Brokerage Beat: Growth at Christie's, Real, E&V, C21, Beach Homes 

Editor's note: The brokerage business is a busy one, with frequent moves, mergers and milestones. Here we highlight some of the latest activity among brokerages across the U.S.

Christie's expands on East Coast; renews and rebrands Down Under

LandVest Christie's International Real Estate is expanding into two Northeast coastal towns, while two top Aussie brokers are extending their affiliation with the luxury brand.

LandVest's expansion into Portsmouth, N.H. and York Harbor, Maine, about 10 miles apart, will be overseen by new LandVest brokers Jane Chase and Jim Nadeau.

Chase and Nadeau have marketed and sold many significant and record-breaking sales, and recently joined the firm to help expand coverage along the northeast seacoast. 

The two new locations are popular year-round and summer destinations for city dwellers up and down the East Coast including New York and Boston.

"These new offices are indicative of our commitment to bringing sound advice and exceptional results to the market," said Chase." 

Founded in 1968, LandVest is one of New England's largest independent real estate firms, with 2022 residential sales volume of more than $800 million and timberland sales volume of over $1.2 billion. It joined the Christie's International Real Estate global luxury network as an exclusive affiliate in 1995. 

In a land Down Under…

Meanwhile, Prestige Homes of Australia will now be known as Christie's International Real Estate Sydney and Christie's International Real Estate Victoria.

Darren Curtis and Sean Cussell own the separate but strategically aligned brokerages. They are strengthening and expanding their ties to Christie's in a bid to capitalize on the nation's growing high-end property market and increased demand from foreign investors.

Curtis owns the Sydney office, which serves New South Wales. He is also expanding his territory to introduce the Christie's brand in the state of Queensland. Meanwhile, Cussell runs Victoria firm, based in South Yarra and primarily focused on greater Melbourne. 

"Australia has really emerged as a luxury destination on the world stage, and the global brand recognition of Christie's International Real Estate is very important for our clients in this environment," said Curtis.

"I'm excited to continue my partnership with Christie's International Real Estate and take advantage of the brand's expanding network and marketing programs to deliver an even higher level of service for my clients," said Cussell.

The Real Brokerage moves into South Dakota 

The Real Brokerage Inc. has launched operations in South Dakota, expanding the company's presence to 47 states and four Canadian provinces. 

Josh Boschee, who serves as Real's principal broker in North Dakota, also will assume responsibility for South Dakota. 

Real opens its South Dakota operations with Christians Team Real Estate. The 16-member team, led by Jeff Christians, includes six agents who serve the Rapid City/Spearfish metropolitan area and two agents who are based in Phoenix.

"It's exciting to be rounding out Real's presence in America's heartland," Boschee said.

Ranked as one of the top teams serving the Northern Black Hills, Christians Team Real Estate has sold more than 1,400 homes over the past nine years. The team specializes in new construction. "The move to Real made a lot of sense for our team," said Christians. "By leaning into technology and keeping overhead low, I believe Real is able to offer some of the most competitive compensation in the industry and still offer a robust platform for agents."

Engel & Völkers expands in Florida, Bahamas

Engel & Völkers Gainesville franchisee Carrie Cason will be expanding the company's reach in the Florida Panhandle, setting up a new office in Leon County.

Cason is currently looking for a retail location and has begun recruiting local agents for the office, branded as Engel & Völkers Tallahassee. The grand opening is anticipated in the second quarter of 2024.

"We are thrilled to bring the Engel & Völkers brand to Tallahassee and provide our signature luxury service to this dynamic city," said Cason.

The decision to enter the Tallahassee market stems from the exceptional success and positive reception garnered by Engel & Völkers in Gainesville, led by Cason.

"When we have a great franchise owner and operator like Carrie we want to support them in growing into other markets," said Peter Giese, CEO, Engel & Völkers Florida.

Somewhere on a pink sand beach…

Heading south from Florida, Engel & Völkers continues to strengthen its presence throughout the Caribbean with a new shop on Eleuthera Island in The Bahamas.

This is the second location for the global real estate brand in The Bahamas and will be led by license partner Colin Lightbourn, who opened the brand's first location on New Providence Island in 2017.

The population of Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells as of the last census was 11,515 which affords miles and miles of sparsely populated, secluded beaches on any given day. 

"The Bahamas attracts global buyers largely from the United States, Canada, Europe and South America," said Anthony Hitt, president and CEO, Engel & Völkers Americas. "It is an important hub from which we can now service our global clientele." 

With its capital city, Nassau, conveniently located 180 miles off the coast of Florida, The Bahamas has been a world-class tourist destination for decades.

Century 21 grows its reach in NY with Pleasantville brokerage

Hire Realty LLC, a boutique real estate firm based in Pleasantville, NY, has joined the Century 21 network.

Century 21 Hire Realty is led by broker/owner Nicholas McMillan, who got his start in real estate as an agent in 2013 and opened Hire in 2017.

"After six years as an independent firm, I recognized our opportunities for expansion were limited because we lacked visibility and recognition," says McMillan. "As a Century 21 company, we can leverage the awareness and trust that brand has built up to reach more people."

"Nick is the kind of owner we are always on the lookout for: someone well-steeped in the principles of running a successful business who is also passionate about the mission of real estate — to help people build families and communities," said Mike Miedler, president and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate LLC.

Beach Homes Realty launches with waterfront listing in 14 states

Niche brokerage Lake Homes Realty has launched a new brokerage and website focused on coastal properties.

Beach Homes Realty unveiled its website featuring listings for  more than 68,000 beachfront, beach view, and beach access homes and lots. 

Like its more established sister brokerage, Lake Homes Realty, the niche brokerage focuses on specific waterfront properties.

The site features listings across 14 states, from Texas around to New Hampshire. Florida dominates the website's current listings, with nearly 42,000 homes or lots across 185 beach communities.

"Our company has been a leader in niche real estate for more than 10 years and specializes in helping connect buyers and sellers with dream homes on or near the water," said Glenn S. Phillips, CEO and chief economic analyst of Beach Homes Realty.

"Lake Homes Realty has grown into the largest lake-focused real estate brokerage in the country," said Phillips. "Beach Homes Realty was the natural progression in connecting buyers and sellers in specific niche markets."