Justin Mandile leaves the Agency for Mercer Vine

Justin Mandile, who has sold luxury homes under the auspices of the Agency since 2013, has left for smaller pastures.

The luxury agent — who had a brief moment in the gossip-rag spotlight in 2007 when he was spotted at a club with Britney Spears — was poached by Mercer Vine, a boutique brokerage with one office in Beverly Grove. In his new role, he is a senior partner, the firm announced Thursday. 

“It was a very tough decision to make,” Mandile told TRD. “I literally sat down with Billy and [Mauricio] and told them where my head was at and the opportunity being presented.”

Mandile, whose listings at the Agency ranged from $1 million to $16 million, according to the firm’s website, said he left for the chance to work more on the development side at Mercer Vine.

“The last two years I’ve been working with a lot of developers, selling property to developers,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to get into that side of the business.”

Mandile got his start in real estate in 2004, after graduating from Indiana University. He joined his father Drew Mandile and Brooke Knapp to launch the Mandile-Knapp Real Estate Group at Sotheby’s International Realty in Beverly Hills. There, he was on the team that brokered the sale of the 260-acre Moraga Canyon, the largest privately owned parcel in Bel Air.