Brokerage Beat: ERA and C21 affiliations; an NFL career change
Twin Cities and Houston-area independents embrace the Anywhere family of brands; NFL'er joins Douglas Elliman's luxury division; Christie's expands in the Alps.
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.
Minnesota firm looks to prosper under ERA banner
Upstart firm Prospera Properties has joined the ERA family, serving the greater Minneapolis and Twin Cities region.
Established in 2023 by broker/owner Keith Taylor, the company is now doing business as ERA Prospera Real Estate. Taylor began his real estate career in 2015 with RE/MAX after working as a sales associate for Minnesota's professional basketball teams. His team specializes in lakefront, luxury, multifamily and investment properties.
Taylor said he sees the ERA affiliation as "the catalyst that can help us upscale our current operations." Having access to the brand's resources, technology and processes, said Taylor, "can be the solution to the challenges we faced as an independent brokerage."
"Keith's drive and proven track record as a young business owner align perfectly with ERA Real Estate's culture. Less than ten years after joining the industry, he has already launched his own successful start-up firm and amassed countless glowing reviews. I'm always incredibly excited to work with go-getters like Keith, who has the potential to become the next major face in Minneapolis real estate with the brand's support," said Alex Vidal, president of ERA Real Estate.
A lucky break for Century 21 in Texas
From sales agent to restaurateur to broker/owner — that's been the career path of Lisa Benoit, the leader of Lucky Money Real Estate in Spring, Texas.
Located in the northern Houston suburbs, the newly minted Century 21 Lucky Money is the brand's latest affiliate and adds 120 agents to the network. Benoit, who's been in real estate for nearly 20 years, opened her firm in 2021 after a detour into the restaurant business. She has been a full-time agent and professional development instructor since 2013, and has received recognition in Top Agent Magazine and Houston Agent Magazine.
Benoit hopes to leverage Century 21's tools to nearly double her agent count in the coming year, and to help her existing agents bring in more leads.
"I pride myself not only on my hands-on approach but also on the emphasis that I place on making the learning process fun," Benoit said. "This was one of the driving factors behind the decision to affiliate with the Century 21 brand, as we now have new networking capabilities to meet other real estate professionals who can provide more ideas to keep our business refreshing and fun."
Elliman scores big with former NFL lineman
John Miller has traded his jersey for a suit and tie, joining Douglas Elliman's The Rose Group as a luxury property specialist in the firm's Sports and Entertainment division.
Miller began his professional sports career with his selection as an offensive lineman by the Buffalo Bills in the 2015 NFL draft. He played four seasons with the Bills, followed by a season with the Bengals in 2018 and three seasons with the Panthers from 2019-2021.
Miller isn't the first NFL player to transition to real estate. Like others who've made the switch, he says he's able to utilize many of the skills he developed on the field, including negotiation, relationship management and strategic planning. In his new career, he is especially focused on building strong relationships with his clients, and he is committed to giving back to his community at large. He founded the youth-oriented John Miller Foundation, which sponsors free youth sport camps, backpack and school supply drives, Thanksgiving food drives and a holiday giving tree.
The Rose Group is based in South Florida and led by Phil Rose.
Christie's Real Estate expands in the Alps
Christie's International Real Estate has announced a partnership with the French firm Regent Alps, expanding its reach across the Les Gets ski region.
Regent Alps serves an international clientele and specializes in luxury sales, property management and development sales. It was founded just last year by the four-person team of Amina Carpentier, Prisca Kempf, Fabrice Mathon and Kevin Jeandin.
The Les Gets region has become increasingly attractive to buyers from Asia and the Middle East, and the partnership will help the firm secure more sales from those regions, Carpentier noted.
"As awareness of our beautiful region continues to grow, aligning with an internationally recognized luxury brand like Christie's International Real Estate offers an important level of credibility with both local buyers and those who are beginning to discover the area," she said.
"The team at Regent Alps share Christie's International Real Estate's commitment to unmatched client service and discretion, values that have helped establish them as the experts in luxury sales in Les Gets," said Helena Moyas de Forton, Managing Director, EMEA and APAC for Christie's International Real Estate. "We look forward to sharing in the team's success as affiliates of Christie's International Real Estate."