When Bobby Boyd was approached by longtime friend Alan Long for lunch, he didn’t think much of it.
But Long, a managing director at San Francisco-based residential brokerage Avenue 8, had plans. He wanted Boyd to join the two-year-old company, which bills itself as a mobile-first brokerage focused on building a consumer-facing brand.
“We spent like two hours talking about it, like this place sounds too good to be true,” Boyd said. “It’s what I was looking for. It fit my style, as far as putting your clients ahead of profit.”
“We all have to make money, but I think we all get lost in the hustle and bustle,” Boyd added.
Long approached Boyd at the perfect time.
The broker and his husband, “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” star Josh Flagg, announced earlier this month they were divorcing after five years of marriage. After working on the same Douglas Elliman team and participating in the Bravo show with his now ex-spouse, Boyd said he is looking forward to a fresh start.
“I love the entire team at Douglas Elliman but I just thought it was best for my clients, for myself, for everybody that’s still over there, that we just make the separation,” Boyd said.
Boyd will be based out of Avenue 8’s Los Angeles office and plans to start his own team.
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“Bobby is an expert in what appeals to Millennial and Gen Z buyers,” Justin Fichelson, co-founder and CEO of Avenue 8, said in a statement. “With real estate experiencing a dynamic shift towards digital innovation, his social content and following provides the ideal mix to attract and educate Avenue 8 clientele.”
Boyd, a former model for Versace, Calvin Klein and Vogue, has 17 years of experience from Sotheby’s International Realty and Elliman.
San Francisco-based Avenue 8 was founded in 2020, backed by startup veterans, including Warby Parker co-founders Neil Blumenthal and Jeff Raider, along with Allbirds creator Joey Zwillinger.
The brokerage said it closed $600 million of California sales in its first year of business. The company reported in May 2021 that it had nearly 100 agents and had nabbed $14 million in new funding.