T
he Agency is expanding its presence in South Florida with a new office in Fort Lauderdale, marking its fifth location in the state. The brokerage already had the priciest listing in Fort Lauderdale, a waterfront mansion at 733 Middle River Drive, asking $47.9 million. Managing partner Santiago Arana said landing that listing demonstrates demand from luxury clients and agents for the firm to be in Fort Lauderdale, but expansion plans go beyond the city. "We definitely want more presence in Florida," Arana stated, citing potential offices in Jupiter, Coral Gables, and the Miami Design District.
The Agency's new office at 901 East Las Olas Boulevard will be led by Howard Elfman and currently has 10 agents, including Steven Seigel of the Luxury Team. Arana and founder Mauricio Umansky are partners owning the Fort Lauderdale office. This move follows a trend of South Florida brokerages expanding into Broward County, with Edgardo Defortuna's Fortune Christie's International Real Estate opening an office last year and Compass and Douglas Elliman establishing offices in Weston.
The surge in price growth across the tri-county region has drawn attention from brokers and brokerages. Broward County, traditionally lagging behind Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, is gaining traction in the ultra-luxury sector. A recent sale of a waterfront Fort Lauderdale mansion for $70 million shattered the previous record set last year, highlighting the area's growing appeal to high-end buyers.
