International Luxury Real Estate Firm Launches First Brokerage in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Nov. 7, 2015) - Engel & Völkers, a European-based premium real estate brand, announced today the opening of its first Vancouver office. Engel & Völkers is joining forces with The Carros Group, a real estate brokerage that for more than five years operated as Sotheby's International Realty's highest-grossing Vancouver office.

"Working with Sotheby's has been a great experience, but when Engel & Völkers approached me a few months ago, I saw this as an opportunity to grow and elevate client services in Vancouver," said Greg Carros, President of The Carros Group. "I was impressed with the Engel & Völkers brand, and to be frank, given the company's stellar track record and reputation, I didn't want to compete with them."

Carros adds that working with Engel & Völkers gives him an opportunity to own a franchise, an opportunity that didn't exist with Sotheby's. He estimates that his office has done $600 million in business over the last two years, an attractive proposition for Engel & Völkers.

"Well-known in the industry for serving exclusive clientele, The Carros Group has managed some of Vancouver's most iconic properties," said Anthony Hitt, CEO of Engel & Völkers North America. "The Vancouver team's experience and innate knowledge of the city's luxury marketplace will seamlessly combine with Engel & Völkers' global network to best serve Vancouver's premier real estate needs."

This office will be the eighth Engel & Völkers to open in recent months across Canada.

"Engel & Völkers aggressive expansion into Canada - and now Vancouver - can be viewed as a positive statement," said Jon Stovell, Vice Chair of the Urban Development Institute. "It shows that we are on the global stage for luxury real estate."

The Carros team will operate from its same Yaletown office at 1152 Mainland, with the transition to Engel & Völkers being complete by December 1^st.

"We currently have 35 agents in our Downtown Vancouver office, and that number is expected to rise," said Carros. "Engel & Völkers offers progressive training, technology and marketing tools, which will give our agents an edge over competitors."

Carros is already planning to open offices on the West Side, East Vancouver, West Vancouver and North Vancouver.

Engel & Völkers' current Canadian offices are in Toronto, York, Collingwood, Victoria, Calgary, Montreal and Nanaimo. U.S. cities include New York City, Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, South Bay, Minneapolis and Charlotte. Openings are planned in several new markets.

Engel & Völkers was established in Germany 37 years ago and has become one of the world's leading companies in real estate.

About Engel & Völkers

Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Völkers has become one of the world's leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property, yachts and private aviation. Engel & Völkers currently operates a global network of over 6,000 real estate advisors in more than 650 brokerages spanning 36 countries across four continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. It established its North America corporate headquarters in 2007 and opened its first brokerage in the same year. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Völkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.