Jeff Hyland, the Los Angeles luxury agent and co-founder of brokerage Hilton & Hyland, who for over four decades played a role in some of the city’s most prominent residential deals and groomed a generation of top agents, died Wednesday.
Hyland, who was in his 70s, had been battling cancer for a year, according to a statement from his wife, Lori, shared on Hilton & Hyland’s Instagram page Thursday. Rick Hilton, co-founder of the firm, described Hyland as “a legend” whose “knowledge about real estate and architecture was unparalleled.”
Hyland and Hilton founded their eponymous brokerage in 1993. The Beverly Hills-based outfit has since grown into among the country’s most recognized luxury brokerages, notching dozens of ultra high-end sales annually; in 2020, according to the firm, it registered a total sales volume of $3.5 billion, with an average price per transaction of nearly $6 million.
Hyland got his broker license in 1975 and went on to found the brokerage Alvarez, Hyland & Young, which closed in 1993. For decades Hyland ranked among the most noteworthy luxury brokers in greater L.A., with a particular focus on “The Platinum Triangle” of Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills and Bel-Air. He was also passionate about architectural history and co-authored the book “The Estates of Beverly Hills,” published in 1984.
He developed his interest in real estate and architecture while growing up in the L.A. neighborhood of Little Holmby, and throughout his career also held leadership positions of various industry associations, including stints as state director of the California Association of Realtors and president of the Los Angeles County Board of Real Estate. In 2020, Hyland also founded Forbes Global Properties, a listings platform for high-end homes.