Luxury real estate brokerage The Agency is shaking things up and adding two high-profile real estate hires to its team. Jim Ramsay takes on the role of the new executive vice president of franchise sales while broker Wendy Walker takes over as the managing director of its Scottsdale office.
Jim Ramsay
Ramsay, who was previously the chief operating and chief growth officer for Engel & Völkers Americas, will be in charge of expanding the brand to new target markets.
Founded by Mauricio Umansky out of Los Angeles in 2011, The Agency presents itself as a luxury brokerage that fosters a collaborative workplace in which agents share knowledge for each other’s clients. It currently has 36 branches throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
“The appointment of Jim Ramsay to executive vice president of franchise sales is an integral part of our plan,” Umansky said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to expanding our presence across the country and beyond with like-minded real estate professionals.”
Walker, who leads the Wendy Walker Fine Properties, is making the move over from Coldwell Banker to lead the Agency’s Scottsdale branch. With 21 years of experience as a luxury agent, Walker had been a Global Luxury Ambassador for the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Division and saw Wendy Walker Fine Properties land as the top team in Arizona during her time there.
“Wendy and her team have a wonderful reputation landing in the top percent of the nation and as the top team in Arizona but Wendy is also just an amazing person who will be instrumental in building our leadership team,” President Rainy Hake Austin told Inman.
Wendy Walker
The Wendy Walker Fine Properties team will continue serving high-end buyers and sellers in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Biltmore, Arcadia and Phoenix at a time when, according to the Agency, their Scottsdale office is seeing record-high sales.
Austin, who moved to The Agency from Compass in October, told Inman, that the hires are part of a strategic plan to push the brokerage beyond what many now see as a boutique Los Angeles company into a nationally and internationally recognized brand. Future plans include growing the team further and expanding service offerings to reach a wider range of clients while still retaining a boutique, personal feel.
“As we’re partnering with these amazing leaders, there are going to be a lot of opportunities for us to revolutionize and in some ways rebuild what the real estate industry is from the inside out,” Austin told Inman. “We’re looking at various different business models and really approaching real estate creatively.”
