Christie's to re-launch in NYC with former Coldwell Banker Warburg agents

Coldwell Banker Warburg agents are getting another rebrand, and a big name in brokerage is getting another chance at operating in New York City. In July, agents were informed their brokerage would be folding into the Compass brand and operating as Warburg at Compass. Those plans have now been scrapped for agents to instead work under the Christie's International Real Estate brand for New York City, according to a press release. Compass acquired Coldwell Banker's owned brokerage and franchise operations as part of its $1.6 billion deal for Anywhere Real Estate, which also included heavyweight brands in the city like Corcoran and Sotheby's International Real Estate. Compass separately acquired the Christie's franchise operation in December 2024 as part of a roughly $450 million deal that also included Chicago-based @properties. Earlier this summer, Christie's lost a significant presence in the city and broader tri-state area after it severed its franchise agreement with Christie's International Real Estate Group LLC, the arm that served as the exclusive affiliate of the Christie's brand across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The firm didn't specify a reason for the split. Agents later told TRD that payment issues have been pervasive at the franchise in recent years, despite complaints to leadership. The former Christie's International Real Estate Group, which counted around 30 offices and over 100 agents at the time of its separation, quickly joined The Agency as The Agency One Rock. SIGN UP The new Christie's brokerage will be an owned brokerage under Christie's International Real Estate, unlike the previous franchise group that operated in the city. Moving former Coldwell Banker Warburg agents under the Christie's banner would expand the Christie's brand within Manhattan, according to TRD's latest rankings. Coldwell Banker Warburg ranked eighth, claiming $243 million in sell-side transactions for closing recorded in 2025, ahead of Christie's International Real Estate Group, which claimed 10th with $192 million in sell-side transactions. Both groups are still dwarfed by Compass International Holdings' other brands in Manhattan, including the Compass brokerage, which recorded $5.7 billion in sell-side transactions last year, and Corcoran and Sotheby's International Realty, which did $5.3 billion and $1.6 billion in sell-side deals, respectively. Roughly 120 agents from Warburg and several agents from the former Christie's International Real Estate Group will be joining the new Christie's arm in the city. Former Coldwell Banker Warburg regional vice president Kevelyn Guzman, who took over at the brokerage in 2023, will stay on to lead the new firm, which will be headquartered in the Upper East Side at 60th Street and Madison Avenue.