The Umansky Group and Rose + Chang Merge to Become The Agency

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Umansky Group, the powerhouse Beverly Hills residential sales team led by Mauricio Umansky and Eduardo Umansky, and architecture and design specialists Rose + Chang announced today that they have merged to become THE AGENCY. The merger combines two of Los Angeles' premier luxury real estate brokerages, with each counting numerous Forbes 500 and entertainment industry professionals among their respective client bases.

Brandishing the tagline "Redefining Real Estate," The Agency intends to shun the traditional brokerage model of cut-throat agents competing against each other in favor of a collaborative culture of partnership.

"I think the current real estate brokerage model is broken," said Umansky, who was recently named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the Top 10 Realtors in the U.S. "What you have now is a bunch of mini-companies all competing with one another under one brokerage roof.  At The Agency, we're creating a culture where agents collaborate in partnership and are proud of what their colleagues are doing, rather than looking for ways to stab them in the back. In essence, we are a family who all struggle, celebrate and have fun together."

Focusing on the luxury markets, The Agency plans to establish branches of its unique, boutique practice around the globe. "The world is now one integrated marketplace, so we are creating a network of the most capable, respected and informed agents in each region of the globe," shared Umansky. "Our clients will be expertly represented on purchases, and their properties will receive tremendous exposure throughout the world."

In another break from convention, The Agency has created a separate Development Division, which will apply its agents' considerable marketing and sales expertise to luxury high-rises.

"I recently toured high-rises with clients in New York, and I was reminded how unsophisticated the high-rise sales experience is here in Los Angeles," said Billy Rose, a native of Los Angeles who, in addition to his role as a realtor, has personally designed and developed a number of architecturally distinctive homes in the city for high net-worth clients and celebrities. "L.A. is a major metropolitan city with world class high-rise projects now and on the horizon. The Agency will be the premier brokerage, not just for quality, single-family residences, but for the city's best condominium projects as well."

Umansky, who has been the number one realtor at Hilton & Hyland for seven of the past eight years, is regularly responsible for a disproportionate share of the high-end sales within Los Angeles and Beverly Hills each year. Last year alone, his sales volume exceeded $185 million, which is more than any other agent in Southern California and ranks him seventh in the U.S. according to an annual study by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends, Inc.

Known as the King of Beverly Park, since he has sold more homes in that prestigious community than any other realtor in recent years, Umansky is also well-known outside the real estate community. He appears regularly on Bravo's hit reality TV show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," which stars his wife, Kyle Richards, and he has also appeared multiple times on Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing." He is a frequent guest real estate expert, appearing on such shows as the "Today Show," "E! News" and "Beautiful Homes & Great Estates."

Rose + Chang partners, Billy Rose and Blair Chang, have made a name for themselves by representing many of the city's finest examples of high design and exceptional architecture, as well as the buyers who appreciate them. Rose + Chang founded Prudential CA Realty's Architectural Division and have been Prudential's number one team for Los Angeles County for four of the past five years. They were named once again by The Wall Street Journal as one of the Top 100 Real Estate Teams in the U.S.

"I'm excited at the combined excellence our new partnership will create," said Chang. "I know the merging of our two groups will bring great benefits and opportunities to our clients and the agents joining us."

The Agency is located at 228 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills CA 90212 and can be found online at www.TheAgencyRE.com, www.facebook.com/theagencyRE and www.twitter.com/theagencyRE.

SOURCE The Agency