Christie’s International Real Estate has expanded its presence in Northeast Florida by adding a brokerage that recorded $1 billion in sales volume last year. The company announced it has brought on First Coast, formerly affiliated with Engel & Völkers, as its newest franchise. The brokerage will now operate as Christie’s International Real Estate First Coast and is led by founder Corey Hastings.
Hastings, who previously played football at Ohio University and pursued an NFL career before moving into real estate, established the firm in Jacksonville in 2018. The brokerage currently employs 130 agents and serves the Jacksonville metropolitan area through six offices located in Amelia Island, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Johns, San Marco, and Neptune Beach. Plans are underway to open another office in St. Augustine.
First Coast’s transition comes during a period of significant consolidation within the real estate industry. Recently, Compass announced its acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate for $1.6 billion in an all-stock deal. First Coast is included under the Compass umbrella due to Compass’ $444 million acquisition of @properties and Christie’s last year.
The move follows a trend among brokerages seeking to expand their footprint in Florida after the state experienced a boom during the pandemic years. In 2022, One Sotheby’s International Realty acquired First Coast Sotheby’s International Realty—a separate firm from Hastings’—which had 93 agents and posted $770 million in sales volume prior to being acquired.
Jacksonville’s real estate market saw rapid growth during the pandemic but has since cooled off. As reported by the Jacksonville Business Journal, inventory levels were up 23.5 percent compared to pre-pandemic figures as of July, while median home values have started to decline. According to Redfin data from August, the median price for a single-family home in Jacksonville stands at $325,700.
