Los Angeles, March 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Beverly Hills-based affiliate of global luxury real estate network Christie’s International Real Estate has appointed Jamie Duran as Executive Vice President and Managing Director to lead a major expansion of the brand in Southern California. Under the leadership of Duran and owner and CEO, Aaron Kirman, one of the top luxury brokers in the U.S., the expansion will connect high-end real estate agents and clients with the worldwide Christie’s International Real Estate network and the services of the Christie’s auction house.
Duran has three decades of experience as an agent, broker, and executive in Southern California’s real estate industry. Most recently, she served as president of the Southern California region for Coldwell Banker Realty, overseeing a $22 billion business in 2022, encompassing approximately 65 office locations and nearly 5,000 real estate agents.
“Now is the time to impact the SoCal market with intention and drive to serve sophisticated clientele and attract the best agents who have local knowledge and reputation. We are building an elite alliance with the worldwide Christie’s International Real Estate network that will leverage the exposure of Christie’s auction house. The evolution of today’s industry has proven to us that you don’t need to be the biggest to be the best. We are simply focused on offering the best in class service and advisors. When we do that, winning is inevitable,” said Duran.
In addition to marketing the world’s most expensive homes, Christie’s International Real Estate’s independently-owned LA brokerage has doubled in size, and attracted top names including Cindy Ambuehl, Shelton Wilder, Timothy DiPritzio, and Gary Glass.
Over the next 6 months, Duran and Kirman plan to open Christie’s International Real Estate offices in Newport Beach, Del Mar, Calabasas, Sherman Oaks, Montecito, Pasadena, Palm Springs and other strategically connected locations.
Along the way, they will leverage the brand’s close partnership with Christie’s, the world-leading auction house best known for sales such as the record-setting $1.62 billion auction of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen’s collection and the recent sale of art and luxury items from the home of Sir Elton John. Christie’s and Christie’s International Real Estate are also collaborating on the sale of the Maui and Bel Air homes of the late, iconic music producer, Jerry Moss, co-founder of A & M Records.
The Christie’s International Real Estate network includes more than 100 market-leading independent brokerage firms in 50 countries and territories around the world. The network gives Christie’s International Real Estate’s Southern California clients access to superlative service and global luxury connections in key markets from LA to New York to London and Dubai.
“The Southern California market is so important to Christie’s International Real Estate. Beyond LA, being able to serve the unique needs of luxury clients in Newport Beach, La Jolla, Palm Springs and other locations is essential to building out our regional network and connecting it nationally and internationally. There is one person we wanted to lead that charge, and that’s Jamie Duran. We have the brand, we have the platform, and now we have the people to be #1 in Southern California luxury,” said Thad Wong, co-CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate.
Christie’s International Real Estate’s demonstrated commitment to growth and exclusive focus on luxury set it apart from any other national or international brand operating in Southern California.
“We are not a ‘reality TV brokerage’ or a publicly traded real estate company that puts shareholders ahead of agents and clients. We want our clients to know that we’re offering an elevated, professional, relationship-driven experience, and we want agents to know that we’re here to provide a career destination,” said Kirman.
Christie’s International Real Estate’s expansion throughout Southern California will also give more local agents access to pl@tform, the brand’s proprietary brokerage technology, which allows agents to digitally manage all aspects of the client relationship and real estate transaction from one fully integrated system.
Duran has received widespread recognition in the real estate industry and Southern California business community. Among her many honors, she has appeared on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 500 Most Powerful Business Executives multiple times and Who’s Who in Real Estate lists; received the Orange County Business Journal’s Women in Business Award; and is a four-time honoree on the Swanepoel Power 200 list ranking the most powerful leaders in residential real estate. In 2019, the North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® named Duran an Industry Leader of the Year.
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About Christie's International Real Estate | AKG
Established by Aaron Kirman and headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Christie's International Real Estate | AKG in Southern California stands out as one of the nation's foremost residential brokerages, with over 100 agents, boasting a total of over $18 billion in luxury real estate sales and $1.8 billion sold in 2023 alone. Committed to infusing innovation and challenging the conventions of the traditional real estate sector, Christie's International Real Estate | AKG consistently earns recognition as one of the top 10 brokerages, as rated by the Wall Street Journal and Real Trends. They are also known for selling the most impressive homes
across the globe and acquiring the highest price-per-square-foot. To learn more about Aaron Kirman and Christie's International Real Estate | AKG, please visit www.akgre.com
About Christie’s International Real Estate
Christie’s International Real Estate has successfully marketed high-value real estate around the world for more than 30 years. Through its invitation-only Affiliate network spanning nearly 50 countries and territories and more than 100 independently-owned, market-leading brokerage firms, Christie’s International Real Estate offers incomparable services to a global clientele at the luxury end of the residential property market. Christie’s International Real Estate also has an
exclusive partnership with Christie’s, the world-leading art and luxury business, offering clients unique access to auction, private sale and appraisal services, as well as marketing opportunities at special live events and Christie’s offices and salerooms around the world. For more information, please visit christiesrealestate.com
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