Texas indie joins KW network; SERHANT expands to Illinois 

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.

11-agent Texas indie affiliates with KW

Maven Real Estate Group has affiliated with Keller Williams Realty Permian Basin in Midland, Texas, bringing the independent brokerage's 11 agents and three staff members into the Keller Williams network.

Maven was founded in 2023 by Co-CEO Shonna Morales, Co-CEO Ashley Irons and Amber Grissom. The brokerage reported 195 units sold and $111 million in sales volume in 2025 alone, according to a news release.

By affiliating with KW, Maven's leadership team will gain access to the franchise giant's tools, technology, training and other resources as the group looks to expand its business and further develop its team. The brokerage said the additional resources will support client service, agent development and growth in the Midland market.

Morales said KW's mission statement "immediately aligned with us" and that she and Maven's other two co-founders will "have more leverage and support than we had on our own and can expand quicker."

That support will ultimately "create a better experience for our clients," Grissom added. "It's all about the clients; without them, none of us have a business."

SERHANT Illinois launches

SERHANT is entering a new state with the launch of SERHANT Illinois, extending the brokerage into the Chicago metro and North Shore markets with a group of agents who represent more than $600 million in trailing 12-month sales volume.

SERHANT Illinois will be led by Managing Director Dina Lissner, who brings nearly a decade of experience as an agent and brokerage leader. Lissner joins SERHANT from Baird & Warner, where she led the Chicagoland independent firm's Highland Park office as designated managing broker for the past five years, according to a news release.

"Chicago and the North Shore have some of the most talented agents in the country, and SERHANT gives them something no one else can: the technology, the media, and a brand that puts them in front of the world," Lissner said. "I'm thrilled to be building this from the ground up with agents who are ready for what's next."

Lissner will be joined by a group of four founding agents — Melissa Siegal, Jennifer Mills-Klatt, Bobby Grilli and Brendan Murphy — and several other real estate professionals who are now aligned with the luxury firm.

The brokerage's move into Illinois follows its other recent expansions into Massachusetts, Texas, California and Colorado earlier this year, as well as the rollout of S.MPLE 2.0 AI platform last month and this week's unveiling of @HeySerhant, SERHANT Founder and CEO Ryan Serhant's new AI avatar.

ENRG Realty offers estate planning resources

ENRG Realty has announced a new partnership with Trust & Will, a move that will give the firm's real estate professionals an estate planning resource they can offer clients to extend the agent-client relationship beyond a transaction's closing, ENRG said in a news release.

Through the partnership, agents can connect clients with Trust & Will for estate planning related to homes, families, assets and long-term planning. ENRG agents can introduce the service at closing, during annual client check-ins or when estate planning naturally comes up in conversations with homeowners.

The brokerage said the initiative aligns with its broader view of agents as business owners who build relationships over time rather than focusing solely on individual transactions.

"Real estate is deeply personal," ENRG Realty Co-founder and President Erinn Nobel said. "Our agents are often alongside people during some of the biggest transitions of their lives. We want them to have meaningful ways to keep showing up for those clients, not because there is another transaction to make, but because the relationship still matters."

More brokerage news

The Agency is expanding its presence in Colorado with the opening of an office in Vail. Managing Partner Adi Slifer and Managing Director Jason Cole, both longtime Vail residents, will lead the boutique brokerage's new location, according to a news release. Bringing the firm's brand to the area "is an opportunity to honor the values, relationships and sense of stewardship that have shaped this community for generations," Slifer said. "Our vision is to build a brokerage that reflects the character of the Vail Valley; one grounded in local expertise, meaningful relationships and a lasting commitment to serving our clients and community."

The Real Brokerage has launched Real Young Professionals (Real YP), a new division aimed at supporting the development of young agents new to the business. The division already has 95 founding members in over 25 markets and will officially launch at Real's annual agent conference RISE later this month, according to a news release. Shaylie Fraser, co-founder of the Real team Coastline Real Estate Group in San Diego, will lead Real YP as director, and Jana Pierce, co-founder of Real team Qamar Group in Chicago, will serve as acting director.

Sotheby's International Realty kicked off a new advertising campaign this week that the brokerage said spotlights its network of agents "whose relationships give clients access to local expertise, connections, and opportunities in real estate markets around the world." The "Well-Connected" campaign will have video, digital, social and print ad spots in 14 languages, according to a news release. "There's an art to making good connections and it's something our advisors have mastered," Sotheby's CMO Brad Nelson said. "'Well-Connected' brings that value to life and spotlights the curated address book of people and properties that the Sotheby's International Realty network has built over years of relationships that extend well beyond any single housing market."

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.