Boston indie launches; ERA expands in Denver
New Englander Real Estate is now operating in Beantown. Plus, Success Realty Experts joins ERA; Christie’s opens in Abu Dhabi; Portside adds new agent in Maine.
Editor's note: The brokerage business is a busy one, with frequent moves, mergers and milestones. Here we highlight some of the latest activity among brokerages across the U.S.
Husband-and-wife duo open New England indie
New Englander Real Estate, an independent residential real estate sales and property management brokerage, launched this week in the Greater Boston area. Co-owned by husband-and-wife team Kate Ziegler Romano and Jack Romano, the brokerage will provide buyer and seller representation and property management services across eastern Massachusetts.
The Romanos have a combined track record of more than $150 million in career sales, according to a news release, with Kate Ziegler Romano bringing more than a decade of experience representing buyers and sellers. Jack Romano is a licensed Massachusetts broker with experience in residential and multifamily transactions, property management, renovations and rental properties.
The brokerage will focus on the ongoing ownership and management of homes, offering clients support beyond a purchase or sale. Jack Romano will lead the property management division as managing broker, drawing on his experience purchasing, renovating, managing and leasing properties throughout New England.
New Englander plans to expand throughout the region, with the Romanos saying they expect to add agents gradually based on experience and fit with the brokerage's approach to local knowledge and long-term client relationships.
"Launching our brokerage is something that Jack and I have been thinking about for many years, and we've always known it was part of our story," Kate Ziegler Romano said, adding that their new venture "will allow us to provide the type of guidance we'd want for our own homes."
Denver brokerage joins ERA network
ERA Real Estate has welcomed Success Realty Experts as its newest affiliate. The women-led brokerage will now operate as Success Realty Experts ERA POWERED while retaining its local brand identity.
Success Realty Experts was founded in 2023 by Jennifer Briseno, a Colorado native and 17-year industry veteran. The company serves buyers, sellers and investors across Denver and surrounding communities, including Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Castle Rock, Centennial and Golden.
Through the affiliation, Success Realty Experts' agents will gain access to ERA's training, marketing and technology resources, including MoxiWorks, Team ERA University, TextERA and Canva Enterprise accounts, according to a news release. Looking ahead, Briseno and her leadership team plan to pursue growth through organic recruiting, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and a new physical office location within the next year.
"As we looked toward our next phase of growth, it was important to align with a brand that could provide us with industry-leading resources while also sharing our values," Briseno said. As an ERA affiliate, "we're able to preserve the personalized service that our clients have come to expect from us while giving our agents the tools, training, and support they need to do right by even more people," she added.
More brokerage news
Christie's International Real Estate is expanding in the United Arab Emirates with the opening of a location in Abu Dhabi. The new venture, which will operate as Christie's International Real Estate Abu Dhabi, will be led by Owners Jackie Johns and Dinesh Chhatwan, who also lead Christie's in Dubai. In a news release, the firm pointed to the "record-setting pace" of the city's real estate market growth, noting that there are lots of opportunities to close high-dollar deals as more financial and multinational companies are drawn to the area.
Portside Real Estate Group has announced that Lily LaCasse, an early-career agent born in the Pine Tree State, is joining its team in Southern Maine, where she will work with both homebuyers and sellers. LaCasse "is someone who genuinely enjoys helping people," said Alyssa Bouthot, agent relations manager for the greater Portland area at Portside, adding that LaCasse brings "a great energy to the office, a strong work ethic, and a real desire to learn and grow." LaCasse said she found in Portside "a brokerage that prioritizes both its clients and agents," a quality she said will help her "provide the highest level of service while continuing to grow both individually and as a real estate professional."
Editor's note: AI was used in the initial drafting of this content, which was then thoroughly reviewed, fact-checked and revised by a Real Estate News editor.