Chicago’s @properties rebranded to add Christie’s International Real Estate

Chicago-based brokerage @properties rebranded to add Christie’s International Real Estate, a month after it bought the luxury real estate arm of the art auction house.

The new name applies to the firm’s local offices in the Chicagoland area, Northwest Indiana, Southwest Michigan and Wisconsin, @properties said.

“The Christie’s International Real Estate brand has come to symbolize the pinnacle of luxury brokerage and the industry standard for service and professionalism around the world,” said Thad Wong, co-founder of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate in a statement.

Following @properties’ acquisition in December, the brokerage sold Christie’s International Real Estate’s New York City to Brown Harris Stevens and cut ties with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ Long & Foster and Harry Norman.

Wong said the goal for Christie’s International Real Estate is to “partner with the largest luxury independent in the market and strengthen the value proposition of independents,” moving away from its corporately owned structure.

Prior to buying Christie’s in December, the brokerage hired Natalie Hamrick, a longtime executive at the luxury real estate arm of the art auction house as vice president of brand growth. As the owner of the Christie’s International Real Estate global network, @properties has access to major cities in London, Hong Kong, New York City, and Los Angeles.

@properties, founded in 2000 by Wong and Michael Golden, started its expansion nationally by franchising its brand in fall 2020. The company has 40 office locations and more than 3,000 agents, according to @properties’ website. @properties ranks eighth on the Real Trend’s list of largest residential brokerages in the U.S. by sales volume.