Introduction to Mark McLaughlin
Former Pacific Union and Compass California boss Mark McLaughlin has retired, kind of. “I turned 66 [on Tuesday] and I think it’s my turn to enjoy my life with Monique, my wife,” McLaughlin said as he described his new part-time advisory role with Compass earlier this week. After his two-year contract as chief real estate strategist ended this summer, McLaughlin’s now settled into semi-retirement, if you can call it that.
McLaughlin’s New Role
Aside from his role at Compass, he’s an advisor in Homeowner.ai and mortgage lender Realfinity through past investments made via his venture fund, McLaughlin Ventures. Taking on additional clients in the brokerage business is not likely, he said, pointing to a conflict of interest given his insights into Compass. The executive was Compass California president between September 2018 and December 2020. Before that, McLaughlin grew Pacific Union International through a dozen acquisitions when he stepped into the CEO role in 2009. When Compass bought Pacific Union, McLaughlin had grown the brokerage to $14 billion in annual sales volume.
Anatomy of a Brokerage Deal
All that said, McLaughlin’s not stepping away from the M&A world entirely. In fact, before he hung up the phone with The Real Deal, he offered his final comment: “Make my phone ring.” That was after plenty of shop talk around the current state of play for brokerage M&A. McLaughlin expects continued industry consolidation, acknowledging that, while this may not look like a good time to sell, earnouts and other clauses baked into a contract could make a trade more palatable to sellers.
Compass Makes Another Colorado Buy
One name that’s making things work on the M&A front: Compass. The brokerage said Thursday it snapped up Littleton, Colo.-based Colorado Home Realty, which counted $617.2 million in 2024 sales volume under co-founder and CEO Matt Hudson. The brokerage joins Compass’ existing footprint in the state with nearly 20 offices in Aspen, Boulder, Denver and Vail among other locations. Colorado Home Realty’s acquisition follows Compass’ purchase in early July of PorchLight Real Estate Group, also based in Colorado. PorchLight had sales volume last year of $922.3 million.
LA’s Largest Brokerages
Speaking of sales volume, TRD’s ranking of Los Angeles’ largest brokerages was published in our September issue and elicited strong reactions as they always do. On the actual substance of the rankings, the top three firms remained unchanged with Compass leading the pack by a wide margin with $14.5 billion in sales across 5,966 on-market deals for the July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025 reporting period. Coldwell Banker Realty came in at No. 2 with $5.4 billion in volume and 2,289 deals. Meanwhile, The Agency closed on $3.6 billion across 1,147 deals to round out the top three.
Palisades Resi Bests Itself, Again
If anyone’s keeping tabs on Carolwood, it only took a week for the firm’s name to resurface in another TRD headline. The brokerage was involved with the $25.8 million sale of 1124 Napoli Drive, which was dropped in the MLS for comp purposes but traded off market. Napoli Drive now sits as the Palisades’ most expensive residential purchase this year. Carolwood’s Zac Mostame and the Beverly Hills Estates Lea Porter together represented both the buyer and seller in that trade.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, Mark McLaughlin’s transition into a part-time advisory role at Compass marks a significant shift in his career, but his insights into the world of mergers and acquisitions remain invaluable. As the real estate landscape continues to evolve, McLaughlin’s expectations of continued industry consolidation and the nuances of brokerage deals will be closely watched.
FAQs
Q: What is Mark McLaughlin’s new role at Compass?
A: Mark McLaughlin has taken on a part-time advisory role at Compass, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.
Q: What were some of Mark McLaughlin’s achievements during his time at Pacific Union International?
A: Mark McLaughlin grew Pacific Union International through a dozen acquisitions and increased the brokerage’s annual sales volume to $14 billion.
Q: What is the current state of the brokerage M&A market according to Mark McLaughlin?
A: Mark McLaughlin expects continued industry consolidation, with earnouts and other clauses making trades more palatable to sellers.
