Brokerage expansion stretched from the Caribbean to the West Coast in recent days, as firms moved into new markets and picked up agents and teams from other companies. Engel & Völkers is headed to Aruba, where it plans to open a shop in April 2027, and Realty of America reached California with Zandra Ulloa and 12 of her Team Z Realty agents in San Diego.
eXp Realty picked up a Tampa Bay brokerage and a Cincinnati-area team that spent 20 years with REMAX. Baird & Warner brought on Oak Park, Illinois, boutique Beyond Properties, and Dane Briggs teamed up with Phil Sexton at HomeSmart’s NEXT team. IRES MLS welcomed back a former staffer to run operations, and Howard Hanna Portside added an agent in Massachusetts.
The latest brokerage expansion and hiring news
Zobaida Akkari
Richard Franken
Engel & Völkers
Engel & Völkers expanded into Aruba with license partners Zobaida Akkari and Richard Franken, Aruba-based entrepreneurs with backgrounds in real estate, luxury sales, hospitality and tourism. The shop is projected to open in April 2027 at L.G. Smith Blvd. 330 in Palm Beach and will serve clients across the island, according to the company.
“Aruba is a compelling addition to the network’s growing presence in the Caribbean,” Stuart Siegel, president and CEO of Engel & Völkers Americas, said in a statement.
Realty of America
Realty of America entered California with Zandra Ulloa and 12 Team Z Realty agent partners in San Diego. Ulloa has generated more than $4.2 billion in sales volume over her 13-year career, and Team Z peaked at 72 agents and $589 million in annual volume, according to the company. Agent-owned ROA, founded in September 2024, says it has more than 3,700 agents across 26 markets.
“People around me may see what I am giving up, but I see what I am making room for,” Ulloa said in a statement.
eXp Realty
Rene Carpena and Dana Carpena moved Florida’s 1st Choice Realty, their independent Greater Tampa Bay brokerage, to eXp Realty, where it now operates as 1st Choice Collective. The group brings more than 70 agents and support staff and recorded more than 325 transactions and $60 million in sales volume in 2025, according to the company.
Jon Bowling also brought his 17-person team in Mason, Ohio, to eXp after 20 years with RE/MAX. eXp Realty is the core subsidiary of AGNT Inc.
Baird & Warner
Baird & Warner added Beyond Properties, a boutique brokerage in Oak Park, Illinois, whose dozen agents will operate as Beyond Properties Group. Owner and designated managing broker Erica Cuneen, who founded the firm almost 20 years ago, will co-lead the group with team leader Cynthia Howe Gajewski. The group joins Baird & Warner’s Oak Park office and keeps its Marion Street location.
“This partnership will allow me to simplify the operational side of the business and spend more time doing what I love, which is focusing on our agents and clients,” Cuneen said in a statement.
HomeSmart
Dane Briggs, an Arizona real estate veteran, partnered with Phil Sexton, founder of HomeSmart’s NEXT team, in a leadership role focused on agent workflows and AI integrations. Briggs has worked as a designated broker and title executive, founded referral brokerage Roosted and led expansion initiatives at Homie. He has also served as an Inman Ambassador.
“Before long, we weren’t just talking about what Phil was building. We were talking about what we could build together,” Briggs said in a statement.
IRES MLS
Samantha Ewing
IRES MLS, which serves Northern Colorado and parts of the Front Range, rehired Samantha Ewing as director of operations. Ewing spent 13 years at IRES as a projects manager and quality assurance tester before leaving in 2018, and she has more than 20 years of experience in MLS operations and real estate technology.
“Having Samantha return to IRES is an exciting opportunity for our team and the local industry we serve,” CEO Julie Dahl said in a statement.
Howard Hanna Portside Real Estate Group
Howard Hanna Portside Real Estate Group added Melissa Winter, an agent with nearly 15 years of experience who focuses on first-time homebuyers, to its Massachusetts team in Amesbury. Portside, which has more than 200 agents, entered a strategic partnership with Howard Hanna in 2026, according to the company.
“What drew me to Portside was the energy, the people, and the opportunity for growth,” Winter said in a statement.
