The global luxury real estate brand is launching its first yachting division in the United States.

If you’re looking for a home in some of the nation’s top luxury markets, there’s a good chance that Paul Benson has an Engel & Völkers franchise there.

Benson, who owns 27 Engel & Völkers brokerages in Utah, California and Nevada, is set to open the company’s first U.S. yachting division in Newport Beach, California.

“This is a tremendous milestone for our growth in the Americas,” Anthony Hitt, president and CEO, Engel & Völkers Americas, said in a statement.

Anthony Hitt

Anthony Hitt | Photo credit: Engel & Völkers

“We’ve seen the value for our clientele by offering both luxury real estate and yachting services, which very much complement one another,” Hitt added. “This also opens exciting new referral opportunities for our global real estate network and strengthens the portfolio of offerings to our clients in the Americas and abroad.”

For more than a decade, Engel & Völkers has had a yachting division in the Mediterranean, but the Newport Beach shop marks its first expansion in the United States. Currently, there are shops in the yachting hubs of Monaco and Antibes.

The division will be operated out of Engel & Völkers’ Newport Beach real estate brokerage and feature eight advisors, with plans for growth coming soon. Benson is opening the shop in partnership with Walter Johnson and Leann Iacino of Walter Johnson Yachts.

Johnson, a sailor with three decades of experience selling yachts, will lead day-to-day operations while Iacino, who has experience in both yachting and real estate, will serve as chief operating officer. Iacino believes there’s a synergy in real estate and yachting, having worked in both businesses.

Paul Benson | Photo credit: Engel & Völkers

“There was no yachting brand in the Americas with the reputation and ability to service both new and resale boats at all levels, which presented a huge untapped market opportunity for Engel & Völkers,” Benson said in a statement. “Yachting has traditionally been an insular, niche community, on a global scale.”

Engel & Völkers has been in constant growth mode and just nine days ago announced it had entered the Northwest Arkansas market with two new shop locations in Bentonville and Springdale. The new shops were a result of local broker Michelle Dearing affiliating her indie brokerage Midtown Associates with Engel & Völkers.

Email Patrick Kearns

Are you ready for what the industry holds in 2020? Inman Connect New York is your key to unlocking opportunity in a changing market. At Connect you will gain insight into the future, discover new strategies and network with real estate’s best and brightest to accelerate your business. Create your 2020 success story at Inman Connect New York, January 28-31, 2020.

Agenda | Speakers | Past Connect Videos

Thinking of bringing your team? There are special onsite perks and discounts when you buy tickets together. Contact us to find out more.

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
×