In an age of free agency, South Florida real estate brokers are changing allegiances as firms look for agents who get results.

Recent moves add to a list that figures to get longer: Eric Pruitt and Isabel Stephenson recently left RE/MAX to join forces with Keller Williams, and Esslinger Wooten Maxwell Realtors hired Jo-Ann Forester and her eight-member team away from Coldwell Banker.

Real estate executives and head hunters never stop recruiting top producers, but more agents are considering making the move in a down market, according to Matt Johnston, CEO of Workway, a real estate staffing firm with offices in Tampa, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
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Professional athletes don’t give up on the playing field, and some
won’t quit in South Florida’s brutal real estate arena despite plunging
property values. Regardless of how well these sports legends fare on
court, the market is taking many to the penalty box. The latest entrant in the star athlete real estate scrum is Alex
Rodriguez, who just cut the price of his Coral Gables ranch to $9.9
million, down from a $14.9 million asking price last October. Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, recently traded to the Cleveland
Cavaliers, sold his Star Island house for $16 million in June, after it
languished for four years. The price dropped like a bad free-throw
percentage — he originally sought $35 million for the manse. Brokers say even the highest of the high end of the market is getting a dose of pricing reality. [more]

South Florida’s real estate ranks, thinned by the market collapse, are
starting to increase again as brokerages anticipate an upturn. Some struggling part-timers left the business as the boom times faded, and others near retirement exited gracefully. Those who hung on are sharpening their swords in preparation for
renewed opportunities. Home sales are once again on the rise, but
different strengths are needed for a market characterized by lower
prices, fewer buyers, and rising foreclosures. Companies like Flagler Development are taking advantage of the down
economy to recruit talented brokers and train them to leverage market
opportunities. In the last six months, the firm has hired four people,
taking advantage of cutbacks at rivals such as CB Richard Ellis. [more]