Carolwood Estates Inks Partnership with Knight Frank

Looks like Carolwood Estates found a way to go international minus the overhead of opening new offices.

The Beverly Hills-based boutique brokerage struck a partnership with London property consultancy Knight Frank, further expanding the brand’s reach into the global markets.

Carolwood adds the ability to attract prospective buyers globally to its inventory of Los Angeles-area luxury properties. Knight Frank, meanwhile, gains a fast-rising boutique brand as a local partner.

Last year, Carolwood ranked fourth among Los Angeles County’s top brokerages, based on volume of on-market deals closed between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025. The brokerage notched $3.3 billion across 478 transactions, making a sizable jump after debuting on The Real Deal’s 2024 ranking at No. 8.

Carolwood’s client base and inventory are the “perfect fit,” for Knight Frank business,” CEO and co-founder Drew Fenton said in a press release.

Specifics of how the partnership between the two firms is structured and whether it’s simply referrals or also includes marketing, licensing or other terms are unclear.

A Carolwood spokesperson referred any questions to a press release on the deal. Knight Frank did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

For Knight Frank, the partnership places its name back into the mix within the U.S. in a big way after its 15-year relationship with Douglas Elliman ended in June. The two companies continue to work with one another on a referral basis. Douglas Elliman announced plans to launch its own international business before the two sides agreed to end their affiliation in June.

Knight Frank is now eyeing other brokerages in high-end markets domestically, including New York, Miami, Palm Beach and Aspen.

Fenton and the management team at Carolwood, which was founded in November 2022, have remained firm in a strategy of building a strong, local presence in LA’s high end rather than aim to build a national business.

Still, the brokerage found ways to expand without minimal operating costs. In March, it became the exclusive Los Angeles affiliate for Forbes Global properties, giving Carolwood access to the Forbes audience and prospective buyers and sellers.

In May, Carolwood made good on its desire to own the local high-end when it launched its private listings portal, called Carolwood Private Portal, in a bid to take advantage of its market share.

“We don’t need to be a national brand. We don’t want to be a national brand,” Nick Segal, co-founder and managing broker, told TRD at the time of the private listings portal launch. “We want to be your resource to Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.”