In its third annual installment of “Who’s Brokering L.A.,” the Los Angeles Business Journal has honored several outstanding professionals from The Agency’s team for their positive impact on the city’s residential real estate community and local economy. According to LABJ, this list is comprised of “brokers who have the knowledge, skills and dedication to go the extra mile for their clients.” This year, LABJ has recognized The Agency’s Founder and CEO Mauricio Umansky, Co-Founder and President Billy Rose, and dynamic agents Santiago Arana, James Harris, David Parnes, Jon Grauman and Michelle Schwartz.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say that this is a fantastic honor,” says Mauricio. “We all work as a team, but I am personally thrilled to see six of our own acknowledged for their incredible efforts and dedication to the L.A. market as well as their clients. I could not be more proud.”
Mauricio is celebrated as a boundary-breaking, internationally renowned innovator in the real estate industry. Not only an inspirational leader, for many years Mauricio has been named among the top agents in the U.S. on the annual REAL Trends ranking in The Wall Street Journal, has sold the most homes priced above $20 million in the country and represented many noteworthy properties, including the first L.A. home to surpass $100 million.
Recently named the No. 10 realtor in the U.S. by The Wall Street Journal, Billy Rose has more than two decades of experience representing high-net worth clients in a range of settings. Before co-founding The Agency and becoming a licensed agent, Billy Rose served as an entertainment and real estate lawyer and led Billy Rose Design and Development, a firm that has created a number of exceptional homes in the L.A. area that are currently owned by internationally renowned entertainment executives and celebrities.
Ranked #7 in the country and #3 in California, Santiago Arana achieved $340 million in sales in 2018 and has closed more than $2 billion worth of real estate sales in his career. He has also set a number of records, including the highest price-per-square-foot sale in the Beverly Hills Post Office area and the highest-priced sale in Santa Monica.
Jon Grauman has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as the #172 Realtor in the United States and has more than 16 years of experience in construction and high-end residential development. Recently, Jon helped close the $75 million sale of a Bel Air estate—a transaction that ranks among the highest in Los Angeles real estate history. Jon’s total sales volume for 2018 was $94,009,100, ranking him among the best agents in the nation.
David Parnes and James Harris—a formidable real estate team—represented the seller in the $119.75 million sale of the Manor (Aaron Spelling’s Holmby Hills mansion) this past July, which is the highest sale in Los Angeles County history as well as the 4th highest sale in U.S. history. The duo has also represented the seller in the $72.5 million sale of 406 Robert Lane in the Trousdale area of Beverly Hills, the highest sale ever recorded in Beverly Hills. The team’s sales for 2018 totaled $250,144,532.
A founding member of The Agency, Michelle Schwartz serves as Managing Partner of its Sherman Oaks office. Michelle’s total sales volume for 2018 was $59,673,000 and she has played an integral role in several notable transactions, including the record-breaking sale of 3737 Oakfield Drive in Sherman Oaks.
In addition to this latest honor, in May, LABJ named Mauricio and Santiago to its exclusive LA500 list—a collection of 500 of the city’s most influential people. And in July, LABJ honored The Agency’s Commercial Advisory, recognizing Alexander Koustas and the commercial team among the city’s “most dynamic brokerage teams.”
