Lisa Optican, the real estate agent who sold Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood estate among other high-profile deals, has joined Hilton & Hyland after more than two years at Compass.
Optican, who moved to Hilton & Hyland last week, said she preferred the personalized approach of the brokerage, which has a lone office in Beverly Hills, compared to Compass, the New York City-headquartered company that has expanded through venture capital financing.
“I like their boutique feeling of personalized service, and how they look at property in an individual way,” Optican said of Hilton & Hyland.
Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland praised Optican’s “dedication and knowledge of LA’s subtleties.”
A Compass spokesman said they were sad to see Optican go, and wished her success.
An active member of the California bar association, Optican said that she began practicing real estate six years ago under Joyce Rey at Coldwell Banker.
She then became Estates Director at Mercer Vine, where Optican’s accomplishments included selling Marilyn Monroe’s old Brentwood mansion for $325,000 above its $6.9 million listing price.
Optican jumped to Compass in 2017 as Mercer Vine was tied up in a federal investigation regarding the young brokerage’s relationship with ponzi schemer Robert Shapiro.
Her work at Compass included representing the buyer in a $35.5 million Hollywood Hills sale in December. Optican also netted $70 million in 2019 sales volume, according to Hilton & Hyland.
Optican said she recently closed a Brentwood home sale, and has another in escrow. She noted that she does not have any active listings.
The agent said she communicates each day with clients amid a profoundly uncertain time in residential real estate. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the next six to 12 months,” Optican said.