Brokerage Beat: News from Michael Saunders, Christie's, BHGRE, KW, more 

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.

Top SW Florida indie names new EVP

Michael Saunders & Company, a leading Southwest Florida brokerage with nearly 700 agents,  is promoting from within. The firm announced this week that Chip Murphy will take on an expanded leadership role as the Southwest Florida brokerage's new executive vice president.

Murphy, who has overseen the company's mortgage and title teams, as well as its insurance, relocation and business development arm, will also now lead the brokerage and its training program.

Since joining the company in 2022, Murphy has "demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and a deep commitment to our strategic growth and innovation," MSC Founder and Chairman Michael Saunders said in a news release.

Murphy, who also serves on Sarasota County's Board of Directors' Economic Development Corporation, said he feels "energized by the opportunity to help lead a company that values professionalism, innovation, and a people-first approach" in what he described as "an exciting time" within the industry. "I am thrilled to support our incredible team in reaching new heights and look forward to helping shape the future of our business during a time of dynamic change," he added.

Christie's nabs $1B Park City team

Utah's Jamison Frost and Valen Lindner are joining forces with Christie's International Real Estate Park City. Frost and Lindner, who previously worked with Summit Sotheby's International Realty, regularly top $100 million in annual sales volume, and their combined career sales exceed $1 billion.

Frost brings over 20 years of experience focusing on luxury properties in Park City and Heber Valley, while Lindner worked in hospitality marketing before making the jump to real estate. 

The duo has become known in the area for their use of creative promotional strategies, including curating guest lists for in-person unveilings. The luxury properties-focused team's new partnership will help "amplify" their vision for clients by "pairing best-in-class global exposure with a local-first mindset that reflects who we are," Lindner said in a news release.

Frost and Lindner are "visionary leaders" whose "approach blends precision, creativity, and an uncompromising standard of excellence," said Sam Cubis, who co-founded Christie's Park City location in 2023. "It's a perfect match for the Christie's International Real Estate ethos," he added.

Legacy Kentucky firm merges with BHGRE Central

Redd, Brown & Williams Real Estate Services is joining the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand and merging with the West Virginia-based BHGRE Central. The Eastern Kentucky real estate and appraisal firm will now operate as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Redd, Brown & Williams, bringing the combined company's agent total close to 150.

Redd, Brown & Williams was founded by Ed Redd and Coke Williams in 1950. Paul Brown joined in the mid-1960s and later turned it into a family business with the addition of his son, Paul David Brown, and granddaughter, Jennifer Brown Day.

In a news release, Paul David Brown celebrated the firm's ability to continue its "longstanding legacy" while gaining access "to tools and systems we did not have as an independent firm" through its new partnership.

Josh McGrath, BHGRE Central's broker, owner and CEO, founded his firm two decades ago and affiliated with BHGRE in 2020. The partnership, which expands his firm's service area, felt like "a natural fit," McGrath said, adding, "We are excited to collaborate and continue growing our team of agents, delivering even higher levels of service and expertise to our clients."

KW adds multibillion-dollar team in New Jersey

The Nunez Group, a team that achieved $123.4 million in sales volume last year, is now affiliated with Keller Williams City Views. The New Jersey team founded by Oscar Nunez has amassed $2.4 billion in sales volume since 1998, with its 14 agents currently focused on Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Union counties.

Nunez, who worked with KW previously, said in a news release that he "truly missed the collaboration" he had experienced at the company and chose to re-affiliate so he could "be shoulder-to-shoulder with people doing more than me."

"At KW, people are so helpful, and the support system on the back end is excellent and assists us with great exposure," he added.

Josue Barros, the team leader at KW City Views, said Nunez and his team have "built an ecosystem everyone wants to be a part of" and "inspired many agents in our community." They will now be in a position to "make an even bigger impact" on the local housing market, Barros added.

More brokerage news

TTR Sotheby's International Realty welcomes Donna Evers into the fold to support the company's luxury real estate efforts in the Washington, D.C., area. Evers, who founded Evers & Co. Real Estate before its acquisition by Long & Foster, brings more than four decades of experience to the table. TTR Sotheby's CEO and Managing Partner Mark Lowham described Evers as a D.C. "legend" who "built a career defined by trust, results, and visionary leadership."

United Real Estate is launching a free, 12-course coaching and mentorship program for agents, the brokerage announced at its Elevate 2025 conference last month. The curriculum will be available on June 30. The company also unveiled Bullseye Marketplace, which offers discounts on products including Zillow Showcase listings, DocuSign and health club memberships for United agents and brokers. United President Rick Haase said the marketplace will "provide a new layer of support, addressing the holistic needs of agents and helping them succeed both professionally and personally."

Keller Williams is donating $1.5 million to KW Cares, the organization that supports the real estate franchise's associates and their family members in times of hardship. In the years since gaining official recognition as a nonprofit in 2003, KW Cares has awarded over $66 million in grants. In a news release, KW Co-founder and Executive Chairman Gary Keller said the company is "committed to standing beside our associates in times of crisis."