Agents/BrokersBrokerageReal EstateReal estate teams

Top L.A. broker team leaves Compass for Christie’s

Aaron Kirman has set up his own brokerage, AKG, through a partnership with Christie’s

Top Los Angeles real estate broker and star of CNBC’s “Listing Impossible” Aaron Kirman and his eponymous team, the Aaron Kirman Group, have left Compass to launch their own firm through a partnership with Christie’s International Real Estate, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

“Aaron is one of the most impressive people I have met in this business. He not only manages the most demanding clientele with unrivaled competence, creativity, and energy, but he has also figured out how to scale his business and mentor a new generation of luxury agents. He personifies the future of our brand,” Thad Wong, co-CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate, said in a statement.

The new firm, known as AKG, consists of 160 agents and 14 full-time support staff, with offices throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties. In addition, Kirman will lead the firm as CEO.

“This is a perfect match between one of the most pedigreed brands in luxury real estate and the modern world of tech-first, white glove luxury service,” Kirman said in a statement.

Kirman said he and his team plan to leverage Christie’s global luxury referral network and technology, along with AKG’s artificial intelligence platform, to elevate the standard for high-end luxury brokerages. The firm plans to reach a sales market of $5 billion per year by 2025, Kirman said.

The Aaron Kirman Group was ranked as the No. 4 mega team by sales volume in all of California in the 2022 RealTrends America’s Best rankings after recording $1.119 billion in volume on 447.2 transaction sides in 2021.

According to the press release, Kirman’s team has closed $1.6 billion in sales so far in 2022.

Christie’s was acquired by Chicago-based @properties in December 2021.

According to the RealTrends 500 Rankings, @properties was the 9th largest residential brokerage firm in the U.S., based on 2021 closed sales volume of $23.9 billion.