Premier Estate Properties snags Corcoran’s Jim McCann to helm new Palm Beach office

A top producer in Palm Beach has left the Corcoran Group to open Premier Estate Properties’ first office in the tony town.

On Tuesday, Jim McCann jumped to the Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate after more than 13 years with Corcoran. He’s joining Premier along with his team members Maryellen Cantera and Kristina Parker.

The Palm Beach office, at 125 Worth Avenue, marks the sixth for Premier, led by brokers and owners Carmen N. D’Angelo Jr., Gerard P. Liguori and Joseph G. Liguori. The boutique brokerage focuses on the luxury sector of the market, with properties listed for $1 million and up. Its $1.2 billion portfolio includes luxury homes in Manalapan, Gulf Stream, Delray Beach and Boca Raton, according to a press release.

McCann’s sales volume has exceeded $100 million annually since 2007, totaling more than $1 billion. He said he was approached by Premier and that he left Corcoran on good terms. He declined to identify terms of his new employment, including the commission structure.

His recent sales include 901 North Ocean Boulevard, a waterfront lot that was split in half and sold for a combined $30 million in December.

McCann called the move “a logical step next” for him, especially because of Premier’s affiliation with Christie’s. “That same clientele that purchases high-end, expensive artwork and jewelry tend to also be the same clientele that purchases luxury homes,” he said.

Premier’s other offices are in Boca, Delray, Vero and Fort Lauderdale.

The physical expansion into Palm Beach makes sense given the strength of that market. Since 2011, buyers invested more than $540 million in Palm Beach County’s 10 most expensive home sales, the majority of which closed over the past two years.