Brokerage expansions took The Agency into Iowa for the first time this month. The global brokerage opened The Agency Des Moines on Oct. 20, with managing partners Mike Slavin and Nathan Lyman leading the office.
The opening leads a roundup that also covers Peter Hernandez’s move from Douglas Elliman to Side, a Coldwell Banker master franchise in Korea, a Fargo, North Dakota, merger and a Pennsylvania ERA partnership. JLL, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Pillar To Post and Westcor named new leaders, and huntington & ellis opened an office in Henderson, Nevada, according to company releases and news reports.
Brokerage expansions and executive moves
Here are the details:
The Agency
The Agency Des Moines is located in West Des Moines. It will serve residential and land markets across central Iowa, including Des Moines and its surrounding communities.
The Agency opened 27 offices in 2025 and has more than 190 offices in 18 countries, according to the company.
“Des Moines offers a compelling combination of career opportunities, space and quality of life that continues to attract buyers looking to put down roots,” CEO and founder Mauricio Umansky said in a statement.
“Much of what makes the Des Moines market special is found in the communities surrounding the city, where buyers can find everything from established neighborhoods to acreage and custom-built homes,” Slavin said in a statement.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Park Company
Park Company Realtors, which The Forum described as Fargo’s largest independent brokerage, has merged with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage One, The Forum reported. The combined firm will operate as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Park Company, with about 75 sales professionals across two offices, according to an Oct. 12 release.
Jill and Bob Carlson turned over the firm to a new ownership group from Advantage One: managing partner Drew Likness, Jim Bullis and Jeff Laliberte. Shawn Schmidt will remain president, and Michelle Velaski will continue as director of business development. The firm will serve Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo, Horace and the surrounding Minnesota lakes region.
“Park Company has built something very special over the past 70 years, and we recognize the responsibility that comes with carrying that legacy forward,” Likness said in a statement.
Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC launched two master franchises, Coldwell Banker Korea and Coldwell Banker Commercial Korea, on Oct. 15. Myoung-Sik Kim will lead both as CEO.
The companies are based in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Their first office, Coldwell Banker Commercial EKR, will open with existing commercial real estate professionals and will handle acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, asset management, valuation and investment advisory. Coldwell Banker Korea will build out the residential business after that, according to the company.
“Korea’s world-class technology infrastructure provides a strong foundation for bringing together AI, data, and real estate expertise in new ways,” Kim said in a statement.
Side
Peter Hernandez
Peter Hernandez, the former head of Douglas Elliman’s western region, has moved his broker license to Side, The Real Deal reported, citing Department of Real Estate records. Side is a white-label platform that serves as broker of record and handles compliance, marketing and administrative work for agents who start their own brokerage brands.
Hernandez founded Teles Properties in 2007. Elliman acquired the firm in 2017 and moved him into leadership of its western region. He left Elliman in September as the company moved away from its regional leadership model, according to The Real Deal.
“I haven’t decided whether my next chapter will take me back into a corporate leadership position, into a partnership with other leading agents or toward launching my own independent brokerage,” Hernandez said in a statement, according to The Real Deal.
JLL
Patrick Miller
Commercial real estate services firm JLL hired Patrick Miller as global division president of its technology sector on Oct. 19. Miller oversees more than 8,300 professionals who provide real estate, facilities and workplace services to technology clients, according to the company.
Miller’s latest role was leading Snap Inc.’s Workplace Services team, where he managed the company’s global real estate portfolio. Before that, he managed real estate strategy, transactions, design, construction and operations for Amazon’s Puget Sound headquarters and led real estate and facilities in the Americas for Meta. He began his career with DTZ in Shanghai.
“The pace of change facing technology companies is unprecedented right now, with fundamentally different real estate challenges than even two years ago,” Miller said in a statement.
Pagoda Realty ERA Powered
Craig Stringer
West Lawn, Pennsylvania-based Pagoda Realty ERA Powered announced a partnership with York-based Lime House Real Estate on Oct. 19. The deal combines Pagoda’s about 50 affiliated agents with Lime House’s 25 sales professionals into an organization of about 75 agents, according to the company.
Lime House will operate as Lime House Real Estate ERA Powered under Pagoda broker-owner Craig Stringer. Sergio Mannino, who helped establish Lime House, will stay on as an agent and provide leadership for the York operation. The combined brokerage covers 15 Pennsylvania counties, including York, Lancaster and Philadelphia.
“Sergio has built a tremendous reputation, and we’re excited that he’ll continue to play an important leadership role as we grow together,” Stringer said in a statement.
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
Carrie Prieto | Premier Sotheby’s International Realty
Premier Sotheby’s International Realty named Carrie Prieto managing broker of its Sarasota and Longboat Key offices, effective Oct. 12. Prieto led the company’s Southwest Orlando, Southeast Orlando and Ocala offices for the past eight years.
Andre Williamson joins the brokerage as managing broker of the Southwest Orlando and Southeast Orlando offices. He brings nearly 20 years of experience, including district and managing broker roles, according to the company. Patricia Kant, a managing broker with the firm for more than 10 years, will add the Ocala office to her Seminole County and Port Orange offices.
“Andre brings a strong combination of brokerage leadership, market knowledge and advisor development experience,” Jackie Thiel, president of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, said in a statement.
The Naples, Florida-based brokerage has more than 1,200 real estate professionals in 40 locations across Florida and North Carolina, according to the company.
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors appointed Stephan Taub as franchise development director on Oct. 20. Taub spent more than two decades in investment banking business development in New York City before moving into franchising in 2020.
Taub will work on development processes and on relationships with franchise brokerage and consultant networks, according to the company. Pillar To Post has more than 350 franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada, according to the company.
“His knowledge of the consultant networks, his ability to build meaningful relationships and his approach to responsibly growing a franchise system excites us in this new role,” D’Wayne Tanner, Pillar To Post’s vice president of development, said in a statement.
Westcor
Teresa Chiotti
Westcor Land Title Insurance Company promoted Teresa Chiotti to director of Florida plant operations on Oct. 20. Chiotti joined Westcor in 2014 as an agency representative. Her prior role was assistant vice president and Florida agency manager.
“Throughout her tenure, she has played a vital role in strengthening our Florida operations, developing talent, and driving results,” Michael Trowbridge, senior vice president and eastern area manager, said in a statement.
Parent company Westcor Global named Shandelle Thomas senior vice president of operations on Oct. 21. Thomas has more than 20 years of experience in title and real estate services and chaired the Land Title Association of Colorado’s education committee, according to the company.
“Her depth of experience, strategic approach, and commitment to building strong teams make her an incredible addition to our leadership team,” CEO and President Neil Gulley said in a statement.
huntington & ellis
Las Vegas brokerage huntington & ellis opened an office at 11041 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson, Nevada. The brokerage’s agents completed more than 2,890 home sales across southern Nevada over the past 12 months, more than 540 of them in Henderson, according to the company.
“Having a dedicated office here allows us to be even closer to the clients and communities we already serve while creating more opportunities for our agents,” founding owner and broker Craig Tann said in a statement.
