Luxury brokerage The Agency has enlisted Quetzal Grimm to switch allegiances from Compass in order to launch new offices in Silicon Valley, the brokerage announced Tuesday.

Grimm, who most recently served as a sales manager at Compass and previously worked in a number of roles at Alain Pinel Realtors, will lead The Agency’s expansion throughout Silicon Valley with offices located in Los Altos, Palo Alto and Woodside.

“I have had the pleasure to know and work with Quetzal Grimm over the years and am so pleased to welcome him to The Agency,” The Agency President Rainy Hake Austin said in a statement. “At The Agency we are obsessed with creating amazing experiences for our agents and clients through creativity and technology that enhance the human experience. We want to do things differently, better, and Quetzal shares that vision which makes him the perfect person to head up our mid-peninsula expansion.”

Grimm has nearly 20 years of experience in the real estate industry as a manager and team leader across Silicon Valley and the mid-peninsula. In his most recent role at Compass, he helped the company earn nearly $4 billion in annual sales volume produced by over 150 agents across two offices in Woodside and Los Altos. At Alain Pinel, he was a top producing agent and managed offices in the region.

Mauricio Umansky

A Bay Area native, Grimm graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz and is a long-time resident of Redwood City, California. In his new role as managing director, he’ll oversee operations and management of The Agency’s new offices.

“Silicon Valley is a pivotal market for The Agency as we continue to expand our luxury presence and global network,” Mauricio Umansky, CEO of The Agency, said in a statement. “We are dedicated to growing the market with like-minded quality professionals, such as Quetzal. For us it’s about quality not quantity. We look to partner with the best while adapting our brand so that it resonates in new local communities.”

Quetzal Grimm

“I have long admired The Agency’s vision and focus on innovative technology, a truly collaborative culture, and unparalleled creative marketing,” Grimm said in a statement. “I am beyond excited to once again be teamed with Rainy Hake Austin and the firm’s leadership to expand our presence in the San Francisco Bay Area. Together we will continue to elevate the service experience provided to our agents and their clients in unique and creative ways.”

Prior to joining The Agency in October 2020, Austin also worked at Compass. She was also at the center of a lawsuit The Agency filed against Compass about a year ago, arguing that Compass illegally tried to prevent Austin from recruiting Compass agents.

The Agency has been rapidly growing its franchise business over the last few years, with the launch of its most recent franchise — it’s 34th — announced just last week, in Miami, to be led by Umansky and The Agency principal Santiago Arana.

Email Lillian Dickerson