San Francisco-based brokerage Pacific Union is delving deeper into the new home market sales and marketing of condos and new developments through its purchase of The Mark Company, set to complete on November 2.

  • Pacific Union has bought The Mark Company, the largest urban residential real estate marketing and sales firm in the Western United States.

  • The acquisition will broaden Pacific Union's reach along the West Coast and will also be used to market to Chinese investors and developers coming into the Bay Area.
  • Pacific Union's company Pacific Union Sales + Marketing will dovetail into The Mark Company based in San Francisco.

San Francisco-based brokerage Pacific Union is delving deeper into the new home market sales and marketing of condos and new developments through its purchase of The Mark Company, set to complete on November 2.

Founded in San Francisco in 1997, The Mark Company specializes in providing top-tier marketing and sales support to a growing market of new urban developments throughout the Western U.S.

“We believe the combined strength of Pacific Union with The Mark Company, the most outstanding brand in the marketing and sales of new-construction homes, will create a new force in residential and mixed-use development marketing and sales,” said Mark McLaughlin, CEO of Pacific Union.

“The accelerated growth of new condominium housing in the San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles markets make this acquisition essential to Pacific Union’s vision for continued success,” he added.

Pacific Union set up Pacific Union Sales + Marketing in April this year, a business unit that specializes in selling new urban condominiums and homes throughout the West Coast. In launching the business, Pacific Union researched the two big market players, one of which was The Mark Company.

MCarter / Shutterstock.com

MCarter / Shutterstock.com

“This is one of the best-known brands in the country, and it would have taken us three to four years to be able to compete with them,” said McLaughlin.

[Tweet “Mark McLaughlin: ‘We will create a new force in residential and mixed-use development marketing and sales.'”]

“And it was a cultural fit. Both firms have such great networks,” he said. Mark Company founder Alan Mark worked in the Pacific Union brand some 18 years ago.

McLaughlin sees the new acquisition as an opportunity to expand Pacific Union’s service to Chinese developers and investors.

“I think with our China connections, we will definitely try and take the property condo marketing business team to China. We can express the opportunity directly to investors there that know us through our China concierge company,” he said.

GuoZhongHua

He stressed The Mark Company will keep its name and its office in San Francisco. The staff from Pacific Union Marketing + Sales will dovetail into the firm, joining the 20-plus staff at The Mark Company, which has a further 25 contractors.

The deal will open Pacific Union up to opportunities in the resort market as well, said McLaughlin.

He wouldn’t comment on further acquisition plans but is an advocate of growth through acquisition. In April, Real Trends ranked Pacific Union as the ninth-largest residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. based on 2014 sales volume of $6.75 billion.

Email Gill South.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×