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Luxury firm The Agency has onboarded the Southern California-based Jeff Davidson Group, the brokerage has informed Inman.
Most recently affiliated with Compass, The Jeff Davidson Group has over $750 million in career sales volume, closing $35 million in 2023 and $25 million thus far in 2024.
The five-person team led by Jeff Davidson joins The Agency’s San Diego office and serves clients all across Southern California, from San Diego to Palm Springs and Los Angeles.
“I believe that changes like we’re seeing in real estate happen once every few decades,” Mike Schwartz, The Agency’s senior vice president and regional manager of San Diego/Orange County/Arizona, told Inman.
Mike Schwartz | The Agency
“This is almost a once-in-a-century moment, and I think agents know that. I think the reason you see [these teams] making the choices that they’re making is because people want to know that as society itself questions what the value of a real estate agent is, there’s a brokerage that’s noting that not only do we hold value, but we hold more value.
“I think this is a moment in time where the industry is going to be separated. There are going to be agents who try to engage in a race to the bottom, and there are going to be agents who engage in a race to the top, and we’re looking for those who are looking to race to the top of the mountain.”
Named top agents by Modern Luxury and the San Diego Business Journal, the team, in addition to team leader Jeff Davidson, consists of Matt Merrill, Jesus “JP” Perina, Jr., Benjamin “Chip” Romero and John Erickson.
The Jeff Davidson Group was affiliated with Compass for about five years before making the switch to The Agency. Prior to that, Davidson ran his business as an independent broker for about 25 years.
Jeff Davidson | Jeff Davidson Group
“Our almost five years with Compass were collaborative, yet, we felt something was missing,” Davidson said in a statement emailed to Inman.
“The wealth transfer that lies ahead will be staggering with the baby boomers, millennials, as well as the generations X and Z standing to inherit trillions, and the methods in which we target these potential real estate investors will be critical.
“The Agency has these methods dialed in and delivered beautifully to those individuals through The Agency’s commitment to excellence in media marketing while delivering first-cabin transactional services to their clients. The choice to move to be a part of such a dynamic company was easy.”
Added Schwartz, “I think that Jeff felt that we were a place that could really meet what he was looking for, which is a truly luxury boutique brand that has his back at all times.”
The Jeff Davidson Group is just the latest of a number of teams located in the region who have decided to realign themselves with The Agency, the firm told Inman.
“What we are trying to do is create a home for the best of the best,” Schwartz said. “The Agency is hyper-focused on ensuring that it can be a home for those who are looking for not just collaboration, but also a place where, as the industry shifts, given the environment with commissions and inventory and everything we’ve been experiencing, that those who are looking to excel know that they have the resources and support by which to do that.”
Since April, the brokerage has brought on four teams and agents totaling about $1 billion in sales volume.
The four-person Joseph Realty Team and the three-person Esnal Group joined The Agency in April.
The Joseph Realty Team, comprised of Tulane Joseph, Amanda Olivas, Roshea Cardiff and Ralph Buchanan, closed over $53 million in 2023. The team joins The Agency’s La Jolla office.
The Esnal Group, which includes Melissa Esnal, Sarah Mejia and Javier Bes Comeras, closed more than $20 million in the last 12 months, and has joined the firm’s Corona del Mar office.
In June, The Agency also welcomed the 12-person Snyder-Wolfley Team to the firm’s Corona del Mar office. The team will operate out of the firm’s satellite office in Long Beach. Consisting of team leaders Spencer Snyder and Evangelina Wolfley alongside teammates Cade Rehling, Daniel Jason Cohn, Julie Borisy, Kristen Lanctot, Brian Campbell, Brooke Richards, Elena Seda, Cara Gill, Stephanie Gutierrez and Craig Kennedy, the team has closed nearly $65.6 million in sales volume in the last 12 months.
Schwartz added that The Agency has been preparing for over a year for industry practice changes to go into effect on Aug. 17 as a result of the National Association of Realtors antitrust lawsuit settlement. That type of preparedness is a testament to the brokerage’s leadership team, he said, which was a major draw for the teams who recently joined the firm.
“I think the success that you are witnessing in Southern and Northern California is a testament to the strategic vision of the leadership team,” Schwartz said. “Each and every one of the agents who joined was and remains particularly impressed by [The Agency President] Rainy Austin, which is a testament to [founder Mauricio Umansky]. I would say the strategic vision goes back to Mo bringing on Rainy because the leadership team that exists here, and in particular Rainy, has always been something that appeals to luxury-minded agents.”
“You do not often see enough female leadership within brokerages, and we are very fortunate to have Rainy,” he added.
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Email Lillian Dickerson
