{"id":899290,"date":"2026-04-15T11:13:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/15\/ryan-serhant-announces-major-expansion-across-california\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:13:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:13:36","slug":"ryan-serhant-announces-major-expansion-across-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/15\/ryan-serhant-announces-major-expansion-across-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Serhant Announces Major Expansion Across California"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Real estate tycoon<\/a> Ryan Serhant<\/a><\/strong> is making his biggest move yet\u2014expanding his eponymous brokerage into California<\/a>, where he believes his business will find its greatest opportunities for success, even amid a time of great volatility in the wake of the 2025 wildfires<\/a> and fallout from a proposed billionaire tax on the state’s wealthiest residents<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The 41-year-old founder of Serhant<\/a> has officially launched across Los Angeles<\/a>, Orange County<\/a>, San Diego<\/a>, San Francisco<\/a>, and Lake Tahoe<\/a>, with an agent roster responsible for more than $2 billion in annual sales volume, according to a press release shared with Realtor.com\u00ae<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Serhant is launching in California with 16 founding agents, including former \u201cBuying Beverly Hills\u201d star<\/a> Ben Belack<\/strong>, who will serve as one of the founding agents and executive vice president of Serhant\u2019s California headquarters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The move marks the company\u2019s largest market debut to date and its 16th state since expanding beyond New York<\/a>, underscoring the firm\u2019s rapid national growth.<\/p>\n

It is a milestone moment for Serhant and one that has taken years of careful planning. Yet, at the same time, the real estate mogul says it also feels completely inevitable. <\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, it\u2019s pretty clear for one, in the United States, to truly be a national company, California is not optional, I think it\u2019s foundational,\u201d he tells Realtor.com<\/a>. \u201cIf you’re building a national platform to empower the next generation of salespeople, yes, but also homebuyers and home sellers, you have to be in California.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cI believe it\u2019s where brand culture, media, technology, and real estate really collide, and it\u2019s one of the most important real estate markets in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Real estate tycoon Ryan Serhant is making his biggest move yet\u2014expanding his eponymous brokerage into California, where he believes his business will find its greatest opportunities for success.<\/span>SERHANT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The expansion continues a pattern that has defined Serhant\u2019s career\u2014launching during moments of uncertainty. <\/p>\n

His decision to launch in California comes at a tricky time for the housing market, which was heavily impacted by the 2025 wildfires and is now seeing an exodus of its wealthiest residents fleeing a proposed billionaire tax. <\/p>\n

The proposed legislation, which would apply a one-time 5% tax to any billionaire who was a full-time resident in the Golden State as of Jan. 1, 2026, has already seen several of California’s wealthiest residents moving their homes, businesses, and personal wealth to other states\u2014and has faced furious backlash from critics, including Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For many, choosing this moment to expand a real estate business to the Golden State might seem risky. But Serhant says he’s never shied away from taking the risks that others fear. <\/p>\n

\u201cI like to do things against the grain,\u201d he says, recalling how he started his brokerage in September 2020, during the height of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember doing interviews \u2026 and the first thing everyone would ask me is, \u2018Are you sick? Are you OK? Why would you start a company right now? New York<\/a> is dead, real estate is over, we\u2019re all gonna die.\u2019 That didn\u2019t happen, and it was the best decision we could have made.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand for Serhant in California is the most we’ve ever seen it from any market.”<\/p>\n

Despite the tax proposal and the backlash to it, Serhant still sees this moment as one of opportunity, not least because it has thrust California’s policies and the corresponding ramifications into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for right now, the opportunity is great\u2014I think because there\u2019s a lot of pressure on policy in the state,” he says.<\/p>\n

Still, the real estate mogul believes that the proposed tax bill will only serve to discourage financial growth in the state\u2014insisting that policy should not punish residents, but rather empower and inspire them to achieve new heights. <\/p>\n

\u201cPolicy should never create punishment. It should create prizes. You want to incentivize your constituents,” he says. “Every state is a company. Creating a tax on wealth disincentivizes not just the wealthy, but anyone who was hoping to become wealthy.<\/p>\n

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The founder of Serhant has officially launched across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe with an agent roster responsible for more than $2 billion in annual sales volume, according to a press release shared with Realtor.com.\u00a0<\/span>SERHANT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Serhant is bringing in 16 founders to the California market, including former \u201cBuying Beverly Hills\u201d star Ben Belack, who will serve as one of the founding agents and executive vice president of Serhant\u2019s California center.\u00a0<\/span>Courtesy of Ben Belack<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cPeople will gladly pay more taxes if they’re earning more \u2026 but until you can show people what you’ve done with the money we’ve already given to you, you can’t ask for more!”<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s expansion also comes after a year of navigating real-world crises, including assisting clients impacted by devastating California wildfires.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very active during those fires. They’re devastating,\u201d Serhant says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have family, friends, and clients who are, throughout Greater Los Angeles, who lost homes in the Palisades, and we created a hotline to help move people. We created a toll-free hotline that anyone could call where we could help them with housing, so that people didn’t feel, you know, lost,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had partners in every state. It was super helpful. We moved people immediately because the rental market went through the roof, but it is what it is, and so we brought a lot of people to Connecticut<\/a> and Florida<\/a> and South Carolina<\/a>, specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as he expands into one of the country\u2019s most expensive housing markets, Serhant is pushing back on the widely cited narrative of a national housing shortage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t believe that there is a housing crisis. I believe that everyone who wants a house has one. It just might not be the house they thought they wanted,” he states.<\/p>\n

Indeed, California has seen a steady increase in its overall median sales price, which hit a six-year peak in 2025 at $745,417, according to Realtor.com data. Additionally, the current median listing price of $734,500\u2014though not quite as high as it was in 2024, when it reached $756,099\u2014is still well above the national figure of $415,450.<\/p>\n

The state’s luxury markets are also among the priciest across the U.S., something that Serhant, as an expert in marketing some of Manhattan’s most expensive properties, will no doubt be hoping to leverage.<\/p>\n

Summerland, for example, currently has a median listing price of $17.7 million, according to Realtor.com data, while Atherton’s is $14 million. Newport Coast, where Serhant plans to focus at least some of his efforts, currently has a median listing price of $11.9 million. <\/p>\n

But while there will be a focus on these areas, the businessman notes that his expansion into California will be anything but stereotypical. <\/p>\n

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For Serhant, the move was inevitable.<\/span>SERHANT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The expansion continues a pattern that has defined Serhant\u2019s career\u2014launching during moments of uncertainty.<\/span>SERHANT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Unlike many legacy brokerages, Serhant is not scaling through acquisitions. Instead, the firm builds markets organically by recruiting top-performing agents and equipping them with its in-house technology and media engine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grow completely organically. We\u2019re a content-to-community to platform, to commerce business,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe $2 [billion] to $2.5 billion in sales volume that is joining us from San Francisco, San Diego, the OC, Beverly Hills, and Tahoe\u2014it\u2019s all coming organically.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe buy no one, we buy nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

That strategy is reflected in the firm\u2019s California rollout, which includes a roster of high-profile agents across key luxury markets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles, top-producing broker Belack joins as Executive Vice President and founding member, bringing more than $1 billion in career sales. He said joining the firm felt like a natural fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve admired Ryan and what he\u2019s built with Serhant for years, joining Serhant feels like a natural alignment,\u201d he says in the press release. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly excited to help build California alongside Ryan and the Serhant team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also in Los Angeles, Courtney Poulos<\/strong>, founder of ACME Real Estate, joins as a founding member after more than two decades in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future belongs to the AI-enabled, media savvy and visible agent,\u201d she adds in a press release. \u201cThe Serhant platform was irresistible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Orange County, Annie Clougherty<\/strong> joins as a founding member, bringing nearly $1 billion in career sales.<\/p>\n

“Serhant\u2019s identity as a media and marketing company first \u2026 immediately resonated with me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt reflects a commitment to authentic relationships, now amplified on a global stage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Serhant is launching in California with a team of seasoned real estate experts. In San Diego, Malena Boetel and Amber Welch join as co-leaders of Serhant’s Exclusive Group.<\/span>Valeria Kar, Brand You Photography<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Courtney Poulos, Robyn Flint, and Patrick Michael are also joining Serhant’s team.<\/span>Courtesy of Courtney Poulos; Courtesy of Patrick Michael; Courtesy of Robyn Flint <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile in San Diego, Malena Boetel<\/strong> and Amber Welch<\/strong> join as co-leaders of Serhant’s Exclusive Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cSerhant is a media and tech-driven marketing platform that delivers results,\u201d Boetel says. \u201cNow, Serhant allows me to deliver at the highest level for my clients.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Welch adds: \u201cSerhant is built for that evolution\u2014combining elite sales strategy with unmatched media power to a global audience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Northern California, Lisa Smith<\/strong> joins to lead her team, citing the firm\u2019s innovation-driven approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cApproaching the real estate industry from a media perspective \u2026 combined with amazing technology is what I believe to be the winning formula,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the core of the company\u2019s strategy is its proprietary AI platform, S.MPLE, along with its in-house creative and media arms, which allow agents to amplify listings and reach global audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Serhant explains that this strategy has helped make it easier for foreign buyers to become customers as an influx of foreigners head to California.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can put our properties in front of all those people in the palm of their hand in 10 seconds,\u201d Serhant tells Realtor.com. \u201cWe sell properties faster and for more money because we can create marketplaces.”<\/p>\n

Beyond business, Serhant, who previously confessed that he struggled balancing being a parent with being a CEO in “Owning Manhattan,” also opened up about how his personal life has become intertwined with his work.<\/p>\n

In September, Serhant’s wife, Emilia<\/strong>, with whom he shares a daughter, Zena<\/strong>, announced that she had joined his New York brokerage\u2014and has thus far proven herself to be a dab hand in the real estate business. <\/p>\n

\u201cI brought my wife to work. It\u2019s unfair; my first deal was for like $700. Her first deal was for like $16 million,” Serhant shares. “She\u2019s a broker, but she\u2019s an incredible culture champion here, especially for women and women in business.<\/p>\n

\u201cZena\u2019s now 7, and she\u2019s very aware of what we do. She asks me about deals, and the company, and what states we are in. She\u2019s like, \u2018Oh great, do I live in California now?\u2019 I\u2019m like, no, not yet, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Just go back to being 3. It was much better.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Kelsi Karruli is a senior celebrity reporter who joined Realtor.com in 2025. She writes about trends encompassing real estate and celebrity properties. She previously wrote for Daily Mail, True Urban Culture, and JMedia Corporation, where she specialized in covering celebrities, relationships, psychology, and gender issues. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Pace University, where she received the James Rose Award for excellence in journalism. When she isn\u2019t updating readers on A-listers’ moves, she is spending time with her cat, Mary, and cheering on the Albanian soccer team.<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Kelsi Karruli<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Real estate tycoon Ryan Serhant is making his biggest move yet\u2014expanding his eponymous brokerage into California, where he believes his business will find its greatest opportunities for success, even amid a time of great volatility in the wake of the 2025 wildfires and fallout from a proposed billionaire tax on the state’s wealthiest residents. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":899291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[551,140410],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-899290","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-announces","8":"category-serhant"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=899290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/899291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=899290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=899290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=899290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}