The Jills Zeder Group has built itself up as a powerhouse Florida team, netting some of the biggest deals in the state — and the country.
The multi-family team — made up of the Hertzbergs, Ebers and Zeders — based at Coldwell Banker Realty is also known for servicing some of the most elite clients flocking to the South Florida and Miami.
By the end of 2025, the 17-agent team closed over $1.8 billion in sales volume. In 2024, the team closed $1.85 billion in sales volume, more than any other team in Florida by a substantial margin, according to RealTrends rankings. The only team in the state that came close was the Robert Slack Real Estate Team, which closed $1.57 billion — and has roughly 690 licensed agents. No other team in Florida tracked by RealTrends rankings that year exceeded $1 billion. And the Jills Zeder Group was also the top-earning large team in the country that year.
Not surprisingly, the Jills Zeder Group also regularly breaks price records in its market, including a record for the highest-priced non-waterfront sale in Miami Beach with a $13.35 million deal on La Gorce Island this summer, and another this past spring for highest sale price per square foot on the island with a $12 million property.
How does the team stay so far ahead of its peers? Inman spoke with one of its crucial figures — broker-associate and one of the “Jills,” Jill Hertzberg — to learn the team’s secrets to success. It boils down to great teammates, client trust and a relentless commitment to the profession.
A well-executed team
Jill Hertzberg | The Jills Zeder Group
The Jills Zeder Group was born in 2019 when the dynamic duo of The Jills — a team led by Jill Hertzberg and Jill Eber — decided to team up with the Zeder Team, led by Judy Zeder. Members of three families make up the team’s backbone. They include Hertzberg’s children, Danny and Hillary; Eber’s sister, Felice; and Zeder’s children, Kara and Nathan, and her daughter-in-law, Meredith.
As a family business, the team members are very invested in its success, Hertzberg said.
“There’s nothing better because you go through it together and you help each other and everyone sees things differently,” Hertzberg told Inman.
Because of everyone’s locations throughout Miami, they’re able to strategically divide and conquer when it comes to working a deal, which is another one of the team’s strengths.
“The eight of us have a unique ability in our city where we each handle different areas of the city, which is incredible, because people come into Miami and they think of it as one area, but it’s really a lot of different areas with a lot of different types of situations,” Hertzberg said. “If they start out in Miami Beach, but they have small kids and they want to be by schools, then perhaps they should be in the south where the schools are. So we can transfer and communicate with our partners so there’s boots on the ground all the time, wherever we are, so that that [client] gets exactly what they want — and yet, we’re all experts in these areas.”
As the team has grown, Hertzberg added, she has been thoughtful about bringing on people who elevate the team’s skill level.
“You’ve got to hire people that are better than you are in the area that you’ve hired them in,” she said. “That’s critical, because I couldn’t do this on my own. I depend on them, and they’re the best in what they’re doing. You’ve got to surround yourself with people you trust and you like and are talented.”
Client and agent-to-agent trust
Staying in touch with clients all the time is one of the ways that the team is able to stay busy, Hertzberg told Inman. It helps keep them top-of-mind when their client wants to transact — and when others in their clients’ sphere want to transact.
“One person moves and they give your name to another person and another person, and you build up, year in and year out,” Hertzberg said. “People are always moving and there’s reasons to move to this city. Even people in this city who have been here forever, they’ll go from a home to condo, from a condo to a home, from a waterfront to a dry.”
All those long-term relationships are built on trust, she added.
Maintaining good relationships with other agents in Miami and across the country is crucial to doing good business, Hertzberg said, noting that the team goes “out of our way” to foster relationships with agents in feeder markets. “We all try to help each other,” she said.
Unwavering commitment
Performing at the top of their game is imperative for the team when working with their high-end clients, Hertzberg said, because those individuals don’t want their time wasted.
“When you’re meeting these people and you’re communicating with them, they know right away whether you really understand the market, whether you return their calls immediately, whether you give them all the information they need,” she said.
The team’s agents also are vigilant about staying on top of the market by reading, communicating with other agents and clients, attending open houses and more.
“Like any business, you must be fully invested, committed to it all the time, where you don’t know the difference between work and play,” Hertzberg said. “It’s your life. And all of us are like that.”
By keeping abreast of local news, the team learned years ago that Shaquille O’Neal was moving to the Miami Heat. They pursued the NBA great and ultimately sold him a “huge” property, Hertzberg said. Now they count him as one of their loyal clients.
“That’s why you have to read the [Wall Street Journal],” she added. “You have to get that national news to know who’s coming here, when they’re coming here. Be prepared and be excited by it. Then when you get that opportunity to be in front of them, if you’ve been reading and knowledgeable and you know everything that is on market and off market, then you’re really ready to do that.”
