Compass is making significant moves in the Los Angeles luxury market. The New York City-founded real estate brokerage announced this week it’s bringing aboard Tyrone McKillen and his Plus Real Estate Group from Hilton & Hyland and Cindy Ambuehl from The Agency.
Tyrone McKillen | Credit: Hilton & Hyland
Ambuehl on her own and McKillen’s team closed more $400 million in combined sales volume in 2018.
McKillen specialized in residential sales, commercial sales, and new developments, at Hilton & Hyland. Compass could not immediately provide sales figures for McKillen, but according to the LA Business Journal, he closed $325 million in sales volume between October 2017 and October 2018.
“The atmosphere at Compass is extremely passionate and motivated,” McKillen said in a statement. “We truly believe that this atmosphere is due to innovation being at the forefront of the company, which is imperative for the ever-changing real estate industry. We share in Compass’ passion for collaboration, their vision for the future, and their incredible support offered to each partner, agent, and staff member.”
McKillen is also the co-founder and principal of Plus Development and Plus Design Studio, both of which he will continue to oversee separate from his role with Compass.
“Hilton & Hyland has launched and bolstered the careers of many of the industry’s top associates — Tyrone is no exception,” Jeff Hyland, president and co-founder of Hilton & Hyland said in a statement. “It has been our pleasure to be a part of his journey, and we wish him only success in his future endeavors.”
Ambuehl, a former actress turned luxury real estate agent, joins Compass from The Agency where she closed $110 million in sales volume with 25 transactions, in 2018, according to Compass.
In 2017, Ambuehl was ranked 161 on the Real Trends Thousand list of top agents, closing $94 million in sales volume.
“It is an extremely exciting time in real estate, and what Compass is offering from a technology and support standpoint is quite remarkable,” Ambuehl said in a statement. “It allows agents and teams to experience real estate from a different perspective, which I truly believe is the direction our real estate business will be moving towards in years to follow.”
Ambuehl will head up a new luxury real estate team at Compass, called the Cindy Ambuehl Group, with agents Zander Diamont and Nikki Magliarditi.
Mauricio Umansky, CEO and Founder of The Agency addressed Ambuehl’s departure in a statement to Inman.
“The Agency is focused on the success of agents rather than agents as numbers,” Umansky said. “We remain true to our boutique approach while growing in strategic markets.”
“The Agency offers the best tools for success as well as an unrivaled culture and will not engage in cutthroat recruiting tactics,” Umansky added. “We wish Cindy the best and hope she continues on her exponential trajectory that she had while at The Agency.”
Update: Updated with additional comment from Mauricio Umansky and Jeff Hyland.
