In the wake of Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy’s closure, many of the
firm’s former agents have joined the competition rather than staying
within the Realogy family. Halstead Property nabbed 27 former
CBHK agents, while its sister company, Brown Harris Stevens, hired
four, according to spokespeople at the two companies. Meanwhile,
Prudential Douglas Elliman snagged 22 agents from the
independently-owned Coldwell Banker franchise, founded in 1988. Charles
Rutenberg Realty in New york also hired several agents. That alone
represents roughly a quarter of the agents at CBHK, which had 214
agents at the time it closed. That means that at the most, only 73
percent of CBHK’s agents went to Realogy brands the Corcoran Group and
Sotheby’s International Realty. more

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Halstead President Diane Ramirez (right), and Sharon Daley Maasdorp, Halstead’s new executive director of sales for New Canaan

In a massive grab for market share reminiscent of the recent real estate boom, Halstead Property has gained five offices and a whopping 160 new agents by absorbing Connecticut real estate brokerage Country Living Associates. Joining with the 17-year-old Country Living Associates, located in Fairfield County, in addition to the recent takeover of 55-agent Darien’s Wheeler Real Estate, brings Halstead’s total number of agents to more than 900 in three different states, and is part of a strategy of “smart growth” for Halstead, according to Diane Ramirez, the president of the company. Ramirez did not disclose the details of the arrangment. “We just felt that the synergy with New York and Connecticut made a great deal of sense,” she said, noting that Halstead is one of the only major New York-based firms with offices in Fairfield County. “The fact that there were [only a few] other New York firms there was important to us.” [more]