighbour tells a friend or relative about a house that’s just come to market – well Facebook is the way to share that gossip far and wide.
Suggest improvements: the owner should fix minor issues like a leaking tap or damp patch. Most buyers see minor problems and assume they are serious – spending hundreds now could save your client thousands off the price.
Finally, please don’t put it off. Looking back, making the call to reduce a price was my worst task to do, and I would sometimes put it off, hoping that a buyer might come along any time now…They rarely did. As we approach the quieter winter months overpriced sellers who can’t make the improvements mentioned, or have and they haven’t had the desired effect on buyers do need to cut the price. Remember the Rightmove price bands and try to cut into the one below where it is now. Anything less than a 5% cut is usually pointless, sadly we need to aim for 8-10%. Approaching the call like a fresh valuation, with ideas and evidence to back up the case, will help to give you the confidence and authority you need.
The market won’t stay as it is forever. Having a register full of up-to-date, well-priced property when the better times return – well, that’s worth however difficult conversations it takes.
Kurt Rappaport repped both sides of the priciest home sale ever in California, a Malibu property bought by Beyoncé and Jay-Z for $200 million.
“We had a 13-year run of a robust market and are experiencing a necessary cycle change,” says Rayni Williams of The Beverly Hills Estates, reflecting on the 36 percent drop in luxury home sales that hit L.A. in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the median price of a home in Los Angeles hovered at $963,000, down 1 percent from the previous year. The decline can be attributed to a combination of high interest rates, the dual strikes that hit Hollywood and the new ULA mansion tax, in which home sellers in the city of Los Angeles must pay at least a 4 percent transfer on any sales above $5 million. “Sellers are hesitant to sell given these barriers,” says AKG’s Aaron Kirman.
Despite the challenges, L.A.’s agents (chosen based on total sales volume, Hollywood clients and media visibility) continued to smash records, led by the most expensive sale in California history — Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s $200 million purchase of an estate in Malibu in which Westside Estate Agency’s Kurt Rappaport repped both sides of the deal.
“At the end of the day,” says Douglas Elliman’s Josh Altman, “a trophy is a trophy, and if people want it, they are going to buy it.” (Client names are found via public records.)
The Altmans
Courtesy of Subject
DOUGLAS ELLIMAN
The Altman Brothers, stars of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, are again on track to break $1 billion in annual deals, fueled by a $55 million sale in Crystal Cove (the highest of the year in Orange County), a $49.4 million sale in Pacific Palisades and co-repping producer Michael Sugar (according to public records) in the sale of a $9.9 million home in Windsor Square to Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau. The team — Josh’s wife, Heather, is CEO — recently signed a multiyear deal to remain at Douglas Elliman, and have a Corona del Mar office opening soon. “Our clients trust us and come to The Altman Brothers because they know we are the deal guys,” says Josh Altman. “We know the ins and outs of properties on the market, what is coming to the market, being built, et cetera. Los Angeles has been our playground for over 20 years, and we pride ourselves in knowing every house in this city.” Their current listings include a seven-bedroom, 16,390-square-foot mansion in Benedict Canyon (below), on the market for $48 million.
The Altman Brothers’ listing in Benedict Canyon.
Christopher Amitrano with CS8 Photography
Ambuehl
Courtesy of Subject
AKG | CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL
Cindy Ambuehl, who joined the brokerage in June, banked more than $157 million in deals from July 2022 to July 2023, including ones for record producer Mikkel Eriksen (half of Grammy-winning production duo Stargate) and Fullscreen founder George Strompolos. “Christie’s specializes in serving luxury clientele, and their class, elegance, and chic branding align perfectly with the values of the Cindy Ambuehl Group,” she says. “This transition has enabled us to strengthen our existing foundation and build upon our accomplishments.”
Cindy Ambuehl sold this house on Old Oak Road in L.A.’s Sullivan Canyon for $13.8 million in July.
Anthony Barcelo
Arana
Courtesy of Subject
THE AGENCY
Santiago Arana, who led The Agency’s expansion to South Florida last year, had a banner year with $513 million in sales, including co-selling Ben Affleck’s home (pictured below) in Pacific Palisades for $28.5 million. “One of the greatest things about the high-end areas of the L.A. market,” he says, “is that, with every recession or down market, we’re the last to fall and the first to bounce back. I have no doubt in the near future that L.A. real estate will be on fire again.” He’s currently co-listing a seven-bedroom Mediterranean-style home owned by ex-couple Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello in Beverly Hills that’s on the market for $15.95 million. “The most exciting thing to me,” he adds. “is that Los Angeles is a dynamic, diverse city, with many different styles of homes, and amazing architecture.”
Arana sold Ben Affleck’s former home in Pacific Palisades for $28.5 million.
Ryan Lahiff
Atlas Maize
Courtesy of Subject/Philip Macias
NOURMAND & ASSOCIATES
Rochelle Atlas Maize — one of the industry’s most innovative marketers, who posted $130 million in sales over 12 months — is embracing AI. The Nourmand & Associates agent predicts it will be “the next significant shift in the real estate industry, allowing for more efficient processes, enhanced data analysis and personalized experiences for clients. “By leveraging AI technologies, I aim to deliver cutting-edge solutions and provide a competitive edge for my clients in the luxury real estate market. The market’s resilience and adaptability will remain key factors in its success,” she says. Atlas Maize’s recent deals include repping the seller of a Beverly Hills house bought by singer Neil Diamond for $12 million, and her current listings include a $25,000-a-month rental of a home in Malibu once owned by actor Robert Conrad.
Robert Conrad’s former home in Malibu is on the market for lease at $25,000 a month, listed with Nourmand & Associates’ Rochelle Atlas Maize.
Nourmand & Associates
Berg and Smith
Courtesy of Subject/ Brecht Vanthof;Courtesy of Subject/Brecht-Vanthof/Jeff Vespa
COMPASS
“High interest rates and measures ULA and GS [a recently approved Santa Monica transfer tax] have certainly impacted sales prices and the number of deals this year,” says David Berg of Westside specialists Smith & Berg Partners. Despite the slowdown, the Compass team still raked in $427 million in total sales volume over 12 months. Their deals include a $12 million Brentwood sale in March that they again sold three months later off-market for $13 million. The duo also currently hold the $23 million listing on a Roland E. Coate-designed Hancock Park estate that once belonged to mogul Howard Hughes. “The past year has been most epic as we negotiated the purchase of TacosandTequila.com,” adds F. Ron Smith of their long-running digital real estate and lifestyle blog. “Publishing Tacos & Tequila is both a passion project and a marketing powerhouse. We currently have around 20,000, primarily local, subscribers. Keeping the content irreverent makes it approachable and a great catalyst for maintaining relationships within our sphere.”
Inside the former home of Howard Hughes in Hancock Park, listed for $23 million with Smith & Berg Partners.
Noel Kleinman
Carswell
Courtesy of Subject
DOUGLAS ELLIMAN
With more than 25 years in the biz and two years of being Kendra Wilkinson’s mentor on Max’s real estate reality show Kendra Sells Hollywood, Douglas Elliman’s Ernie Carswell has gained a high-profile media presence. His deals include co-selling fashion designer Sue Wong’s home for $4.7 million (as featured on NBC’s Open House); co-representing a $38.5 million Pasadena compound featuring a movie theater and its own art museum; and the sale of a $10.3 million Egyptian- and Moroccan-inspired home in Los Feliz once owned by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But Carswell says his biggest win of the last year was “a Beverly Hills luxury listing that received 17 offers over four months but took that much market time and effort in order to find its perfect buyer. It reminded me to never give up, the buyer is always out there.”
Ernie Carswell sold this home once owned by Flea for $10.3 million.
Brian Kaplan
Cohen
Courtesy of Subject
RE/MAX
The No. 1 RE/MAX agent in the world, Jordan Cohen focuses on the celebrity-heavy enclaves of Westlake Village, Hidden Hills and Calabasas, where he recently sold a home owned by Poison’s Bret Michaels for $6.5 million. Cohen — who regularly racks up around $300 million in annual sales, many to sports stars — just wrote his first book, The Agent’s Edge, a guide on how to land listings; client Sylvester Stallone penned the foreward, saying that “[Cohen’s] enthusiastic energy could easily light up the entire state.” Cohen’s wins also include once selling a house to WWE superstar the Miz after the pro wrestler saw the property on his Instagram account. “I’ve sold homes from TMZ. I’ve sold homes from Instagram,” Cohen recently told THR. “My job as a realtor is to really maximize the exposure of the home. It’s to get people aware of the properties that they might not become aware of otherwise. A good realtor is going to try and get you aware of their listings through social media, print, all the hustle.”
Poison frontman Bret Michaels sold this home in Calabasas earlier this year for $6.25 million, listed with RE/MAX’s Jordan Cohen.
Jeff Elson
Comora and Lester
Courtesy of Subject (2)
THE AGENCY
“Whereas last year at this time you might have seen 40 trades above a certain threshold in certain neighborhoods, you are seeing a third of that activity,” notes The Agency’s Paul Lester of the market slowdown. Lester stresses that listening, communication and unique approaches have helped him and Aileen Comora achieve more than $250 million in annual sales and wins like repping Get Out producer and heir to the Hamm’s Beer fortune Edward Hamm Jr. in his purchase of a $91 million Malibu home from video game mogul Jonathan Burton. “It has been quite a new experience from the past,” adds Comora of the current market. “Everything that is going on with the economy makes this business challenging, and also one must be even more creative and communicative with clients.”
The Agency’s Paul Lester and Aileen Comora hold the $69.995 million listing for The Edge, a 10,527-square-foot, five-bedroom house in the Case, a guard gated community in Malibu.
Anthony Barcelo
Cortazzo
Courtesy of Subject
COMPASS
“I build relationships and my real estate network on integrity, trust and understanding my market,” says born-and-bred Malibu resident Chris Cortazzo, who achieved $562 million in sales over the past year and has more than $8 billion in career sales. Cortazzo handled the sale of Tom Petty’s Escondido Beach property in December, swiftly bringing in $400,000 above the $9.85 million listing price. He is also co-listing famous properties like the Wave House (once owned by Rod Stewart and on the market for $42.5 million) and the Sandcastle ($19.995 million, co-listed with Compass’ Zen Gesner). Both homes were designed by renowned surfing architect Harry Gesner. “It’s been an honor representing Harry Gesner’s iconic properties,” he says. Cortazzo is THR’s 2023 Philanthropic Impact honoree and supports such organizations as the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, Point Dume Marine Science School, Farm Sanctuary, UNICEF, Operation Smile and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. He got his start working with the photographer Herb Ritts and “through him, I met many celebrities and entertainment leaders looking for properties in Malibu. My first sale was to Richard Gere in 1994,” he recalls.
The Wave House in Malibu, designed by architect Harry Gesner, is on the market for $42.5 million and is listed with Compass’ Chris Cortazzo and Carolwood Estates’ Drew Fenton.
Simon Berlyn
Fenton
Courtesy of Subject
CAROLWOOD ESTATES
In November, Drew Fenton launched Carolwood Estates as CEO and has been thrilled by its immediate success. “We have already transacted $1.3 billion in 2023,” he says. “We have over 100 agents, many on this list.” He boasts $530 million in sales over 12 months, and clients including Cher and Justin Timberlake, all while heading up Carolwood. Honored this year by THR with the Team of the Year Award, Fenton is currently co-repping Casa Encantada, an off-market $250 million estate in Bel Air that is one of the most expensive houses in the United States, as well as Aaron Spelling’s former mansion The Manor, on the market for $155 million. “The market has seen its highs and lows,” he says. “There have been several record sales, and there will continue to be incredible trophy properties that transact at higher and higher prices.”
Casa Encantada in Bel Air, an off-market property for sale for $250 million and repped by Carolwood Estates’ Drew Fenton and Westside Estate Agency’s Kurt Rappaport.
Simon Berlyn
Forster Jones
Courtesy of Subject/Lauren Hurt
COMPASS
With more than $10 billion in career sales, Compass’ Sally Forster Jones had more than $300 million in annual sales and high-profile listings such as celebrity architectural designer Jae Omar’s $22.995 million Japandi-style Odin house in Encino (co-listed with The Altman Brothers). She also was one of the agents who sold a $26 million Bel Air home scooped up by John Kelly, the creator of Squishmallows stuffed toys, which is Bel-Air’s highest on-market sale for 2023 to date. “When I first started, I wish I had known that it really is an all-hours, every-weekend business and that I would sometimes get even less sleep than when I was raising young kids,” says Forster Jones, who also is repping (along with Compass’ Tomer Fridman) sales of the branded Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills, opening in 2024. “Sleep deprivation aside, I really do love what I do, and I wouldn’t trade a thing.”
A rendering of the Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills, where Compass’ Sally Forster Jones and Tomer Fridman are handling sales.
The Boundary
Flagg
Courtesy of Subject
DOUGLAS ELLIMAN
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Josh Flagg of Douglas Elliman has been selling properties since he was 19. This year, he broke a record for the highest-ever price for a piece of land in the Beverly Hills Flats; repped UTA’s Tracey Jacobs in a $10.3 million purchase from Rihanna; and repped both the buyer and seller of the former Doris Day estate in Beverly Hills, which sold in May for $16.5 million (the third time he’s sold the property). He also sold the historic 1934 Spanish-style Ernst Lubitsch Estate in Bel Air for $14.6 million. “The biggest challenges right now are the ULA tax, the proposed Wildlife Ordinance [to limit development size in hillside areas of L.A.], and higher interest rates,” Flagg says of the L.A. market. “However, something to keep in mind is that the government was printing money essentially and 2 percent interest rates were a fantasy. People just need to realize that was a moment in time and that’s gone.” Flagg also just co-founded Estate Media, a content company spotlighting agents (like his Million Dollar Listing co-star Tracy Tutor) and digital creators who highlight real estate (like real estate agent Aaron Grushow of AKG Christie’s, who has 1.4 million followers on TikTok).
Douglas Elliman’s Josh Flagg sold the Ernst Lubitsch Estate in Bel Air for $14.6 million.
Anthony Barcelo
Fridman
Courtesy of Subject
COMPASS
With more than $690 million in transactions in the past 12 months, Tomer Fridman is the go-to agent for the Kardashian Jenners, appearing on their Hulu show The Kardashians and repping Kim Kardashian on her $70 million purchase of Cindy Crawford’s former Malibu home. He’s also a co-listing agent for fashion designer Eva Chow’s Holmby Hills estate, on the market for $65 million. With sales slower after a few frenzied years, Fridman says he’s leaning more than ever into “the power of personal relationships and networking — being able to rely on my colleagues and be a reliable colleague for my co-agents in deals is the most important aspect of being able to transact and succeed in this industry.” Fridman’s career sales now sit at more than $6 billion. Fridman along with Compass colleague Sally Forster Jones is also handling sales at the 17-unit Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills luxury development, due to open next year. “I am extremely hands-on in whatever transpires throughout the deal or listing. At the end of the day, these are typically my clients’ homes and not just investment assets. I do my best to give honest and effective advice to protect them,” says Fridman of his overriding approach.
Gambino
Courtesy of Subject
COMPASS
Carl Gambino of Compass has repped a veritable who’s who of A-listers, from Jennifer Lopez, Harry Styles and Joe Jonas to Mark Wahlberg, whom the agent co-repped in the sale of his Beverly Park estate in February for $55 million. “It was an extremely complex, down-to-the-wire deal that ultimately worked out,” he says of the transaction. “It’s a sale I’m extremely grateful for and proud of.” Gambino also sold the Toluca Lake house of the late Kim Porter for Sean Combs (according to public records); co-repped the sale of a $35 million home in Trousdale Estates; and is currently co-listing the Encino home of former baseball star Jimmy Rollins. Gambino, who also works across Miami, the Hamptons and New York City, has now surpassed the $1 billion mark in career sales. “We’ve achieved record-breaking sales in multiple U.S. markets,” says Gambino. “The marketability of these sales and the ability to service our clients on a national scale has been a breakthrough for us. In one instance, we sold a client’s house in L.A. for $35 million and their townhouse in NYC for $23 million.”
Inside Mark Wahlberg’s former estate in Beverly Park, which sold for $55 million and was listed with Compass’ Carl Gambino and Westside Estate Agency’s Kurt Rappaport.
Anthony Barcelo
Glass
Courtesy of Subject
COMPASS
A licensed attorney with 20 years of experience across six states, Compass’ Ginger Glass racked up $459 million in sales over 12 months and has sold more than $3 billion dollars over the span of her real estate career. “In my almost 20-year career, I have led the idea of collaboration among realtors and industry leaders, and this year many more agents and counterparts were on board with working together,” she says. Glass’s expertise led to her playing a role in Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck buying their first marital home, where she represented the seller in the $61 million all-cash Beverly Hills transaction. Glass also repped the buyer of Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park estate, securing the sale at $55 million instead of the $79.5 million sticker price and repped the buyer in the highest sale in Newport this year. The deals were two of the highest sales in Beverly Hills Post Office this year. “I started my career by doing what I know works in all professions: working seven days a week, sitting at open houses and asking questions to become a better agent every single day. I started humble and will continue to stay this way,” says Glass.
Compass’ Ginger Class co-repped the seller of the eight-bedroom Villa Encanto estate in Beverly Hills, which traded for $17.1 million last November.
Jeff Ong/Courtesy of Ginger Class/Compass
Grauman and Rosenfeld
Courtesy of Subject (2)
THE AGENCY
The Agency’s Jon Grauman and Adam Rosenfeld of Grauman + Rosenfeld see a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the market’s current bottleneck. “I am hopeful that we’ll see interest rates start to creep down next year, and as that happens, more buyers will be enticed to reenter the market,” Grauman says. “The current stranglehold on the real estate market is only temporary. There is a pent-up demand for housing that is growing every day. As buyers begin to reengage with the market, we can anticipate a surge in both competition and property prices. This anticipated escalation will likely serve as the precursor to the next real estate boom.” The pair, who appear on Netflix’s real estate reality show Buying Beverly Hills, did $567 million in sales over 12 months.
The Agency’s Jon Grauman, along with the brokerage’s James Parnes, repped the seller of this home in Beverly Hills Post Office bought by Adele’s manager Jonathan Dickins in March for $11.7 million.
Nils Timm
Parnes and Harris
Courtesy of Subject
THE AGENCY
James Harris and David Parnes — former stars of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles and the founders of The Agency’s Bond Street Partners team — are now teaching others the tricks of their trade, launching their very first real estate course titled The 1% Blueprint. The duo also have become champions of L.A.’s upscale condo market, handling the purchase of a $21 million penthouse at The Century, the biggest condo sale of the past 12 months, and are leading sales (along with The Agency Development Group) of the $2.5 billion Century Plaza development. “We also broke the record of the highest-priced condominium sale per square foot in Los Angeles with the sale of Residence 902 at Pendry Residences West Hollywood,” Parnes says. Other big deals include selling Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford’s Spanish-style L.A. house in August for $6.1 million and repping MRC co-chairman Modi Wiczyk (according to public records) in his $16 million sale of a home in Beverly Hills.
Bond Street Partners’ James Harris and David Parnes repped Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford in the sale of this Spanish-style home near the Sunset Strip for $6.1 million.
Christopher Amitrano
Hohnen
Courtesy of Subject
DOUGLAS ELLIMAN
“Not nearly as fun as it has been in the past few years,” is how Douglas Elliman’s Juliette Hohnen describes the state of L.A. luxury real estate, noting that there are 36 to 50 percent fewer deals being closed. “Now it’s very unpredictable,” she says. “Even pricing is unpredictable.” Still, Hohnen has kept busy, selling Eric Idle’s Hollywood Hills house to a British heiress in a nearly $6.5 million all-cash deal. She also repped (according to public records) writer-producer Chris Weitz in a $7.65 million Pacific Palisades purchase, as well as listed his Venice house for just under $5.5 million and repped director Tom Shadyac’s $2.75 million Sunset Strip property. Her marketing approach? “The thing that broke through for me was presenting my listings in terms of lifestyle and targeting a specific type of buyer for each property,” says Hohnen. “You can’t just hire a stager; you have to go beyond what is available to every other realtor. I pick furniture for my stager and she buys it for my listings. I use really incredible photographers, and if other agents start using my photographers, I find new ones. I don’t want my listings to look like everyone else’s.”
Douglas Elliman’s Juliette Hohnen is currently listing this three-bedroom, 3,116-square-foot house in Venice designed by Marmol Radziner for $5.595 million.
Sam Wadieh
Mogharrabi and Kays
Courtesy of Subject
CAROLWOOD ESTATES
It was a transformative year for the team of Jonathan Mogharrabi and Marci Kays. “We met during our time at The Agency, and we quickly became friends,” Mogharrabi said in a previous interview. “I have a lot of experience working with the top talent agents and business managers at CAA and WME, while she represents many Grammy award-winning musicians so it was a natural partnership. We balance each other out very well when working with mutual clients, especially on Richard Neutra’s Lovell Health House. That opened up a lot of new opportunities for us.” In April, the pair landed at Carolwood Estates from The Agency with a bang, having just repped Brad Pitt (according to public records) in the $38.5 million sale of his Los Feliz compound. The pair tallied $137 million in sales over 12 months. “We each bring a unique style and personality to the mix,” Kays says. “To have the support of each other makes what we do that much more enjoyable.”
Jonathan Mogharrabi and Marci Kays are currently listing this five-bedroom Spanish Colonial-style home in Los Feliz; built in 1924, for $9.995 million.
Andrew Bramasco
Kirman
Courtesy of Subject
AKG | CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE
Not only did he open a new brokerage, AKG/Christie’s, but Aaron Kirman also accomplished $1.7 billion in sales, including selling such historic homes as John Lautner’s Garcia House and Mary Tyler Moore’s former 1920s manse in Bel Air and co-repping the sale of the late Steven Bochco’s home in Pacific Palisades, built in 1937 by architect Paul R. Williams. “There’s nothing we won’t do for our clients,” says Kirman. “We’re in a service-based business and cater to every need, from selling their homes to assisting with private jet charters. I’m connected to some of the world’s most influential people, and I leverage these connections to assist my clients in various ways, ensuring both their professional and personal lives thrive.” Major listings include Honey co-founder George Ruan’s $150 million megamansion, Tinder co-founder Sean Rad’s $32 million Hollywood Hills Home, designer Tyler Ellis’ $42 million Brentwood estate, and the $45 million Sugar Ray Leonard estate.
This nine-bedroom mansion with infinity pool on 1.15 acres in Bel Air is listed with Aaron Kirman for $150 million.
Matt Momberger
Kramer
Courtesy of Subject/Tiffany Angeles
HILTON & HYLAND
Since ascending to the role of president at luxury brokerage Hilton & Hyland — which saw the death last year of founder Jeff Hyland, followed by the exit of the firm’s other founder, Rick Hilton — David Kramer has stabilized and is growing the company. “I am truly honored to be following in the footsteps of the most legendary real estate agent in the country, Jeff Hyland,” says Kramer, who, while running the brokerage is also closing major deals for clients such as DJ Zedd, who sold his 3-acre Benedict Canyon spread to Kenya Barris for $18.35 million. Kramer also co-repped Formula 1 heiress Petra Ecclestone on a $37 million sale to Los Angeles Clippers player Russell Westbrook. “I feel that understanding a client’s needs is the first part of going above and beyond for a client. Our client base is very diverse and discerning, so everyone is going to have different needs,” says Kramer. “Having had a lot of therapy in my life was probably one of the most helpful things in learning how to be a real estate agent. It allows me to understand their needs and have empathy at some of the most stressful times in people’s lives.”
Hilton & Hyland’s David Kramer repped DJ Zedd in the sale of this modern, 9,500-square-foot mansion in Benedict Canyon to Kenya Barris.
Anthony Barcelo
Lawyer
Courtesy of Subject
CAROLWOOD ESTATES
“The market this year has been challenging to navigate with the additional [ULA] tax and increasingly restrictive local ordinances. I am concerned about the current and long-term impact this is having on all of us,” says Carolwood Estates’ Brett Lawyer, who nonetheless posted a stellar year, doing $202 million in sales in 12 months and repping Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in their headline-making purchase of a $61 million estate in Beverly Hills, among other deals. He currently holds the listing for Lopez’s Bel Air home. But Lawyer remains optimistic — and grateful. “I continue to be very inspired by serving my current and evolving client base,” he says. “Each day is an adventure and discovery of extraordinary people and architecture.”
Carolwood Estates’ Brett Lawyer holds the listing on Jennifer Lopez’s Bel Air mansion, on the market for $39.995 million; it includes a 30-seat screening room.
Jeremy Spann
May
Courtesy of Subject
CAROLWOOD ESTATES
A mainstay of THR’s top agents list, Linda May of Carolwood Estates boasted another strong year with sales of $286 million. Her notable sales included the highest sale in Holmby Hills year-to-date with an off-market sale of $34 million. She also currently holds the $18.9 million listing (along with Carolwood’s Brett Lawyer) for Madonna’s former Lake Hollywood home, the famed Castillo del Lago. May notes that the uncertainty of the new ULA transfer tax and increased interest rates will deter some sellers from foisting homes onto the market. “Listings are always the most important part of your real estate practice,” says May. “Sellers will be more reluctant if they don’t have a clear vision of where they are going. It’s very much a two-part process, now more than ever!” But May remains excited about the year to come. “The market is dynamic, and getting to work with all these amazing power brokers on this list gives me opportunities every single day!” she says, adding, “I love that my profession allows me to be very creative and find specific houses that tailor to the different lifestyles of my clientele.”
Carolwood Estates’ Linda May and Brett Lawyer hold the listing on Castillo del Lago, the former home of Madonna in Lake Hollywood, on the market for $18.9 million.
JIM BARTSCH/CAROLWOOD ESTATES
McKillen
Courtesy of Subject/Benjo Arwas
OFFICIAL
In January, Tyrone McKillen opened the first L.A. office of Official, the new brokerage co-founded by Nicole Oge, Andrew Wachtfogel and Richard Jordan, alongside mega-agents Oren and Tal Alexander. In March, he closed on a $16 million sale of a Hancock Park house in a whirlwind two days ahead of the implementation of the ULA mansion tax; McKillen and partners had renovated the house through real estate development and management company Plus Development, working with top interior designer Jake Arnold. “We’ve really started to market the fact that we run a luxury development company as well as market and sell luxury properties,” says McKillen. “This is one of our biggest differentiators and has helped us win and sell a lot of product in the past year.” His current listings include Malibu’s Cantilever House, an 11,097-square-foot modern home that boasts a 100-foot infinity pool and is on the market for $69.5 million.
Malibu’s Cantilever House, listed with Tyrone McKillen of Official for $69.5 million.
Courtesy of Scott Gillen
Meyers
Courtesy of Subject/Jared Fix
WESTSIDE ESTATE AGENCY
Onetime WME intern Drew Meyers has emerged as a top broker at the Westside Estate Agency, where he became a partner this year. He repped both sides (along with agency founder Kurt Rappaport) of the sale of the former Broad Art Foundation building in Santa Monica to Scooter Braun for $25.9 million, and represented the buyer of the former Mary Tyler Moore house in Bel Air for $14.6 million. The latter, he notes, is situated “directly on the golf course of Bel-Air Country Club — you can always replicate a home, but you can’t replicate land. Owning on one of the top-five most exclusive golf courses in Los Angeles is like owning gold, and it will only go up in value over the years.”
Westside Estate Agency’s Drew Meyers represented the buyer of Mary Tyler Moore’s former home, located directly on Bel-Air Country Club.
Anthony Barcelo
Mills
Courtesy of Subject
COLDWELL BANKER
“In the past year, I’ve noticed a significant breakthrough in terms of marketing,” says Coldwell Banker’s Jade Mills, who, among her marketing approaches, has leaned into home-tour videos on Instagram (@jademillsestates), where she has nearly 90,000 followers. With more than $8 billion in career sales, Mills recently repped the sellers in two Malibu megadeals: a $100 million estate bought by Byron Allen and a $70 million home snapped up by Kim Kardashian. She also represented both sides of the deal for the nearly $5 million Pacific Palisades home of the late Ray Liotta, and repped the buyer for $52 million Beverly Park estate Villa Firenze. “I consistently strive to exceed client expectations by prioritizing their comfort and security throughout the buying or selling process,” says Mills. “To me, luxury isn’t just about lavishness; it’s about creating an atmosphere where clients feel genuinely at ease. In every transaction, I go the extra mile to ensure my clients experience this sense of luxury, making their real estate journey as smooth and stress-free as possible.”
Coldwell Banker’s Jade Mills holds the listing on this eight-bedroom, 13,300-square-foot estate in Beverly Hills, on the market for $23.995 million.
Adrian Van Anz
Offer
Courtesy of Subject/Lee Manning
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CALIFORNIA PROPERTIES
“I generally do not market myself as much as most other agents out there,” says the uber-discreet David Offer. Public record shows that his Hollywood clients include Alexandra Daddario, whom he repped on three L.A. home deals in the past year. He clocks 30-plus years in the business and “tends to work with people I have worked with in the past or their referrals.” And Offer’s clients keep returning because he serves them “the old-fashioned way, providing first-class service, being available virtually 24/7, and being a consultant who puts my client’s interests first.” The No. 2 individual agent in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices global network for 2022, Offer has lifetime sales over $4.4 billion.
David Offer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties repped Alexandra Daddario in the sale of this home in Hancock Park, which sold for $7.675 million last December.
Carothers Photo
Oppenheim
Courtesy of Mark Seliger/Netflix
THE OPPENHEIM GROUP
Jason Oppenheim went from attorney to president of The Oppenheim Group and star of Netflix’s reality show Selling Sunset. “I left my successful career as a lawyer to join Coldwell Banker and the Joyce Rey team,” he says, adding that he started The Oppenheim Group “from my one-bedroom loft.” His team continues to focus on inventive ways of marketing. “We hired an in-house videographer so we’re doing more videos for every property,” he says, “and now we have a quarterly magazine that comes out called Sunset Living.” Although Oppenheim’s sales were an impressive $419 million, he says 2023 has been a challenging year. “The mansion tax and high interest rates have really stalled the luxury market,” he says. “This has been my slowest year in over a decade, but it can only go up from here.” Last year, Selling Sunset — which has become as notable for its on-screen fashion as for the real estate — spawned a spinoff, Selling the OC.
The Oppenheim Group’s Jason Oppenheim holds the listing on this 3,820-square-foot penthouse at 7135 Hollywood Boulevard, on the market for $5.995 million.
The Oppenheim Group
Pardee
Courtesy of Subject
PARDEE PROPERTIES
“It’s very interesting,” says Tami Pardee of Pardee Properties of L.A.’s current market. “It’s both a buyer’s and a seller’s market. This is rare — there is low inventory, so it’s a seller’s market, yet the high interest rates make it a buyer’s market. It’s really case-by-case on what strategy to use when selling or buying right now.” The complex state of the market hasn’t kept Pardee — a Westside specialist , with offices in Culver City and Venice — from having another impressive year, with $521 million in sales and clients including Doja Cat (for whom she sold a midcentury house in Beverly Hills last year). And she continues to love working in the City of Angels. “Everyone has a story and a life that they want to star in,” she says. “I just help them get there through real estate.”
Inside Doja Cat’s former home in Beverly Hills, sold by Tami Pardee of Pardee Properties last year for $2.35 million.
Charles Coleman
Rappaport
Courtesy of Subject
WESTSIDE ESTATE AGENCY
It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Kurt Rappaport co-founded the Westside Estate Agency, and he’s doing his biggest deals now — to wit, repping both sides of the biggest sale ever in California: Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s $200 million purchase of the Tadao Ando-designed Malibu compound owned by the soap opera dynasts Bill and Maria Bell. Rappaport is also the backer of Hollywood’s hottest restaurant to open this year: chef Evan Funke’s eponymous Funke. Among other big deals, Rappaport also co-listed Mark Wahlberg’s mansion sale, handled both sides of Ryan Seacrest’s recent $51 million sale, and repped producer Henry Winterstern in selling his spec mansion for $48 million, a million above asking. Along with Sotheby’s International Realty’s Lisa Laughlin, Rappaport also repped the seller of he Malibu property bought by producer Edward Hamm Jr. for $91 million, the third biggest sale in L.A. in the last year.
Westside Estate Agency’s Kurt Rappaport and Sotheby’s International Realty’s Lisa Laughlin repped the seller of this 17,000 Malibu mansion in Paradise Cove, which sold for $91 million.
Anthony Barcelo
Rey
Courtesy of Subject
COLDWELL BANKER
With more than $6 billion in career sales, Coldwell Banker’s Joyce Rey holds the $17 million listing on Taylor Hackford and Helen Mirren’s Los Angeles estate. “Our market relies on both successful business entrepreneurs and celebrities, and unfortunately the number of sales is dramatically down. Clearly the lack of inventory and the high interest rates are taking a large toll on the luxury market,” she says. “However, interestingly enough, consumer confidence is rather high and properties priced between $1 million and $3 million move very quickly.” Rey — who has repped such stars as Lionel Richie and Goldie Hawn — also is currently co-listing a $185 million Bel-Air property. As for one of her recent big wins, she says, “[it] remains confidential — I worked on it for nearly seven years and it closed this year in excess of $70 million!”
Trent
Courtesy of Subject
AKG | CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL
AKG | Christie’s International’s Morgan Trent makes his debut on the THR list after a winning season. A former cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, Trent earned his brokerage license while still playing in the NFL. The SoCal native’s notable clients include Russell Westbrook (who purchased a property in Brentwood last October for $33.5 million), Mookie Betts and designer Tyler Ellis. He recently was also a co-listing agent on the $25 million sale of the late Steven Bochco’s Pacific Palisades home. He lives by the simple motto, “Love God, Love People.” As for how he got his start in real estate, Trent says, “I started selling homes in L.A. organically. I met a few clients playing golf that asked me to sell their homes off market … and I did. After a couple of big sales, I was on my way.”
Morgan Trent of AKG | Christie’s was one of the agents who sold the former estate of the late Steven Bochco in Pacific Palisades.
Anthony Barcelo
Tutor
Courtesy of Subject
DOUGLAS ELLIMAN
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Tracy Tutor has expanded from L.A. into Texas. “The migration to Texas from California has been palatable in the past three years,” says Tutor. “Providing our clients in California with seamless representation in the Texas market was the smartest move I have made in the last year.” As far as what succeeds for her in terms of marketing, Tutor says, “In the last year, digital marketing breakthroughs, particularly through social media and video tours, have been game-changers for me. They’ve allowed me to reach a wider audience and showcase properties more effectively to direct buyers and agents all over the U.S., providing my clients with a broader reach. It also doesn’t hurt to have a TV show surrounding luxury real estate in Los Angeles.” Her listings include Villa Kuro, a modernist 2,110-square-foot desert home in Joshua Tree, California, on the market for $1.749 million.
Villa Kuro, in Joshua Tree, California, is listed with Douglas Elliman’s Tracy Tutor.
Stanley Yang Photography
The Umansky Team
Courtesy of The Agency
THE AGENCY
“Real estate is a family affair for us, and one of the best things about being a real estate agent is getting to help other families find their dream home,” says Mauricio Umansky of The Umansky Team, which includes his sister Sharon Umansky-Benton, father Eduardo Umansky, and daughters Alexia Umansky and Farrah Brittany. The Agency co-founder, who was a co-listing agent on the $20 million sale of entrepreneur Robert Rivani’s Game of Thrones-inspired house in Beverly Hills, is now competing on the 32nd season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. He wrote his first book this year, The Dealmaker: How to Succeed in Business & Life Through Dedication, Determination & Disruption. And with The Agency’s Netflix reality show Buying Beverly Hills renewed for a second season, the Umanskys continue to make real estate a feel-good affair. “We genuinely have a great time and love supporting each other,” Maurico Umansky says. “It’s great to have a group of people you trust to bounce ideas off of and talk through deals with.” Among his listings (along with The Agency’s James Harris and David Parnes) is developer Nick Candy’s The Reserve in Holmby Hills, listed for $85 million.
Mauricio Umansky holds the $85 million co-listing, along with The Agency’s David Parnes and James Harris, on The Reserve, a 10-bedroom, 19-bath estate on two acres in Holmby Hills.
Candy London
B. Williams and R. Williams
Courtesy of Subject
THE BEVERLY HILLS ESTATES
Husband-and-wife team Branden and Rayni Williams — who did a staggering $1.4 billion in sales in the past 12 months — are developers as well as dealmakers. Their sales and listings include co-repping Drake’s Beverly Hills estate for $88 million; selling UTA chief Jeremy Zimmer’s Brentwood Park home to newlyweds Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge for $26.9 million; and selling a $70 million Bird Streets home to Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. Along with co-developer Jason Somers of Crest Real Estate, they have also just brought to market a stunning $38 million James Bond-inspired home, dubbed the Californication House, that includes a $60,000 rotating bed, Arabian black slate and Japanese Shou Sugi Ban raked wood cladding, and Roman titanium travertine floors. “Finishing the design and development of the Californication House with our design firm Disco Volante was a five-year passion project,” says Branden Williams. “It’s always exciting to create an architectural mansion that you see in the hills when driving through a city. I know it will be a part of the Los Angeles skyline even after I’m gone.” Asked what she wish she had known when she started in real estate, Rayni Williams replies, “I got my start from the bottom and used my work ethic to fit puzzle pieces together and crack the code to get to the top. I had no formal training or guide book on how to do it — simply was led by intuition and hard work. I don’t wish I knew anything then I know now as I wouldn’t have made it knowing how hard it would be.”
Branden and Rayni Williams of The Beverly Hills Estate have just listed this $38 million newly built contemporary mansion in The Hollywood Hills, dubbed the Californication House.
Simon Berlyn
Gary Baum, Kirsten Chuba, and Chris Gardner contributed to this report.
A version of this story first appeared in the Sept. 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Shelton Wilder, CEO of Shelton Wilder Group, has affiliated with AKG Christie’s International Real Estate. The group made $150 million in sales in 2022, when it was affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty.
Wilder said she started working with AKG Christie’s to further develop and expand her team’s reach in the luxury market.
“I don’t want anyone to think that I’m not going to work in my bread and butter market — homes between $1 million to $5 million,” she said. “We treat all of the clients from all price points as luxury clients.”
Five other agents work at Shelton Wilder Group. Focusing on neighborhoods such as Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Beverly Hills, the group has made notable deals such as a $19.5 million trade for 835 San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica in 2022. Wilder represented the buyer, while Aaron Kirman, founder of AKG, served as the listing agent.
Wilder is a serial entrepreneur. She previously helmed a fashion brand called The Shemie, which she pitched on business reality TV show “Shark Tank” in 2012. The Shemie ceased production in 2015, and Wilder started work as a real estate agent in late 2017.
➤Zac Mostame is a top agent who completed more than $134 million in sales in 2022, according to Real Trends. Mostame affiliated with Carolwood Estates earlier this month, according to the Beverly Hills-based brokerage.
“(Carolwood’s) prominent presence in the ultra-luxury real estate market caught my attention,” Mostame told TRD in an email. “Secondly, I appreciated the boutique atmosphere of the company.”
Mostame’s most recent affiliation was with The Agency where he worked closely with Santiago Arana, who was ranked among TRD’s top 20 L.A. agents in 2022.
Mostame’s ultra luxe presence includes listings in Beverly Hills, Bel Air and West L.A. In September 2022, Mostame co-represented the buyer for a $38 million deal at 5012 Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu.
Carolwood Estates has recruited other new agents.
Loren Judd affiliated with Carolwood earlier this month. He formerly worked as a manager at Coldwell Banker Realty’s Beverly Hills offices, an association which ended in 2019. He most recently worked as an agent at Compass. Judd worked on a $25 million deal for the Beverly Hills estate of movie pioneer Samuel Goldwyn in 2015.
Jim Ostridge also started working with Carolwood Estates. He was formerly affiliated with Compass, where he worked as a co-buying agent on a deal for 2383 Mandeville Canyon Road in Brentwood in 2022.
Other new agents joining Carolwood include Alexandra Allen, who served as a co-listing agent for the 2019 megadeal for the $150 million Chartwell Estate. The property was the former residence of the late Univision Chairman Jerry Perenchio and is currently owned by media tycoon Lachlan Murdoch.
Other new agents at Carolwood include Christina Collins, who was formerly affiliated with Hilton & Hyland; Jake McDermott, who was formerly with Douglas Elliman; and Amandine Ferla, who joined Delaram Rivani’s team at Carolwood. Another recent affiliate is Chase Aguer, who received a real estate license in August.
➤Nicole Plaxen is striking out on her own after 16 years working with Sally Forster Jones, who ranked sixth on TRD’s 2022 top L.A. brokers list. In January 2022, Plaxen was named executive vice president of sales for Sally Forster Jones at Compass, where she helped direct 25 agents.
Earlier this month, Plaxen started Walters Plaxen Estates at The Beverly Hills Estates with another Sally Forster Jones alumna Shauna Walters. Plaxen and Walters were high school friends while growing up in the Calabasas area.
While Plaxen found success at Sally Forster Jones, the slowdown of the 2023 market made her contemplate what she wanted to do next. She decided to run her own business and use it as a platform to help other women.
“I thought, ‘If not now, when?’ This was the best time to start,” she told TRD.
Plaxen said she was grateful for her time with Sally Forster Jones and planned to work with her on listings in the future.
Walters Plaxen Estates will focus on different price points from starter homes to ultra luxe in neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, Encino, Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
➤Doug Echelberger, an agent in South Orange County, has launched a new company called Inhabit Real Estate. The company affiliated recently with the white label brokerage Side.
Echelberger’s self-named Echelberger Group made more than $202 million in sales in 2022, according to Real Trends. His new company Inhabit Real Estate will focus on San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.
➤Marcy Roth has worked with the Eklund Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman since late 2018. She recently was promoted to Eklund Gomes California Team Lead, where she’ll manage teams in Orange County, Los Angeles and Malibu.
Roth co-represented buyer Tina Trahan for the recent $3.2 million sale of a Studio City home made famous as the exterior for “The Brady Bunch” television show.
➤Douglas Elliman has recruited a crop of new agents including Meha Chopra, who will work in Elliman’s Pasadena office. She will focus on the San Gabriel Valley, Inland Empire and Orange County. She was formerly affiliated with Century 21.
Chelsea Howe recently affiliated with Elliman’s Newport Beach office. She will focus on neighborhoods such as Laguna Beach, Balboa and Lido Islands, Balboa Peninsula and Corona Del Mar. Howe was formerly affiliated with Realty Source.
Tucker Trainer recently started working with Elliman’s Brentwood office, specializing in Mar Vista, Brentwood, Santa Monica, West L.A. and Cheviot Hills. He was formerly affiliated with Landon Realty Group.
Jennifer Farrell also recently started working with Elliman’s Brentwood office. She plans to focus on Calabasas, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Brentwood. She was formerly affiliated with Romeo Echo Real Estate.
Cristian Insua recently joined Elliman’s Malibu office. He’ll focus on neighborhoods such as Malibu, Beverly Hills, Westlake Village, Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge.
➤Boutique brokerage Nourmand & Associates has gained several new agents recently. Heather Klein will work with Nourmand’s Beverly Hills office, where she’ll focus on the Beverly Hills market. For much of 2023, she was affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty.
Eva Garber, formerly with Sotheby’s International Realty in South Pasadena, also started working with Nourmand in the Hollywood office. Garber will focus on Northeast Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Highland Park, Mount Washington and Eagle Rock.
After laying off four out of 10 workers, Atreca will bag the lease for its headquarters and 100,000 square feet of life science offices in San Carlos.
The cancer drug company has ended its lease 10 years early at 835 Industrial Road, Bisnow reported, citing a regulatory filing. The six-story, 278,000-square-foot building is owned by Alexandria Real Estate Equities, based in Pasadena.
Atreca leased part of the Alexandria District for Science & Technology building in 2019, and moved into its headquarters there a year later. The drugmaker will vacate the property by Nov. 30.
“The agreement to terminate our lease agreement dramatically reduces our ongoing operating expenses and helps to extend our cash runway through the first quarter of 2024,” Atreca CEO John Orwin said in a statement.
The early exit will cost Atreca $5 million, but save the company $13 million a year in rent.
Astreca stopped development on its most promising drug, FierceBiotech reported, and last month laid off 40 percent of its workforce. The financially troubled biotech firm was once a favorite partner of Big Pharma giants Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Pfizer.
Alexandria, whose 560,000-square-foot Alexandria Center for Life Science campus opened with Atreca as a major tenant, appears to have found a replacement tenant.
“We are in negotiations to re-lease the entire space,” Alexandria Executive Chairman and founder Joel Marcus told Bisnow in an email
Life science real estate in the Bay Area and beyond was hot until earlier this year, when it began cooling slightly because of a drop-off in venture capital spending and a spike in new product delivery.
The Bay Area life sciences market is still relatively stable, with rents averaging about $6.66 per square foot in the second quarter, according to a Newmark report.
— Dana Bartholomew
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The head of Nama has admitted the sale of a “rat-infested” Donegal property subject to loans of €10.3m for just €265,000 is “shocking”, but insisted the agency had had no alternative.
The sale of the property, which consists of 14 occupied residential units and 28 unoccupied ones on a 21 hectare site, to a company owned by the brother of the original debtor, was raised by State’s accountant the Comptroller and Auditor General in his 2021 report on Nama’s progress, saying what had transpired was “so exceptional” it merited mention.
The sale happened following a campaign of intimidation and threats, which saw the receiver appointed to sell the land resign in May 2020, with Nama subsequently concluding the market value of the assets was “unlikely to ever be achieved or the lands disposed of while the threats and intimidation continue”, while the debtor had likewise “threatened to commence litigation to frustrate the sale of the assets”.
“It is shocking, I agree,” Nama chief executive Brendan McDonagh told the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday morning.
“But the only alternative open to us after the receiver resigned was to get the assets back in control of the debtor.”
Mr McDonagh stressed the low valuation of the site was not that of Nama but of an independent assessor, and argued he could not conceive how such low-quality land — the site being based on marshland — had been given such a large loan in the first place.
He said the land is currently subject to a vermin infestation and that the HSE had told Nama “that they want to pursue whoever is responsible under the Rats and Mice Act”.
He said the present rent of the properties was unknown, though he speculated €1,000 per unit would seem likely for a three-bed house. He said“there’s a man who comes every Friday who collects the rent”.
The members of the PAC present reacted collectively with incredulity regarding the nature of the deal, which was variously described by those in attendance as “extraordinary”, “unbelievable”, and, in the words of chair Brian Stanley, “like the Wild West, with bags of money on the side of a horse”.
Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy queried as to how the sale had been allowed given under the Nama Act property can not be sold to the family of an impacted debtor.
Mr McDonagh agreed Nama had “absolutely” known the company buying the site was funded by the debtor’s brother, but said “a company is a different entity to an individual” and the company’s director was no relation to the debtor.
Ms Murphy said “the receiver was intimidated, the local authority was intimidated into not looking at buying, the estate agents were intimidated, the tenants were intimidated, and Nama rolled over”.
“Nama did not roll over,” Mr McDonagh said. “We don’t have the assets, we have the loans.”
He agreed Nama had only once before been subject to a similar situation, in 2012, involving the same debtor, where two Nama staff members had been threatened outside a courtroom where a case involving the debtor had been in progress.
“Intimidation clearly works in this situation,” Sinn Féin’s John Brady said.
“No that is completely wrong,” Mr McDonagh said. “The debtors were completely bankrupt, the fact there was a €10m loan against it didn’t matter because there was no way of getting it back.”
“Believe me, I want every single penny out of every single asset,” he said.
“I’d like to assure you, I’ve been in this business for 14 years, I don’t think there is anyone would say that you could intimidate Nama.”
Nearly a quarter (19pc) of homes on the market in north Norfolk saw asking price reductions of more than 5pc over the past 90 days, making it the area with the second highest proportion of major price drops in the UK, according to the property website Zoopla.
The only place with a higher figure was Thanet, in Kent, where 21pc of properties on the market saw asking price reductions of more than 5pc over the same period.
READ MORE: North Norfolk has nation’s highest proportion of home ownership
And while there is a trend of sellers dropping prices the UK, Clive Hedges, Arnolds Keys coastal branch manager, said such a high proportion could signal sellers are being given bad advice.
Clive Hedges, from estate agency Arnolds Keys, said sellers need informed advice to get asking prices right (Image: Arnolds Keys)
He said: “Less experienced agents that don’t have decades of experience will have only operated in a market that’s rising.
“That could lead them to set the price too high to begin with.
“It’s not an easy conversation to have, telling a seller the value of their home isn’t as high as it was a year ago, so you’ll always get those vendors that say let’s try it at that higher price.
“The problem with that is that you risk the property on the market for so long it goes stale, which will make it much harder to sell.”
Property values are also dropping elsewhere in the county.
House prices in Great Yarmouth have fallen at one of the highest rates in the UK (Image: Liz Coates)
Homes in Great Yarmouth reduced in value by an average of £7,336 (3.5pc) between April and May this year, and an average of £7,450 (2.2pc) in Broadland district during the same period.
Mr Hedges said: “It’s going to be good news for first-time buyers who are trying hard to enter the market and for those moving upmarket, but not such good news for people downsizing.
“That’s because a 5pc reduction on a £500,000 property is more than a 5pc reduction on a £300,000 property.”
Money laundering and property — real estate agents should be on the ‘alert’, say experts
KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 28): A recent high-profile scandal involving 60 real estate agents suspected to be linked to the sale and rental of properties related to one of Singapore’s biggest money-laundering cases has no doubt rocked the island republic known for its clean governance.
Ten suspects were arrested on Aug 15 in the Lion City over an anti-money laundering probe “that has been described by the prosecution as unprecedented in size and scope”, reported channelnewsasia.com. A billion dollars’ worth of assets, including luxury cars, houses and cash, were seized. The 10 arrested were reported to be foreigners.
In an update, channelnewsasia.com reported about 60 real estate agents “purportedly involved in deals linked to the case are assisting with investigations”.
Up to 105 properties, estimated to be worth S$831 million (RM2.86 billion), are involved in the probe. They are seven bungalows in Sentosa Cove, 79 condominium units and 19 commercial spaces, with 19 units still under construction. All the properties have now been issued with prohibition of disposal orders as a result of the investigations.
Not surprisingly, property agents in the city state are focusing their attention to compliance checks in an attempt to weed out property deals that may involve money laundering.
According to the news portal, “Subscriptions to the Singapore Estate Agents Association’s (SEAA) anti-money laundering (AML) web service have spiked, with more than 400 new users from mostly boutique property agencies in the weeks since the case broke in mid-August”.
Can commissions paid be ‘clawed back’?
Meanwhile, a Straits Times report quoted lawyers saying that commissions “paid to agents for the sale or rental of property caught up in the S$1 billion money laundering case could be clawed back”.
It added that the “process would be a legally complex one and would rest on how much knowledge an agent had when a property transaction was under way”.
“Whether the commissions paid can be clawed back will depend on all the circumstances, including whether the agents are complicit in any crime,” the Law Society of Singapore AML committee chairman S. Suressh told the daily.
In Malaysia, Chur Associates managing partner and founder Chris Tan is of the view that our real estate agents should be on the “alert” for such issues.
“Real estate agents are reporting institutions, which have obligations to carry out, among others, customer due diligence measures if there is reasonable suspicion of the commission of a money laundering offence or a terrorism financing offence, failing which, they may be liable under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA),” said Chris.
To “claw back” these commissions means that the authorities or investigators are taking legal action to reclaim or seize the money paid to these agents as commissions. This action is usually taken because the commissions are considered to be part of the proceeds of the illegal activity (money laundering) and should not benefit the individuals or entities involved. In this regard, Malaysian authorities have the raison d’être to “claw back” commissions earned, added Chris.
So, are the arms of law in Malaysia long enough to nab these culprits?
“Generally, it has very much to do with the positioning of a country and how accommodative its policies are in facilitating the flow of funds in and out of the country,” said Chris.
“Money laundering is a dynamic process that innovates according to the ever changing legal regulations that are mostly reactive in nature. If you are in a position of trust and manage stakeholding funds of others, you are in a privileged position with responsibility and liability that eventually impact your credibility in the long term,” he added.
Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) president Tan Kian Aun is also of the view that agents have an important role to play to keep money laundering activities involving properties.
With AMLATFPUAA, Kian Aun said that agents that see a “red flag” must “comply with the requirement to report any suspicious transactions by filing a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR)”.
As for the ability of the authorities to confiscate the commissions earned from such transactions, Kian Aun felt that it could be “a bit challenging and it also depends on the time frame. Sometimes it may take a long time just to prove a person’s wrongdoing”.
As for local agents being alert to such money-laundering activities linked to real estate, Kian Aun admitted that “probably the level of awareness in Malaysia is not up to the required level yet”.
“Our agents definitely need to be educated and we owe a duty of care to the profession and the industry. It is our duty to protect the professionalism of the industry. We also have our code of conducts in our Act and rules (Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers Act 1981 or Act 242) that protect the public and prevent activities that constitute unauthorised practice of law,” Kian Aun stressed.
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A ‘respected and trusted’ Belfast estate agent with ‘an impeccable record’ has been fined £1,000 for breaching the Estate Agent Act 1979 and failing to provide information about a Property Redress Scheme.
Des McGranaghan, pictured in a corporate video for McGranaghan Estate Agents, was fined £600 and £400 for the two breaches.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service launched an investigation last year following a complaint by a woman who put her house on the market through McGranaghan Estate Agents.
McGranaghan Estate Agents, Belfast
ITV News reported earlier this week that McGranaghan wanted the full agency fee of 0.75% – despite the sale falling through after the seller could not find somewhere else to live.
McGranaghan then pursued her for £3,397 – the full 0.75% plus costs – which was later referred to a debt collection agency.
He pleaded guilty to two contraventions of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
Defence counsel Sean O’Hare argued that they were technical breaches by a ‘respected and trusted estate agent with an impeccable record’, telling the Court: “He has been in business for 30 years, with an enviable reputation in the areas in which he operates.”
The Neg reported on Monday how the boss of National Trading Standards’ estate agency team has admitted he doesn’t have the staff to tackle conditional selling, the practice of excluding buyers who do not agree to use services such as conveyancing and mortgage broking provided by an agency’s own or outsourced provider.
James Munro told the Daily Telegraph “there’s a lack of resources to go out and police this effectively”. It would “take a lot of resources and a lot of people to go out and investigate to give a realistic market assessment”, he said.
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