NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Christie’s International Real Estate, the real estate arm of Christie’s and the world’s leading expert on luxury residential real estate, announced today its new brokerage operating under the Christie’s International Real Estate brand in the greater Seattle, Washington, region. The new venture will be led by Kendra Ratcliff, of Luxe Christie’s International Real Estate, Christie’s International Real Estate’s exclusive Affiliate in Oregon and Washington, and Scott Wasner, a leading expert in luxury real estate in the greater Seattle region. Mr. Wasner joins from Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty as co-founder and executive vice president of the new Seattle brokerage, and joins Christie’s International Real Estate’s Master Circle, which is a program for the elite luxury real estate specialists from Christie’s International Real Estate’s global brokerage network.
Christie’s International Real Estate’s 2018 Luxury Defined report named Seattle a market to watch with approximately 70% year-over-year growth in luxury homes sales. The market remains strong thanks to robust economic growth from companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Expedia, Starbuck’s and Boeing that call Seattle home.
Dan Conn, CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate, said: “Kendra, along with Terry Sprague, has successfully built Luxe Christie’s International Real Estate into a market leader in Portland, Oregon. With proven luxury real estate advisory expertise, and a track record of collaborating with the Christie’s auction house and the global real estate network, Kendra and Terry are perfectly positioned to establish a brokerage in the large, dynamic and growing market of Seattle under the Christie’s International Real Estate brand with Scott. We are excited that Scott is joining Kendra and Terry to launch this new business. Scott brings more than two decades of sales, marketing and exceptional client service with a keen focus on providing private consultation and advice to his clients while achieving record sales in both price and price per square foot, establishing him as one of the most distinguished real estate brokers specializing in luxury properties from penthouses to waterfront properties across the state of Washington.”
Ms. Ratcliff said: “I look forward to bringing luxury real estate services to the Seattle market. The city is a global hub with its proximity to the Pacific Rim, as well as Vancouver, British Columbia, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Many residents have second homes in the mountain markets of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Sun Valley, Idaho; Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada; and Aspen and Telluride in Colorado, as well as in Hawaii, all locations where Christie’s International Real Estate has affiliated brokerages. I am confident that we will provide our clientele, many of whom are Christie’s clients, the service they have come to expect from this venerated 253-year-old brand.”
Mr. Wasner said: “I am thrilled to bring Christie’s International Real Estate to the greater Seattle region and offer the highest level of client service and global exposure to my clients through an authentic relationship with the Christie’s auction house, which is privately held, and its affiliated global luxury brands, both of which offer significant cross-marketing opportunities to provide greater exposure to a broader luxury clientele versus what traditional real estate companies offer. Further, collaboration across the global Christie’s International Real Estate network opens up more opportunities to provide superior real estate advisory services to my clients, many of whom work throughout the region from California to Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Asia, and who own second homes in the mountain regions and in Hawaii where there is a strong Christie’s International Real Estate network presence.”
Mr. Wasner joins Christie’s International Real Estate’s Seattle brokerage from Realogics Sotheby's International Realty, where he was a co-founder and has served as a global real estate advisor for more than nine years. During his time there, he was broker and director of private residences overseeing the sales and marketing of the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle residential development. Before launching his career in real estate, Mr. Wasner held senior-level positions in sales and marketing management within the high-end sector of the travel industry, which allowed him to travel extensively and conduct business throughout more than 46 countries.
In January 2018, Christie’s International Real Estate opened its first company brokerage in New York City — with an office within the gallery space of Christie’s North American headquarters at Rockefeller Plaza. Since then, Christie’s International Real Estate-branded brokerages have launched in Aspen, Colorado, Northern New Jersey, and Westchester and the Hudson Valley in New York. The success of the Christie’s International Real Estate branded brokerages, grounded in a passion for the collection of jewelry, watches, handbags, wine, great works of art, and the ownership of the most extraordinary homes in the world, was a major determining factor in pursuing this brand strategy in Seattle with Luxe Christie’s International Real Estate. It is part of an ongoing initiative to further broaden the reach of the Christie’s International Real Estate brand and to ensure that Christie’s clients around the world are represented in the most important luxury real estate enclaves.
About Christie’s International Real Estate
Christie’s International Real Estate has successfully marketed high-value real estate around the world for more than 30 years. Through its New York City brokerage and invitation-only Affiliate network spanning 49 countries and territories, Christie’s International Real Estate offers incomparable services to a global clientele at the luxury end of the residential property market. The company has offices in London, New York City, Hong Kong, Moscow, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Palm Beach, and its affiliated brokerages have recorded approximately US$500 billion of real estate transactions over the last five years. (Data as of September 30, 2019.) For additional information, please visit christiesrealestate.com.