Global luxury real estate brokerage The Agency is launching an office in Fort Lauderdale as it spreads its wings across South Florida's most sought-after markets.
The new office is located at 901 E. Las Olas Blvd. and is led by Santiago Arana, Howard Elfman and the group’s founder and CEO Mauricio Umansky. The Fort Lauderdale location joins The Agency's other offices in the state in Miami, Naples, Orlando and Palm Beach.
The Beverly Hills, California-based brokerage is featured on Netflix’s "Buying Beverly Hills" TV show cataloging the ins, outs and personalities of Los Angeles' luxury real estate scene has pursued a global expansion over the past year. The opening of the Fort Lauderdale office comes as the brokerage has one of the city’s priciest listings at 733 Middle River Drive in the private Sunrise neighborhood for $47.9 million.
"Fort Lauderdale has quickly become a prime destination for buyers,” said Umansky in a statement, citing the city's "vibrant lifestyle and strong investment potential."
The Agency, founded in 2011, opened 28 new offices in 2024 and now has more than 130 locations across 12 countries. The luxury residential brokerage also does some commercial work, according to its website.
Plans for additional offices, set to open throughout the first quarter of 2025, are in the works, the company said in the statement.
According to the most recent report from the Miami Association of Realtors, home and condominium sales across Fort Lauderdale and the wider Broward County area have seen increased demand this year. Single-family home sales were up 1.8% to 1,001 deals in October compared to last year. Luxury condominiums priced more than $1 million experienced an even bigger jump with sales up 6.9% year over year.
“High-net-worth individuals and top companies continue to relocate to Fort Lauderdale and Broward County because we offer an incredible live, work and play lifestyle,” the Miami Association of Realtors said in a statement last month.
The new Fort Lauderdale office is situated along the city’s iconic Las Olas Boulevard and just two blocks east of the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale.
"Fort Lauderdale is experiencing incredible growth, and I am personally excited to expand our office with passionate, like-minded agents who embody our commitment to collaboration," said Elfman in the statement from The Agency. Elfman, who serves as managing broker for The Agency's Fort Lauderdale office, has more than 25 years of South Florida real estate experience.