Brokerage Beat: News from The Agency, Corcoran, ERA, Christie's, BHGRE 

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. and globally.

The Agency announces new Canadian office, new California agents

A second office in Vancouver

Managing Partners Kit Matkaluk and Hugh Cooper, who also operate the brokerage's office in North Vancouver, will lead The Agency's new office in West Vancouver, British Columbia.

Cooper and Matkaluk opened the first Vancouver office in 2022.

"Following the success of our first office opening, we are confident this new location will prosper and are honored to continue representing The Agency in our market," said Matkaluk.

Cooper added that the region is a good fit for the boutique brand. "West Vancouver is such a unique area of our city that we can't wait to introduce The Agency's global network," he said. 

"The Agency's outstanding culture, unparalleled marketing strategies, and cutting-edge tools and technology are well-positioned to meet the area's growing demand for customized, boutique service," Cooper said.

With this latest addition, The Agency now has 17 offices in Canada spanning four provinces.

New agents join in Northern California

The Agency Marin County has a new managing director, while The Agency's East Bay office gains a new sales team.

Eric McFarland left Vanguard Properties to become managing director of The Agency Marin County. He will also work with The Agency Palm Springs.

McFarland started his real estate career in New York as an agent and then a managing director of the Corcoran Group before making the move to California.

Meanwhile, the husband-wife-son trio that makes up The Tannahill Team has left Compass to work with The Agency in the East Bay,

Kevin Tannahill is a former professional baseball player for the Brewers and Rangers with a background in corporate sales. But as the son of a broker, Tannahill returned to the family business of real estate 30 years ago.

Laura Tannahill has been selling real estate for 15 years, working alongside her husband and bringing fluency in both English and Spanish to the team.

Son Kyle started his real estate career in 2016, earning his real estate license right after graduation from the University of Arizona.

A high-producing team, the Tannahills closed more than $23 million in sales last year and more than $43 million in 2022.

Corcoran lures Compass agents in NYC

New York City homecomings

The Corcoran Group has brought several former agents back to the fold after stints at Compass.

The Marcus-Wells Team, led by Pamela Marcus and Philip Wells, is now affiliated with Corcoran's East Side office.

Marcus and Wells are returning after four years with Compass. Their other team members joining Corcoran are Liz Schwartzberg, Siena Green and Savanna Likitsakos.

"I'm thrilled to be back at Corcoran," said Marcus. "I've received such a warm welcome, and with so many familiar faces, this return feels like a homecoming." Marcus is a longtime top producer in the city and has closed several multimillion-dollar sales.

The Iwashiro Arai Team, led by Haruno Arai and Ippei Iwashiro, is also rejoining Corcoran from Compass. Arai spent 20 years as a Corcoran agent, and Iwashiro was previously at Corcoran for seven years.

Johanna Beiter, who worked at Corcoran for more than a decade before leaving for Compass in 2018, is also returning, along with former Corcoran agents Dina Sontag and Andrew Schwartz. Schwartz is a member of The James Weiss Team and returns to Corcoran after less than a year with Compass.

"I'm so pleased to see all of these impressive agents back at Corcoran and love the opportunity to welcome new members to our team," said Corcoran President and CEO Pamela Liebman. 

Some fresh faces in the Big Apple

In addition to those returning to the fold, several Compass agents are coming over to Corcoran for the first time. 

They include the rest of The James Weiss Team — James Weiss, Ty Mabry and Alex Grapstein — as well as Jennifer Bowden, William Stafford and Sonia Brown.

Nicholas Andreassi and Juan Benitez have also joined Corcoran to form The Andreassi Benitez Team.

Veteran-owned Big Easy brokerage joins ERA

A New Orleans-area brokerage has joined the ERA network.

ERA Top Agent Realty, based in Slidell, Louisiana, is a full-service brokerage serving the Greater New Orleans area as well as parts of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Broker/owner Stephen Molero served for more than three decades in the LA Air National Guard, seeing three separate deployments before becoming a property investor and licensed real estate agent.

He became managing broker of the brokerage in 2009 and bought it four years later.

"We're incredibly proud of the growth we've experienced to date and the reputation that we've built along the way, but we know it's time to take our operation to the next level," Molero said. 

"As a firm operating across two states, it takes not only well-designed infrastructure but also incredible brand recognition to stand out in every market we serve."

The Litchfield Company joins Christie's

Coastal South Carolina's The Litchfield Company has affiliated with Christie's International Real Estate.

Founded in 1956, Litchfield is one of the oldest brokerages in the state, and is home to more than 150 agents across 10 offices serving South Carolina's lowcountry.

Litchfield acquired The Lachicotte Company, which was affiliated with Christie's, in 2020.

The Lachicotte brand will be discontinued, and eight of Litchfield's offices will now fall under the Christie's brand.

"As this region has developed over the years ... expanding our network through a recognized luxury brand has become a priority," said Royce King, president and CEO of The Litchfield Company. "The strength of Christie's International Real Estate, as well as the ability for all of our agents to plug into the network's industry-leading platform technology suite and dynamic marketing programs, will bring tremendous value to our buyers and sellers."

Will Davis, Litchfield's vice president and broker in charge, expects a strong market for the region this year. 

"The cities along the South Carolina coast are perennially popular, and many of our inland offices are now seeing overflow from the coastal areas due to the extremely high demand in the area," he said.

Top 10 BHGRE firm sold, but stays in the family

North Texas-based Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans, the 9th-largest affiliate in the brand by sales volume, has been sold to a new generation.

Founders David and Dana Winans have sold the company they founded in 1984 to their daughter and son-in-law, Leah and Mark McDonough. The Winans will continue with the company in an advisory role.

The company has seven offices and more than 200 agents serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and southern Oklahoma.

David Winans said he is proud of the growth of the business and happy that it will stay in the family. "I am beyond excited to see where Mark and Leah will take the company in the coming years, while still maintaining our family business culture."

Mark McDonough has served as president of Better Homes and Gardens Real EstateWinans since 2010. "I've made many sales throughout my career," said David Winans. "But my personal best was selling Mark on the idea that he had tremendous potential to help build our local company into a nationally recognized firm if he came on as our president."

Mark McDonough said he's been preparing to take over the company. "I invested nearly a year in learning how to plan and prepare for eventually leading the company, something I believe will have strong ROI in the years to come."