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Regional brokerage Windermere Real Estate has bought a former local rival in Southern California and enticed back about a quarter of agents that left for competitor eXp Realty in April.
Windermere has purchased HK Lane, a firm in the Coachella Valley, whose 75 agents will now operate under the Windermere brand along with the 90 other Windermere agents who provide services there, Windermere said in an announcement Tuesday. Windermere has 7,000 agents in 10 states.
Geoff Wood | Windermere
“Windermere has operated in the Coachella Valley for over 20 years, and during that time we’ve experienced both remarkable growth and challenging setbacks,” said Windermere CEO Geoff Wood in a statement. “What’s different now about our Desert operations is that we have a team in place who not only understand the unique needs and conditions of the Coachella Valley, but they have also embraced Windermere’s culture of connection, collaboration, and community in a way that has never been done before.”
As part of the deal, Windermere acquired HK Lane’s La Quinta and Lake Arrowhead offices, bringing Windermere’s office count in the region to five. The three existing Windermere offices are in Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Palm Valley Country Club. Agents that were formerly in HK Lane’s Palm Desert and Palm Springs offices will join Windermere’s Palm Desert office, according to Windermere.
Broker of record Kevin Rochlitz, who joined Windermere in 2001 and has worked in the region for more than 20 years, and regional managing broker Selina Ochoa, who was born and raised in the Coachella Valley and joined Windermere in 2016, are leading the company’s Coachella Valley operations, according to Windermere.
Meanwhile, about 50 agents who were part of a 200-agent team, formerly affiliated with Windermere Homes and Estates and left to become part of eXp Realty in April, have chosen to stay with Windermere or “boomerang[ed]” back to the company, the brokerage said, noting that the agents cited the company’s brand strength and overall support and resources as their reasons for sticking with Windermere.
“Due to the abrupt departure of our former owner/operator in San Diego, many of the agents were given little choice but to leave Windermere in order to minimize the disruption to their business,” Wood said.
Windermere plans to open its flagship office in San Diego later this year, so those agents are currently working from a temporary location led by Ochoa and regional operations manager Rosalie Huntley, according to the company.
“I was recently at an event in San Diego where a number of current and former Windermere agents were guests,” Wood said. “It was so heartening to hear them talk about how they want to continue being a part of Windermere’s unique culture and that’s why they’re choosing to stay or return to our company.”
