Ryan Serhant is bringing his fast-growing brokerage, SERHANT., to California in a major expansion as the celebrity firm pursues rapid national growth and a continued push into luxury markets.
According to a press release issued Tuesday, SERHANT. is launching operations across Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, San Francisco and Tahoe, entering the state with what it describes as its largest market debut to date. The firm is bringing with it a roster of agents who collectively closed more than $2 billion in sales over the past 12 months.
The move marks SERHANT.’s 16th state since expanding beyond New York in 2023, following a Massachusetts launch earlier this year, and signals increasing competition in California’s high-end brokerage landscape.
“The demand for SERHANT. in California made this move a natural next step,” Ryan Serhant, founder and CEO said in the release. “Agents today want to stand out, build their brand and plug into a technology platform that drives real growth. That is what we have created. We’re not expanding for the sake of it, we’re expanding because the market is demanding it. California is one of the most dynamic real estate markets in the world, and we’re excited to bring a model that’s built differently.”
Founded in 2020, SERHANT. has positioned itself as an “AI-native” brokerage, blending traditional real estate services with media production, education and proprietary technology. Its S.MPLE platform—SERHANT.’s proprietary AI platform—is designed to help agents scale their personal brands and reach wider audiences.
SFGATE reported that Serhant hopes to double the $2 billion in sales over the next year. SERHANT. agents in California can work out of “clubhouses,” according to the Chronicle, with locations of new offices to be announced next month.
Serhant—known for his role on “Million Dollar Listing New York” and Netflix’s “Owning Manhattan”—has built the firm around a “content-to-commerce” strategy, leveraging a social following of more than 10 million to drive visibility and client acquisition.
The brokerage says it differentiates itself by building markets organically around local leadership rather than acquiring firms, emphasizing an “agent-first” approach focused on branding, media exposure and technology.
SERHANT. California will be led by industry veteran Ezra Leyton as managing director and principal broker. The firm is anchoring its presence in Beverly Hills while recruiting high-producing agents across each region.
The launch includes a slate of notable hires from competing brokerages, including teams and agents from firms such as Compass, The Agency, eXp and Engel & Völkers, many of whom bring significant luxury sales volume and established client bases.
Among them are Los Angeles-based Ben Belack, Orange County’s Annie Clougherty, San Diego team leaders Malena Boetel and Amber Welch, and San Francisco agents Lisa Smith and Milana Ostroy, among others. Collectively, these agents represent billions in career sales and a strong foothold in their respective markets.
The firm now operates in more than a dozen states with over 2,000 agents.
