A luxury residential brokerage that has dominated in other U.S. markets is launching a branch in Austin.
This fall, @properties Christie’s International Real Estate will enter the Austin market, with Jerry Mooty Jr., nephew of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, leading the charge, according to a news release.
Longtime Austin real estate player Romeo Manzanilla will serve as principal, COO and broker of record for the new branch. Manzanilla previously led Compass’ Texas operations and is a past president of the Austin Board of Realtors. In addition, he helped grow Realty Austin from 25 agents to more than 600 during his tenure with the company.
@properties Christie’s aims to open its Austin office in the Westlake area — one of the most affluent parts of the city that’s loaded with luxury listings. The firm, with some of Austin’s most prolific agents already committed to joining the team, hopes to be up and running by Nov. 1, the release says.
The company’s launch in Austin marks an expansion in Texas. In Dallas-Fort Worth, @properties Christie’s has grown into a team of 80 agents since establishing its presence in the region two years ago.
@properties, whose co-CEO is Thad Wong, acquired Christie’s International Real Estate in 2021, maintaining the Christie’s brand while incorporating the technology, marketing and support services offered by @properties. Since the acquisition, Christie’s International Real Estate has added brokerages in major cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta. It’s also expanding internationally, with new affiliates in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Chicago-based @properties has solidified itself as a top dog in Chicago’s luxury market. In 2022, the firm had raked in $13 billion of sales over the previous year, ranking first in the city. The priciest sale in the Chicago-area this year was listed by an @properties agent.
Austin’s luxury market, meanwhile, continues to grow, as five homes listed at $10 million or more sold in the city last year, according to Compass data. Homes selling in the eight-figures ballpark in Austin was nearly unheard of several years ago.
There are currently 10 listings greater than $10 million in the Westlake area alone, according to Realty Austin.
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