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MDG Residential, a luxury real estate team co-led by former Bachelor star Jason Mesnick alongside his business partner Chris Dalto, has left Compass in favor of The Real Brokerage, the company announced on Wednesday.
The Seattle-based team was founded in the fall of 2022, and includes nine agents who have collectively closed 75 transactions in excess of $100 million in sales volume since the team’s inception.
Sharran Srivatsaa | The Real Brokerage
“We are excited to welcome Jason, Chris and the entire MDG Residential team to Real,” President Sharran Srivatsaa said in a statement. “MDG’s mantra of serving buyers and sellers throughout Seattle with honesty, integrity and grit with the client always coming out on top aligns with our mission at Real. I’m looking forward to seeing them continue to grow as part of our team.”
Mesnick has over 10 years of industry experience, and has been affiliated with Northwest Group Real Estate and Compass during the course of his career. He’s sold more than 500 homes throughout his career, and is credited with having sold the priciest condo ever in the Seattle/Bellevue area, for $12 million. In 2008, he was a finalist on Season 4 of The Bachelorette (he was rejected by DeAnna Pappas during the season finale), and went on to star in Season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009.
Dalto, who grew up in Southern California, moved to Washington to pursue a career in law enforcement and ended up staying put. He transitioned into real estate in 2020 and was named “Rookie of the Year” by Seattle Agent Magazine. In 2022, Seattle’s 425 Business named him to its 30 Under 30 young professionals cohort.
Jason Mesnick | The Real Brokerage
Molly Mesnick, Mesnick’s spouse, is also a member of MDG Residential who, prior to transitioning into real estate, was a Seattle radio personality from 2013 to 2021. Other members of the team who will be joining Real include Monica Church, Jason Sass, Montana Preston, Devin Leon, Tyler Morgan and RaeAnne Marcum.
“We are real people selling real estate,” Jason Mesnick said in a statement. “We’ve been following the company for more than a year, and have been impressed with the authenticity of everyone we’ve met. It’s what drew us to Real. Real offers an opportunity for us to continue to serve our clients while collaborating with and learning from thought leaders throughout North America.”
Chris Dalto | The Real Brokerage
Added Dalto, “I was attracted to the Real community. It gives us the ability to learn from others and have them learn from us.” Dalto mentioned that he was also attracted by Real’s revenue-sharing opportunities which, paired with the team’s robust social media following, could help them grow wealth long-term. MDG Residential has more than 2 million followers across Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, and Dalto is now the top Seattle-area agent on Instagram with 23,000 followers.
It was in 2009 on The Bachelor when Mesnick met his future wife, Molly Mesnick (née Malaney), although he did not end up proposing to her during the show’s season finale, although she was one of the two finalists remaining. In an odd twist, Mesnick instead proposed to Melissa Rycroft at the end of the season, only to realize his mistake shortly thereafter. In a live taping of After the Final Rose about one month later, Mesnick ended his relationship with Rycroft and revealed to Molly that he realized his mistake, and wanted to be with her. Several months later, the two became engaged and married the following year.
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