It’s been another 12 months of rough sailing in L.A.’s luxury real estate sector. Confronted with market-chilling headwinds — from the year-old “mansion tax” to stubbornly high interest rates and scarce inventory — many of the area’s top agents saw their numbers dip.
But the 35 brokers below (selected according to metrics that include total sales volume from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024; media visibility; and the wattage of their celebrity clientele) have found a way to power through the storm. “2024 was an incredible year for the people that chose to be in the market,” Carolwood’s Cooper Mount says. “There were struggles across the board. However, buyers that had patience and perseverance were able to secure some of the great deals that exist in the city. On the flip side, sellers that had A+ houses, in prime locations, as long as they were positioned correctly, were able to enjoy record-setting sales prices.”
Drew Fenton
Despite racking up nearly half a billion dollars in sales in the past year, Carolwood CEO and co-founder Fenton is looking forward to a more prosperous 2025. “We are optimistic the market will improve as rates go down,” he says. “Quality inventory is very scarce.” This from a man who just repped the seller in a record-breaking $75 million deal at Point Dume and a $65 million sale in Beverly Hills. His current offerings include the $137.5 million Aaron and Candy Spelling estate, Cher’s $75 million Malibu estate and the legendary Conrad Hilton estate, co-listed with several other top agents on this list and priced at a cool $195 million.
Justin Huchel
For Justin Huchel, the road to dominance in the luxury market was paved with grit and cheap Mexican food. “When I came out to L.A., I got a position working for one of the most successful agents in Beverly Hills at that time,” he recalls. “I was so broke that I used to order one taco and extra chips from Baja Fresh every day for lunch. When I finally sold my first house for $1.1 million behind the Chateau Marmont, I felt like I had hit the lottery.” Huchel has come a long way since, with sales of $112 million last year, and clients including Meghan Trainor, Harry Styles, Lea Michele, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis and Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford.
Linda May
The queen of pedigree properties, Linda May boasts $152 million in sales between June 2023 and July 2024. Notable deals include the sale of Larry and Joan Flax’s Hollywood Deco Estate in Beverly Park for $42.5 million (May repped both sides). Current listings include Villa dei Fiori, on the market for $150 million, and she counts James Burrows and Mel and Susan Geliebter among her high-profile clients. “Los Angeles is filled with exciting homes that have such rich architectural history,” she says. “The thing I love the most is discovering a house that I’ve never seen before and finding its perfect match.”
Cooper Mount
The Malibu native, Cooper Mount, can’t imagine selling real estate anywhere else. “The cast of characters in this city is second to none, the culture is incredible, the history deep and the weather immaculate,” Mount says. “I can start a morning by showing beach houses in Malibu steeped in Hollywood history, head to Bel-Air to show historical estates with tycoon pedigrees and end in Los Feliz showing editorial grade, world-renowned architectural homes. Where else can you do that?” During the past 12 months, he’s made $235 million in sales, boosting his career total to $800 million.
James Harris & David Parnes
It’s been a big year, with the Bond Street Partners joining Carolwood in February. Recent standout deals include repping both sides of the off-market sale of Robbie Williams’ estate in Holmby Hills to Afterpay co-founder Nick Molnar for $67.5 million. Other clients include Kevin Durant and Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford. Says Parnes, “We get to meet such a diverse range of people, and that definitely always keeps it fun.”
