Compass poaches city’s top talent from John Daugherty
High-producing agents moving to residential brokerage after they spent two decades at institution in the luxury property market
Laura Sweeney, who sold more than $130 million worth of properties last year to become Houston’s top real estate agent, has moved to Compass, the residential brokerage that’s been hiring away some of the city’s highest-producing agents from their longtime firms by offering hefty bonuses and other perks.
Sweeney and Lisa Kornhauser, the city’s No. 4 agent last year, have joined Compass after two decades at Houstonbased John Daugherty Realtors, a local institution in the luxury property market.
Their moves are the latest among the vast changes reshaping Houston’s residential real estate industry. New firms are entering the market, seizing business from legacy agencies, some of which have responded by consolidating or affiliating with national brands to retain their competitive edge.
Compass, which bills itself as a “real estate technology company,” touts its proprietary data and technology platform for buying and selling property. When it entered the Houston market last year the company brought in several top
local agents from Heritage Texas Properties and Greenwood King.
Since launching in in 2012, New York-based Compass has bankrolled its expansion by raising more than $1 billion from SoftBank, Goldman Sachs and others.
Sweeney and Kornhauser, who have both been in the top ranks of Houston agents for years, count some of the wealthiest Houstonians, from energy magnates to professional sports figures, as clients, buying and selling property in the city’s most affluent neighborhoods, including River Oaks, Memorial, West University, Tanglewood and Bellaire.
Sweeney referred calls to Compass, which later put out a press release in which she was quoted citing Compass’ capabilities, including a service that allows sellers to make improvements to their homes, or stage them, without incurring costs until they’ve sold, as among the reasons for her move.
“The real estate industry is changing and joining Compass will allow me to offer innovative, unique and cuttingedge tools and service to continue serving my clients and selling homes in Houston,” she said in the release.
Sweeney was involved in 61 transactions in 2018, according to according to Real Trends, a Coloradobased data provider specializing in the residential real estate industry. She ranked No. 86 nationally. Kornhauser’s tally was $83 million in sales last year with 68 transactions.
Both agents have received sales awards and accolades over the years from the industry and Daugherty, their former brokerage.
Chairman John Daugherty Jr. and Cheri Fama, president of the company, released a joint statement Friday in which they did not refer the agent departures.
“John Daugherty, Realtors has been successfully serving the Greater Houston area for over 53 years. We take pride in our professionalism and investment in market knowledge. This expertise, coupled with our incomparable sales team, are the reasons we will remain a leader in residential real estate,” their statement read.
Jacob Sudhoff, who recently launched a Texas outpost of Douglas Elliman, the New York-based agency known for its multimillion-dollar listings and celebrity agents, said companies are scrambling for market share.
Over the summer, established Houston brokerage Heritage Texas Properties was acquired by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene, creating a company with more than 1,300 agents and a nearly 6 percent share of the market.
“Local brokerages are going to have a difficult time competing with the larger, national brands that have more infrastructure and more tools for their agents,” he said.
Erik Bahr, Compass’ regional president for Texas, said the company’s newest agents will bring experience in addition to market share.
Sweeney brings with her to Compass Wendy Rutledge, J.B. McGhan and Ashley Miranda. Her daughter, Lexi Sakowitz Marek has also joined the company. Lisa brings Kevin Johnson, Marcus Selander and Ellie Albritton.
“Laura and Lisa’s knowledge of the Houston market has allowed them each to realize incredible success in residential real estate and we look forward to the growth of their businesses as they marry their talents with our Compass support, tools and network,” he said in the press release. “As top agents in Houston, the addition of Laura and Lisa to our Compass family allows us to expand our market share as our agents work to provide their clients with the highest levels of service and value.”