Brokerage Beat: News from eXp, E&V, ERA, C21, The Agency
eXp gains 200+ agents from two brokerages; ERA and Century 21 add family-run affiliates; Engel & Völkers doubles SoCal presence; The Agency opens in Kelowna.
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.
eXp boosts agent count with the addition of Vegas, OC teams
KW and RE/MAX award winner leaves indie to join eXp
Bryan Knisley, broker-owner of Better Life Realty in Las Vegas, has moved to eXp.
Knisley was a top agent with RE/MAX and Keller Williams before starting his own firm in 2015, ranking as RE/MAX's No. 2 agent in the U.S. in 2013 and KW's No. 1 team in 2014.
He grew Better Life to 35 agents, who together closed $66 million in sales in 2022. But a pair of eXp influencers drew him to the cloud-based brokerage, Knisley said in an interview published by eXp.
"For the past five years, I've been turning down offers from agents and team leaders left and right. My usual response was: 'Why would I give up control of my own brokerage? It doesn't make any sense to me,''' Knisley said. But then he heard an interview with top-producer Garth Ward, who moved his brokerage to eXp earlier this year.
"Garth talked about how eXp changed the game for him. It offered massive leverage, not just for his business, but for his agents too. They had the chance to build a better business with passive income and even ownership. I was sold!"
Knisley specializes in residential, investment properties, auction and asset management. He co-founded Paragon Asset Management Group in 2010, a firm offering services for investors in distressed real estate.
Nationwide Real Estate Executives brings 200 agents to eXp
Daryl Owen, the founder of independent brokerage Nationwide Real Estate Executives based in Long Beach, is making the move to eXp along with 200 of his agents.
Owen founded the firm in 2011 and grew it to 1,000 agents, closing $887 in sales in 2022. Throughout his career, he has been focused on hiring and developing the best agents.
"It's always a nice win to hire top-producing agents from a different company. But I won't have a lot of influence on their business unless they are really struggling... the real fulfillment in life, at least for me, is having the ability to help agents build incredible lives and businesses from the ground up," he said.
In addition to his brokerage leadership, Owen founded a real estate licensing school and owns several businesses including property management and escrow companies, and a boat design and construction company.
He cited financial and growth opportunities as key factors in moving to eXp.
"With eXp, the revenue share, wealth opportunities, a huge network, masterminds, and collaboration is something they can tune into. Grow their world as much as ours. Having the highest ROI. We spend less time building and more time executing. That's fun."
ERA bolsters Indiana presence with mother-daughter brokerage
Mother-daughter brokerage leaders Mary Sherer and Mandy McVey have affiliated their Fort Wayne, Indiana, firm with ERA.
Formerly with RE/MAX, the brokerage will now do business as ERA Crossroads. In addition to the new franchise affiliation, the brokerage has joined with Todd Realty ERA Powered in Syracuse, Indiana, as owner Joe Todd retires.
Together, the two offices have 20 affiliated agents.
Sherer, a Fort Wayne native, has been a real estate agent for three decades and a broker-owner since 2025.
"As a family-owned and led firm, Mary has cultivated a company that is an extension of her own family," said ERA Real Estate President Alex Vidal. "We are so excited that Mary and Mandy have joined the ERA family and look forward to supporting their growth and future success."
Engel & Völkers doubles SoCal presence
Engel & Völkers has more than doubled its Southern California offices with the addition of Dilbeck Real Estate.
Dilbeck Real Estate, founded in 1950, will now operate under the Engel & Völkers brand. The company has nine locations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and a sales and support staff of 400. With this new addition, Engel & Völkers now boasts 15 offices in the region.
Mark Dilbeck, the second-generation majority owner, has been running the firm since 1998. He retains partial ownership and responsibility for daily operations. He is joined by Paul Benson, who operates 40 Engel & Völkers offices across seven western states and now has an ownership stake in Dilbeck Real Estate.
"This is an exciting move in California," said Anthony Hitt, president and CEO of Engel & Völkers Americas. "Paul and Mark working together is certainly just the beginning of many great things to come."
"I'm excited that my heart and mind tell me that we have found a partner that makes us stronger and more vibrant for years to come," said Dilbeck.
"It is an honor to welcome Mark and the entire Dilbeck Real Estate team to Engel & Völkers," Benson said.
Century 21 gains indie firms in Brooklyn, Lubbock
Boutique NYC brokerage joins the Century 21 network
Brooklyn-based Awaye Realty has joined Century 21. Now operating as Century 21 Awaye Realty, the firm is led by owner Arlene Waye, who founded the brokerage in 2003.
The new affiliate, which specializes in residential and commercial sales, rentals, and property management, serves Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx.
Waye is joined in the firm by her daughter, Danielle Waye, who has a background in architecture and interior design. The younger Waye will serve as vice president of operations and development.
"Having lived and worked in Brooklyn throughout my entire career, I have never witnessed such abundant opportunities in the real estate market," said Arlene Waye. "To position our firm optimally and capitalize on these emerging prospects, we recognized the need for the support of a powerful global industry leader like the Century 21 brand."
Mike Miedler, president and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate LLC credited Waye for building the firm over the past two decades. "Under Arlene's leadership, the brokerage has flourished into a hugely successful and multi-faceted enterprise thanks to extensive experience as well as ambition, expertise and devotion to client satisfaction," he said.
Family-run Lubbock firm moves to Century 21
Everything's bigger in Texas, and now that includes Century 21's presence. Kearney & Associates Realty in Lubbock, owned by Charles and Ann Kearney, has joined Century 21.
Founded in 2010, the company will now be known as Century 21 Kearney & Associates. Ann Kearney began her real estate career in 2000, and Charles joined her soon after, getting his broker's license in 2007. Both Kearneys have served as president of the Lubbock Association of Realtors.
In addition to residential sales, the brokerage specializes in commercial, farm and ranch real estate, as well as property management. The Kearneys hope to become a top-three brokerage in the market within a decade.
"We have two goals in our business: the satisfaction of our clients, and the success of our affiliated agents," said Charles Kearney.
"Over the last 12 years, we've worked hard to become a respected and trusted independent brokerage but in order to achieve business growth, we knew we needed additional support, and that's where the Century 21 brand comes in," added Ann Kearney.
The Agency opens 15th Canadian office
The Agency has opened its first office in Kelowna, British Columbia, continuing its expansion in Canada.
The Agency Kelowna will be led by managing partner and B.C. real estate veteran Alexandra Axsen.
"We're thrilled to continue our expansion throughout British Columbia with the unveiling of our new office in Kelowna," said Mauricio Umansky, CEO and founder of The Agency, calling Axsen "one of the most celebrated real estate authorities in her region."
Axsen has been recognized several times as among the Top 10 Best of Kelowna Realtors and named in the Top 40 Under 40 by the Kelowna Chamber.
"It's an honor to be a part of The Agency's growth in Canada and lead the new office in Kelowna," said Axsen. "The Kelowna market holds incredible synergy with The Agency's boutique, global brand and we look forward to continuing to elevate our service offering in this next chapter."