Triplemint has snagged Compass broker Aaron Seawood and his team to lead the firm’s push into the Brooklyn market.
Though the venture-backed brokerage of 170-odd agents doesn’t have concrete plans for a physical office in the borough as of yet, Triplemint CEO David Walker said Seawood represents a “cultural pillar” around which future hires and eventual office space will happen.
The new office is part of the brokerage’s ongoing expansion and Walker said the firm sees “untapped potential” in Brooklyn, as many firms increasingly are.
Seawood and his team, dubbed Carte Blanche, worked at Compass for five years. Seawood was a founding member of the firm’s sports and entertainment division.
Prior to Compass, Seawood worked at the Corcoran Group. He got into real estate in 2008 after more than a decade in the music industry as an artist manager and a stint as an executive Virgin Records America.
Seawood said his client roster includes celebrity musicians and athletes. His three teammates, agents Noel Borbon, Sorel Roget, and Shane Boyle are all moving to Triplemint as well.
Asked why he made the move, Seawood said he’d “quietly been a fan” of Triplemint for some time. He declined to comment further but said the pandemic afforded him some time to reflect.
“When you’re able to be still, you’re really able to be self aware…You have a little more time to think about what’s important to you at that particular moment,” he said.
Seawood said he was looking forward to moving into a “boutique” environment at a smaller firm and using the brokerage’s in-house technology platform. He added that, as the first Brooklyn-focused agents at Triplemint, he was drawn to the chance to “have a seat at the table.”
“Them wanting me to lend a voice to the direction of the company,” he explained. “That’s a rare opportunity.”
A spokesperson for Compass said in a statement that “Aaron is not only a great agent but an amazing person who will always be part of the Compass family.”
Seawood and Carte Blanche’s hires at Triplemint come as many residential brokerages, including Compass, have been cutting costs and laying off staffers. Last month, Triplemint hired former Douglas Elliman sales manager Molly Townsend and Walker said more hires are on the way.
“We’re still growing and we’re still scaling,” said Walker.
Triplemint has not been immune to the pandemic, however. At the beginning of April, it laid off two employees, swapped out part of its leadership team’s salaries for stock and Walker and his co-founder COO Philip Lang stopped taking a salary.
But Walker said the firm had a strong first quarter that’s powering its recruitment now. He pushed back against the idea of cutting or reducing agent resources.
“That’s the wrong strategy,” he said. “This is the time to invest in your agents because the market is going to rebound.”
Write to Erin Hudson at ekh@therealdeal.com
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