Paul Daftarian

Co-founder, Managing Director, Daftarian Group

2025 was quite the year for the Daftarian Group. Daftarian, who founded the firm, was involved in listing 1 Pelican Crest Drive in Newport Coast. When it sold off market for $42 million in May, it became Orange County’s largest residential deal of 2025, with the property gutted to make way for a nearly 17,000-square-foot home on an almost 32,000-square-foot lot. 

There have been some other head-turners in Newport Coast for the Daftarian Group last year with February’s $37 million sale of 9 Pelicans Drive and October’s trade of 18 Swimmers Point for $38 million. 

All in, Daftarian said he’s projecting the group to sell over $700 million in 2025, which would make for its best year ever. Can the team best itself for 2026 in coastal O.C.’s competitive high end? Daftarian Group ranked 6th in the nation among medium-sized teams by RealTrends, with $403.6 million in volume across 53 transaction sides in 2024. 

Daftarian didn’t get his start selling luxury homes. Instead, he was in the mortgage business beginning in 1996. Fast forward to 2009, and he began doing short sales, REOs and flips. Three years later, he decided to start the Daftarian Group with ex-wife and broker Lili Daftarian. 

 — Kari Hamanaka