Josh Flagg is moving to a new home — a new home brokerage, that is.
The celebrity real estate agent and Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star is joining Compass in its Beverly Hills Office, as Flagg reveals exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I made the strategic decision to join the top brokerage in the country. Compass’ sterling reputation, extensive network, cutting-edge agent resources, and unwavering commitment to professionalism align perfectly with my values and business goals,” says Flagg in a statement. “With this new partnership, I am confident I will gain access to new opportunities for growth and deliver exceptional results for my clients.” (In 2022, according to RealTrends, Compass did $228 billion in residential sales in the U.S., placing it at No. 1 in the country by volume.)
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In a phone interview with THR, Flagg says that he’s bringing more than $400 million in residential listings with him over to Compass. His current listings include a prime property that’s just hit the market for $11.495 million, a Wallace Neff-designed mansion in Bel-Air that’s the former estate of Judy Garland. “It’s an exquisite traditional home that’s been completely renovated down to the studs,” says Flagg, who’s also selling The Knoll House in Pasadena, a 1916 mansion designed by Myron Hunt and Gordon Kaufman. “It’s the most expensive house in Pasadena,” he says. “It’s also the biggest house. It’s 32,000 square feet with a 20,000-square-foot art gallery.”
Flagg was long a star agent at Rodeo Realty before moving in 2021 to Douglas Elliman, which remains home to his Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles co-stars Josh and Matt Altman and Tracy Tutor. “While I am grateful for my years at Douglas Elliman, especially my colleagues who are like family, I look forward to my next venture. I love Elliman and wish everyone at the firm my very best,” says Flagg, adding that he doesn’t think his move will affect the Bravo show. “We all have amazing relationships and do business together, I don’t see this changing our dynamic in any way whatsoever.”
As for what to expect in the season 15 of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Flagg says he’s not yet at liberty to discuss the upcoming season. “We don’t have a date yet, but it’s coming out very shortly,” is all he would say.
Last year, Flagg got into the media business, launching Estate Media, which focuses on real estate content including video, newsletters and podcasts — former Million Dollar Listing stars James Harris and David Parnes recently joined Estate Media’s talent roster — and he published his third book, The Deal: Secrets for Mastering the Art of Negotiation in late 2022.
He’s also firmly committed to living full-time in Los Angeles, despite buying a house in Miami last summer. “I’ve only been there once for 45 minutes,” says Flagg of the vacation home, which he purchased for $4.25 million along with business partners Adam Rubin and Andrew Shanfeld of private equity and real estate investment firm Carolwood LP.
Flagg lives in Beverly Hills, where he bought a new residence in 2022, a 1926 Italian villa that was listed for $9.2 million and boasts seven bedrooms and more than 7,100 square feet of living space.
Flagg, who regularly makes THR‘s list of Hollywood’s Top Real Estate Agents, specializes in luxury properties in Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills and Bel-Air and regularly sets records in the flats of Beverly Hills. He’s repped such clients as UTA’s Tracey Jacobs, Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson and Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen.
“We’re excited to officially welcome Josh to Compass,” said Compass founder and CEO Robert Reffkin in a statement. “With Josh’s experience and forward-looking approach to his business, I am excited for what he will achieve at Compass.”
In the fall of 2023, the brokerage also unveiled Compass AI, designed to help its agents with creating listing descriptions among other marketing strategies.
