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Las Vegas-based IS Luxury, headed by Ivan Sher, has expanded into Los Angeles with a Newport Beach office.
The new office is led by executive sales manager Christi Carrillo, who was previously a manager with Douglas Elliman in Newport Beach and resigned from that position in October 2024.
The firm has 11 agents to spearhead its first endeavors outside of Nevada, where IS Luxury has offices in Las Vegas and Henderson. Sher, a former long-time team leader of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ No. 1 team globally, launched IS Luxury in 2022.
Ivan Sher | IS Luxury
“I’ve been waiting for the right time to open up in Newport, and a lot of the timing for me is finding the right people that I trust, [so] that we can grow together symbiotically,” Sher told Inman. “And Newport has always been a really strong feeder market for Las Vegas. A lot of clients who live in Newport have second homes in Vegas. A lot of people in Vegas have second homes in Newport. And I just thought … what if we could control that process, if we could take our Vegas clients and offer them people we know and trust and put them in good hands in Newport and vice versa?”
Sher added that because the firm already has so many clients in Newport Beach, people are already familiar with the IS Luxury brand, which makes brand recognition a lot easier when launching in a new market.
With the new office, Sher aims to replicate what the firm has achieved in Las Vegas: “To take care of our clients, to take care of our agents, to be very hands-on and not take that for granted.”
He and Carrillo were introduced through a mutual industry acquaintance, Sher said. Although they had never met before, after their first meeting, it felt like the two aligned well in their philosophies.
“She’s such a solid human, and to be very honest with you, she was a big reason why I decided to open up the Newport office when I did,” Sher said. “I’m thrilled to work with her.”
Carrillo told Inman she had been in talks to join Aaron Kirman at Christie’s International Real Estate before she agreed to the meeting with Sher, but ultimately realized that joining IS Luxury was the best move for her.
Christi Carrillo | IS Luxury
“I really, really aligned with Ivan’s character,” Carrillo said. “He’s extremely genuine. His values and beliefs aligned with mine.”
Carrillo acknowledged that her time at Douglas Elliman ended on a sour note. She ended up suing Douglas Elliman of California and former Western Region head Stephen Kotler in October over allegations of sexual harassment, alleged illegal kickbacks and what she claims was unlawful conduct by the Altman Brothers that the brokerage turned a blind eye to. Douglas Elliman and the Altman Brothers have denied the claims, but the case is still moving through the court.
After her tumultuous departure from the firm, she said working with Sher at IS Luxury has been “a breath of fresh air.”
“The man has done everything he has said he would do, and he’s done it with urgency,” Carrillo said. “And it’s been an amazing ride. We’re just now launching [the office], but I’ve been working with him since December now, and it’s exciting. I love the high standards they have as far as the luxury market and how they treat their agents.”
Additional agents who are joining the office include Trevor Stanaland (son of Orange County’s John Stanaland and former member of the John Stanaland Group), Tyler Van Twist, Marie Lee, Andrew Ly, Brenda Miller, Sydney Nguyen, Eitan Beznos, Nancy Arrache, Holly Wiemann, Michele Howorth and Brodie Dizgun. All of these agents, except for Ly, had previously been affiliated with Douglas Elliman.
For now, Sher said, the focus will be on nurturing the Newport Beach office and allowing it to grow, but in some years’ time, he has his sights set on an expansion into Park City, another feeder market for Las Vegas. IS Luxury has generated $220 million this year thus far, and is on track to hit at least $700 million by the end of the year, according to Sher. The brokerage has generated $1.8 billion in sales volume since launching in 2022.
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