In partnership with We Feature You
1 – Marc Hernandez
Marc Hernandez is a highly accomplished and respected real estate agent, ranked among the top 5% of agents in the United States. He is known for his empathetic and conscientious approach to client service and has built a diverse and impressive roster of clients, including accountants, actors, attorneys, and media executives. His ultimate mission is to set himself apart by demonstrating the highest ethical and professional standards in the real estate industry.
Hernandez’s dedication to excellence is rooted in his diverse background and business experience. A graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business, he’s held various positions in the business world, including managing luxury retail space, servicing entertainment clients, and leading a national digital media sales team. Additionally, he is a passionate advocate for arts, serving on the boards of several cultural organizations and supporting the Los Angeles Conservancy, LACMA, and MOCA.
Currently, Hernandez leads a team of agents at Compass in Beverly Hills, working within a unified, national real estate technology platform. He has a proven track record of delivering outstanding results for his clients, with a 95%-win rate on multiple offers for his buyer clients and is known for his innovative approach and ability to connect great people with great property.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/themarchernandez/
2 – Donegan McCuaig
Donegan McCuaig is the owner and commercial real estate broker for Quixotic Realty. He has earned a reputation as a leading expert in creative space, creative office space, and small business retail in Los Angeles. Despite experiencing homelessness while starting his business, Donegan has gone on to become a highly respected broker in the city, known for leasing a high volume of smaller spaces. He’s received the title of “Best Commercial Broker in DTLA” from readers of the LADT News for six out of the eight previous years and has also been recognized with the Costar Power Broker Award for Retail Volume in 2017.
Donegan has established himself and his brand as an excellent and reliable source in the industry, despite facing an uphill battle in competing with large corporate brokerages with bigger names. He has achieved this through his commitment to bringing commercial landlords quality tenants and creating never-before-seen amounts of leasing activity through his firm’s internet presence. In addition to that, his focus on transparency and integrity for parties on both sides of any deal has made him a trusted source for commercial tenants and buyers. Looking ahead, Donegan plans to expand his work in commercial real estate sales and continue his successful career in the industry. His advice for other brokers in the field is to prioritize the quality of clients and contract terms over quantity in order to achieve success in commercial real estate brokerage.
FB: https://facebook.com/quixoticrealty
IG: https://instagram.com/quixoticrealty
3 – Ethan James
Ethan James is a Realtor® with a unique background in marketing and lead generation. He’s been working in the industry for over 2 years and has a passion for taking Realtors from the street to becoming Top Producers. He became licensed as a Real Estate agent back in 2022 and is committed to providing a one-of-a-kind service to his clients using systems to get their houses to market as soon as possible. With a background in marketing, Ethan understands the importance of the digital world and how to capitalize on it.
Ethan believes in the importance of having a personal connection with clients when it comes to real estate. He shares that when choosing a Real Estate agent, it’s important to get along with them on a personal level, as it can make a huge difference in achieving their real estate goals. In a few years, Ethan dreams of owning his own brokerage where agents can join his team and get coaching from himself and his team. He wants to provide support to agents and help them scale with their branding and marketing efforts. He plans to make his brokerage cloud-based to help agents work remotely and to be more efficient.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethan.ejk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanejk/
4 – Erik Marion
Erik Marion is a realtor, actor, and life enthusiast who is passionate about helping people achieve homeownership and freedom. With over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, Erik has a unique perspective on the importance of helping his clients find a house that truly feels like home.
Erik’s mission is to empower underrepresented Black and brown communities by providing education and guidance on the home-buying process. He believes that homeownership is a key factor in creating generational wealth and is committed to helping others achieve this important milestone. Erik has been able to share his knowledge as a member of The LA Home Girl, a Black, female-led real estate team at Compass that promotes diversity and inclusion. In the coming years, Erik wants to continue building meaningful relationships with clients and friends to create a culture of inclusion where more people are inspired to embrace the joy of homeownership.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/realerikmarion/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelahomegirl/
5 – Jessica Ezor
Jessica Ezor is a highly accomplished real estate agent in Los Angeles, distinguished by her in-depth understanding of the city’s diverse neighborhoods as a native. Growing up in Brentwood and attending Harvard-Westlake High School, she gained valuable knowledge of the city’s many areas, from Malibu to Pasadena. After graduating from the George Washington University, Jessica returned to Los Angeles and began her career at a top entertainment talent agency. During her tenure at the agency, she was exposed to cut-throat negotiations, which prepared her well for the competitive real estate landscape.
Jessica’s passion for real estate was sparked after she purchased her first family home in Little Holmby. It was then that she decided to pursue a career as a realtor. With a vast network of high-profile and high net-worth clients, many of whom she is friends with, Jessica has an edge in the industry. Additionally, her involvement in her son’s schooling, extra-curricular activities, and sports, as well as her participation in local non-profit organizations, puts her at the forefront of learning about pocket listings and upcoming listings before most agents know about them. Jessica advises her clients with transparency, passion, and knowledge of the city’s ever-changing trends, making her the perfect matchmaker for her clients in the real estate industry.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/jessieblattezor/
6 – Ray Lyon
Ray Lyon is known for his passion and success in the industry, having sold over 500 million dollars’ worth of real estate and assisting hundreds of clients throughout his career all over Santa Monica, Mar Vista & its surrounding areas. With an MBA in international business and a background in marketing, he brings a unique perspective to real estate. In addition to his expertise in new construction, having built and flipped several homes himself, he also works with a number of investors looking to do 1031 exchanges.
Lyon’s hard work and dedication have earned him numerous accolades, including being named on the Wall Street Journal’s Real Trends Best Professional List, LA Business Journal’s Top Agent Award, and LA Magazine’s Real Estate All-Star List. This has also led to his ranking among the top 1.5% of realtors nationwide. In a constantly shifting market, Lyon emphasizes the importance of adaptability and out-of-the-box thinking in order to succeed.
Ray is eager to share his wisdom and experience with others, always seeking new opportunities to positively impact the industry. In addition, he’s also an active member and donor to “Giveback Homes”, a community of real estate professionals committed to creating social change by helping build homes for deserving families around the globe. He believes real estate is a path to financial success and is dedicated to helping his clients achieve their goals. In the coming years, he plans to continue growing his career, work on more development projects, and assist buyers in finding off-market new construction properties.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/raylyon_realty/
7 – Melissa Pilon
Melissa Pilon is a successful Real Estate Advisor at Compass, based in the South Bay, with an extensive background in marketing and operations. After working for nearly a decade in the advertising industry, she transitioned into residential real estate. After joining Compass, Melissa quickly became a top-performing agent, putting more homes under contract within the first 60 days of joining Compass than any other agent in the same time period. Using her marketing and operations expertise, Melissa built her own business with systems in place to offer a seamless and elevated experience for her clients. Despite the challenges of the 2021 and 2022 housing market, Melissa’s ability to be proactive, think creatively, negotiate and put her client’s interests first helped her succeed and establish a strong reputation in the field. Melissa’s career highlights include being listed as a 2023 Real Estate All-Star in LA Magazine and ranking in RealTrends 2022 Top Solo Real Estate Agents in the US based on sales volume.
Melissa is known for her calm, solutions-focused approach, as well as her deep connection with the South Bay community. She sees herself growing her business and helping more clients sell their homes, while coaching other real estate agents and positively impacting even more people. She believes in the power of supportive networks and values learning from her colleagues and clients to be successful in her career.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/melissapilonhomes/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissapilonhomes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBo-Ha0EF_lS-RpJp1OpgkA
8 – Andreas Kramer and Mindy Sahagun
Andreas Kramer and Mindy Sahagun are a successful real estate duo in Los Angeles known as “The Real Estate Dynamic Duo.” Andreas is a commercial and luxury residential real estate consultant with a background in investing, development, and international transactions. He has a strong track record of helping business owners and corporations achieve their commercial goals through purchases, sales, and leases, and has built his clientele almost entirely through client referrals. In addition to his work in real estate, Andreas has also held executive management positions with major Fortune 500 companies, including Deutsche Bank, Samsung, Harman International, and Sony BMG.
Mindy is a creative marketing and interior design consultant with 18 years of experience in the industry and a reputation for integrity, trustworthiness, honesty, and creative vision and innovation. She has a strong background in marketing and sales, having honed her skills at some of the most powerful Hollywood companies such as CBS, Warner Music, and BMG, where she promoted some of the biggest music acts on the planet. As a proud Angeleno with a passion for the city’s distinctive architecture and design, Mindy has lived in some of L.A.’s most desirable neighborhoods and is able to offer valuable insights to clients.
Together, they specialize in discreet transactions with celebrities and large businesses and aim to deliver a “White Glove Client Experience” to all of their clients, whom they serve in English, German, and Spanish while being committed to honesty, integrity, and professionalism.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kramerandreas/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/andykramerhomes/
9 – Kawika Hiroshige
Kawika Hiroshige has deep roots in the Pasadena, CA area, having been born and raised there. This local knowledge gives him a unique understanding of the various market microclimates within the city, which can be a valuable asset for his clients looking to buy or sell real estate in the area. Before becoming a realtor, Kawika worked as a Golf Professional at two prestigious golf facilities in West LA – Brentwood Country Club and Urban Golf Performance. In this role, he worked with a number of high-profile celebrities and other notable LA/Hollywood socialites, gaining valuable experience in providing top-notch service to high-net-worth individuals. Kawika started golfing at the age of 19 and became a Golf Pro by the time he was 22, which he credits with helping him develop the discipline and determination needed to succeed in real estate.
Working in a high-end service industry has also given him a deep understanding of what is expected when providing service to these types of clients, which he brings to his work as a realtor. Kawika’s wisdom and lesson for others is to “do kind things for others without expecting anything in return, as eventually, your good deeds will come back to you in abundance.” In the coming years, Kawika hopes to continue building and diversifying his real estate career while nurturing his family’s growth in Pasadena.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/itzkawika
FB: https://www.facebook.com/itzkawika
10 – Anthony Vulin
Anthony Vulin is a respected broker, owner, and influencer in the real estate industry. Since beginning his career at UCLA in 2000, he’s made a name for himself as an industry leader with a servant’s heart, with a passion for helping clients achieve their financial goals through real estate. Vulin is the owner of The Collective, one of LA’s largest independent brokerages, and also served as the President of Greater LA Realtors in 2022, leading over 13,000 Los Angeles Realtors. He was also previously honored with the title of REALTOR OF THE YEAR by the organization.
In addition to his business achievements, Vulin is also committed to giving back to the industry and advocating for home ownership and accessibility for all Americans. He was chosen as the 2023 Vice President of the National LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance, where he will work towards passing the Equality Act to prevent discrimination in housing and credit. Vulin’s mission as a realtor is “To Create Paths to Wealth Through Real Estate,” and he believes in guiding clients in long-term wealth-building strategies. With a focus on public service and a desire to continue helping others achieve their financial goals through real estate, Vulin is poised for a bright future in the industry.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ItalianCroatian
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thecollectiverealty
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.