Two top agents at Douglas Elliman are jumping ship for Sotheby’s International Realty.
Mother-daughter pair Michaela and Paulina Keszler, who specialize in the Hamptons, announced their departure from Elliman on Monday.
In total, the pair has closed over $200 million in deals in the last 12 months.
Michaela Keszler, who joined Elliman in 2006, has been one of the brokerage’s top producing agents in the Hamptons, as well as nationwide, for much of the past decade. She was recognized as the number one Hamptons agent in six of the past 10 years, including last year.
She ranked third nationwide at the firm in 2023 and second on three more occasions since 2013.
In 2019, Michaela’s daughter Paulina joined Elliman, where she was named the firm’s Rookie of the Year in the Hamptons in 2020.
Nanette Hansen, who co-leads Sotheby’s Hamptons operations, said that the Keszlers “sought an international platform to elevate their clients’ properties.”
“I’m from Europe and do a lot of business with Europe, and the name recognition is enormous there,” Michaela said.
The pair also emphasized the natural fit they felt at Sotheby’s beyond the real estate nuts and bolts.
“We’re from an art background, so I think it kind of aligns with our love for the Hamptons, our love for real estate, our international connections, and then our connection to the art world,” Paulina said. “So it’s exciting to just find a place that brings all of those together.”
Elliman has seen a number of agents depart in the wake of longtime-leader Howard Lorber stepping down, but the Keslzer said the timing of their departure was unrelated.
“It was just a really good time to make a change, Elliman changes aside,” Paulina said.
Michaela admitted that Lorber’s departure made it easier to think about leaving because “there is one connection less.”
A spokesperson for Elliman wished “Michaela and Paulina all the best in this next chapter.”
Douglas Elliman ranked first in The Real Deal’s 2024 Hamptons rankings with $1.47 billion in sales volume. Sotheby’s International Realty ranked sixth with $673 million in sales.
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