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The Agency is thrilled to announce the listing this week of one of the most distinct, storied estates in the country, the Playboy Mansion, listed for $200 million and represented by Mauricio Umansky.

“This is the right time to seek a buyer for this incredible property who understands the role the Mansion has played for our brand and enables us to continue to reinvest in the transformation of our business,” said Playboy Enterprises, Inc. CEO, Scott Flanders. “The Playboy Mansion has been a creative center for Hef as his residence and workplace for the past 40 years, as it will continue to be if the property is sold.”

The crown jewel of L.A.’s “Platinum Triangle,” situated on five picturesque acres in Holmby Hills, the Playboy Mansion is a nearly 20,000-square-foot residence that is both an ultra-private retreat and the ultimate setting for large-scale entertaining. The estate features the 29-room main residence, a four-bedroom guest house and every amenity imaginable, including a catering kitchen, wine cellar, home theater, game house, gym, tennis court and freeform swimming pool with a large, cave-like grotto. The Playboy Mansion is also one of a select few private residences in L.A. with a zoo license.

“The Agency couldn’t be more proud to be representing one of the most well-known estates in the country,” said Co-founder and CEO Mauricio Umansky, one of the principal listing agents on the estate. “With its iconic style and immaculate grounds, the Mansion has inspired so many properties throughout Southern California.”

The Playboy Mansion was originally designed by renowned American architect Arthur R. Kelly in 1927. The residence has not changed hands since 1971 when Playboy Enterprises, Inc. purchased the home for $1,050,000, the largest real estate transaction in L.A. history. Its sprawling acreage is nestled along the edge of the Los Angeles Country Club in the coveted Holmby Hills neighborhood between Beverly Hills and Westwood.

As we prepare to embark on a New Year, a year in which The Agency will celebrate our fifth anniversary, we are reflecting on who we’ve become and what we’ve accomplished over the past four years. Since opening our doors in 2011, The Agency has modernized the practice of buying and selling real estate by fostering a culture of collaboration in which the collective talents, resources and networks of our individual agents serve each of our clients.

The Agency is a real estate brokerage and lifestyle company representing clients all over the world in a broad spectrum of interests. Our New Development Division and an in-house creative agency provide custom tailored marketing and sales strategy for buyers, sellers, developers and investors across the globe. We’ve introduced a fresh, forward-thinking approach to how properties are represented and innovated new technologies and research practices that have revolutionized the industry. In less than four years, The Agency closed more than $4.8 billion in real estate and was anointed the most outstanding brokerage in L.A. County by The Wall Street Journal in its annual ranking of the nation’s top real estate professionals.

We are pleased to share with you a new video that provides a glimpse inside The Agency, and how we embarked on a journey, led by Co-founders Billy Rose and Mauricio Umansky, to redefine our industry. And we’re just getting started.

Watch the video here

Check out my segment here on Hollywood Today Live!

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The Agency’s Sports & Entertainment Division recently hosted an enthusiastic panel discussion on Sports & Philanthropy at The Century Plaza Hotel. Representatives from the charitable foundations of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers and AEG discussed their foundations’ current endeavors, along with best practices in fundraising and charitable giving.

“In working with entertainers and athletes, I’ve found that the desire to give back and to be part of the community is of supreme importance,” said Kofi Nartey, Director of The Agency’s Sports & Entertainment Division. “Creating a forum in which useful information was shared and support was given was both rewarding and educational.”

Members and donors from the philanthropic community turned out in full capacity.

Panel speakers included Nichol Whiteman, Executive Director of the Dodgers Foundation; Kiesha Nix, Executive Director of the Lakers Youth Foundation; Erikk Aldridge, Director, Staples Center Foundation at AEG and Ariana Kukors, former competitive swimmer and world record holder, now Director of Health for LifeWise Health Plan of Washington.

Thank you to the L.A. Dodgers and L.A. Lakers for bringing team swag for all attendees, along with AEG for surprising all in attendance with the opportunity to win Justin Bieber concert tickets.

The Agency applauds Kofi’s success and momentum as he continues to expand the Sports & Entertainment Division

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On the heels of Halloween comes the global, month-long event known as Movember, a cause-driven celebration where men grow mustaches in order to raise funds and awareness for the health risks facing them. With people from around the world going the entire month without surrendering to the razor, you can think of it as a play-off beard where everyone is on the same team.

Joining the “Mo” community are select members of The Agencywho have formed their own team to help in the fight against testicular and other cancers affecting our male population. Our Chief Technology OfficerShane Farkas will head the 14-member group that includes The Agency Co-Founder and President Billy Rose, Mike Leipart (Chief Marketing Officer), CEO and Co-Founder Mauricio Umansky, along with the support of “Mo Sistas” Aileen Comora, Jeeb O’Reilly, and Sophia Harang (Marketing Coordinator).

The Movember Foundation will also sponsor Angeleno Magazine’s“Modern Man” event being held at the London West Hollywood later this week. Among L.A.’s Leading Modern Latino Gentlemen is our very own Mauricio Umansky, whose civic impact will be honored in the November issue, alongside Carlos Carreras, Mario Lopez, Robert Rodriguez and Raymond Garcia.

Be sure to stay tuned for more snapshots and updates as we continue to follow The Agency men and women on their Movember journeys. And in case you’ve already started sporting a stache of your own, don’t forget to visit our list of the top barbershops when the growing gets tough and you’re in need of some first-class grooming.

Five million hits and counting – that’s hype worthy of a sports legend. New videos produced by The Agency’s Kofi Nartey flex some serious muscle with sports-style coverage of Michael Jordan’s Chicago estate,2700 Point Lane in Highland Park. As The Chicago Sun-Times put it, the marketing of the $14,855,000 mansion “has gone full Jordan”.

Giving the home its own vivacious personality, the “Start Your Legend” videos challenge people to buy and take on “the competition” while showcasing the 56,000-square-foot home’s nine bedrooms, pool pavilion, full-size basketball court, home theatre, gym and putting green. The videos have been viewed by millions, capturing headlines across the country.

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Watch here on TMZ

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The sale of Michael Jordan‘s insanely kick-ass Chicago mega mansion just took the most dramatic turn ever … getting the Hollywood movie treatment in a full court press to finally get it sold.

The 56,000 square foot property had been on the market since 2012 — but didn’t move — so Jordan recently kiked the listing over to Kofi Nartey at The Agency … the real estate group headed by ‘Real Housewives’ star Mauricio Umansky.

Kofi decided to go full balls to the wall to get the word out about Jordan’s home — so he called in a production crew and made a series of blockbuster quality videos.

Check these things out … Kofi’s basically challenging rich people to battle each other for the HONOR of buying Jordan’s place, which is currently listed for a cool $14.855 MILLION!!!!

Good luck …

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6 multimillion-dollar homes with basketball courts.

Highland Park, Illinois. This nine-bedroom estate is the former home of basketball legend Michael Jordan. The 56,000-square-foot house has 15 baths and a full-size, NBA-quality court built to Jordan’s specifications with his logo at center court.

Other amenities include a fitness center, a tennis court, a putting green, an outdoor kitchen, and a circular infinity pool. $14,855,000.

Redding, Connecticut. Built in 1992 in the style of an 18th-century colonial, this five-bedroom estate is set on 9 acres about an hour north of New York City. The home includes reclaimed wide-plank floors, hand-forged nails, and wrought-iron details.

The property features a basketball court, a large barn, a tennis court, a one-bedroom guesthouse, and a pool with a pool house.

Burr Ridge, Illinois. Set on 5 acres, this four-bedroom house has a full-size indoor basketball court. The interior also features a locker room, a batting cage, and a great room with wood trusses.

The property includes a large patio and a pond.

Encino, California. Built in 2015, this six-bedroom home is in the “south of the boulevard” neighborhood. The interior has French doors, a master suite with a large walk-in closet, and a chef’s kitchen.

The 0.71-acre property features a full-size court with night lighting, a pool, and a cabana.

Mercer Island, Washington. This six-bedroom house on the south end of the island offers views of Mt. Rainier. Around the corner from the Seattle Seahawks’ practice facilities, the home has a hidden basketball court on the lower level.

Features include marble floors, an outdoor hot tub, multiple balconies, and a master bedroom with a spa bath.

Malibu, California. Lying on 1.5 acres, this three-bedroom adobe house offers mountain and canyon views. The interior features tile floors and a great room with plenty of natural light and a fireplace.

The property includes a half-court for hoops, a two-story guesthouse, and beach and tennis club rights.

I Sold a House to an AVATAR: Navigating the Celebrity Real Estate Market.

Actually, the blue, human-like creatures in Avatar are called Na’vi. This means, I actually sold a house to one of the Na’vi. However, for the purpose of this story, I will refer to my client as an Avatar, as most affectionately refer to them. Taking things a step further, my Avatar client could be representative of many of the athletes and entertainers that navigate through the luxury real estate market and that the SOTALOT Real Estate Group work with. Some of the basketball and football players are as tall as Avatars, and many of the entertainers are part of a Pandora that is foreign to most.

Day one of the property search started with my Avatar pulling up to our first showing in the Toyota Prius that Avatar director James Cameron had delivered as a gift. The other main cast members also received the environmentally friendly vehicles, keeping with the film’s planet first theme. The unexpected gift from the spoils of the billion dollar film was enough to cause my Avatar client to turn in its gas guzzling SUV and use the Prius as a daily commuter. Well done James! I must note that the Avatar kept its second car; a 550 horsepower convertible sports car for those days it felt like driving something that reminded it of being on the back of a banshee.

As in the movie, a huge part of working with an Avatar was gaining its trust. Trusting a human, let alone a real estate agent, was not automatic. Trust was gained through professionalism, rapport, expertise and discretion. While being part of the highest grossing movie of all time is nice, most Avatars don’t want to be in that same spotlight when buying a home. I would ultimately help my Avatar buy the house under a Trust, for even more discretion. One of my goals is to keep my Avatar clients off the “Maps of Stars Homes.”

Negotiating on behalf of an Avatar is also an interesting dance. While it’s illegal in real estate to use race, religion, or ethnicity to help or keep someone from getting a house, mentioning that you are working with an Avatar has some perks. Most Avatars are assumed to be qualified buyers. If you are working with an Avatar, it is also assumed that you know what you are doing. Most agents would also like to be in a deal with an Avatar. The majority of buyers and sellers that have reached Avatar status have business managers that will work as hard as the agents to ensure a smooth transaction.

On the other side of the coin, despite the prosperity that comes along with being an Avatar, they want the same thing as other buyers, and that’s a good deal. And a good deal is what we found. It was important not to let the other agent assume that just because my client was an Avatar, their budget knew no limits, or that the number of zeros in their offer should be a direct reflection of the number of television shows or films they had seen them in.

Like other Avatars, my Avatar wanted a place that allowed for personalization. The bones of the house were important, the finishes were not. Ideas for remodeling would eventually come through the guidance of other industry friends and their contractors. Their input, along with my guidance, would factor into the decision to write an offer on the property. I was also happy to show the Avatar’s friends the prospective properties, because Avatars usually have some pretty cool friends.

Getting an Avatar financed can be a little tricky too. While Avatars typically make money in large lump sums, it is not always consistent. And the days of stated income loans are essentially gone. Fortunately, we have a handful of lenders that understand the lifestyles of Avatars and with the assistance of the business manager, the financing wasn’t an obstacle. Raising its debt ceiling is apparently easier for an Avatar than it is for the government these days.

After numerous searches, calls to other luxury agents, exhausting the pocket listing market, and LOI’s to unlisted properties that fit the criteria, I was able to find a house that made me an honorary Na’vi in my Avatar’s eyes. It’s always great to put a smile on an Avatar’s face. Ultimately, I was able to get the offer accepted, open escrow, go through inspections, and close the deal at an appraised value that gave my Avatar immediate equity.

While assumptions are often made about Avatars – their lifestyles, needs, and idiosyncrasies – they are not dramatically different from the other buyers and sellers in the luxury real estate market. They want to know that they are in the hands of a qualified agent, who will get them a good deal and get it done in a world that requires flexibility, anticipation, professionalism, and discretion. A little fun doesn’t hurt either, as Avatars know how to have a good time.

Now it is time to head back to Pandora and on to my next Avatar!

About the Author: Kofi Natei Nartey is the Broker of the Sotalot Realty Group of Keller Williams Luxury Homes in Los Angeles. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has appeared in films such as Kick-Ass and Fast and Furious, and television shows such as Modern Family and Million Dollar Listing. His company focuses on the real estate needs of professional athletes, entertainers, and distinguished clientele.