In the three and a half years since its founding, Sherman Oaks-based residential real estate brokerage Equity Union Real Estate has grown immensely.

Having begun with not a single agent in March 2022 when founder Harma Hartouni started the venture, Equity Union now boasts nearly 950 agents and 12 offices across Los Angeles, Conejo Valley, Santa Clarita and Coachella Valley.

“Three and a half years ago, I decided that I would like to build something more independent so I can create better opportunities and create more tools for our agents because I truly believe real estate agents are our clients,” says Hartouni, who previously owned several Keller Williams offices in Encino and Sherman Oaks. 

Equity Union has signed on more than 200 new agents since the start of 2025 alone, he adds.

The brokerage, which also has a commercial division, reportedly made $3 billion in sales last year and is expected to surpass that volume this year with 189% transaction growth year-over-year – despite a tumultuous past few years for the real estate market, characterized by high interest rates, added property taxes and a new political overhead.

Strong Valley footprint

Although still a relatively new company, Equity Union has found a niche for itself in the Valley, serving as one of the top producing brokerages in terms of volume and number of units sold – particularly in the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley submarkets, in which the firm has six office locations.

“The Valley is its own little niche,” says Dedree Hoyt, a residential broker at Simi Valley-based Keller Williams Exclusive Properties specializing mostly in the Tarzana, Northridge and West Hills regions. “It’s surrounded by mountains, and it’s got all these cities. It’s a very popular area for a lot of people. Clearly, the studios over the years have enhanced all of that. It’s a higher-end area, has all the colleges, the schools, the freeways close to them … The location itself gives you access to all over California which is amazing.”

While Equity has a luxury division, the company specializes in median single-family home sales. Hartouni says that equates to roughly $1 million for a home in the San Fernando Valley and roughly $800,000 for a home in Coachella Valley. He notes many of Equity’s clients are families resizing (either downsizing or upsizing) within their same neighborhood.

“I believe a lot of younger professionals are being pushed to the San Fernando Valley for housing and being able to have a good place to raise children,” says Kyle Fishburn, a vice president and Valley expert at KWP Real Estate.

“The Valley boasts a slightly younger demographic because of its affordable edge to other areas,” Fishburn adds. “West Los Angeles and areas like that have just become so tight. The market is very expensive that I think the millennial group is, at least what I’ve seen in terms of friends and family there, a lot of them are moving to areas like Woodland Hills, Calabasas, Encino, Sherman Oaks (and) Studio City.”

Benefits of being boutique

While Equity Union spent the first few years recruiting agents, Hartouni says the majority of the firm’s growth now has been facilitated by word of mouth – mostly attributed to the ethos that comes with being a boutique brokerage.

“With (a) boutique brokerage, a lot of times you have more flexibility with what you can do and what you can work on,” says Fishburn, whose agency KWP is also considered to be boutique. “A lot of times you can get kind of pigeonholed in corporate of like, ‘This is what you have to work on, this is where you have to work geographically.’ At a boutique firm, there’s a lot of times more flexibility in what you can and can’t do. Also, processes are a little less stringent, I think with boutique firms, which again kind of leads to being more nimble.”

Equity Union has 23 dedicated marketing employees and has integrated technology into its workflow as means of better serving both its agents and its clients.Hartouni believes that has helped his agency expand.

“The real estate market has been pretty tough, and we have grown dramatically because the tools have helped us attract better clients,” Hartouni says. “We have a digital marketing and PR (team), and then we have a technology that is very powered by AI not to replace our existing positions but to reach more clients.”

Unlike many other residential brokerages, Equity Union owns some of its own office properties — including its Sherman Oaks headquarters as well as its Westlake Village, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and La Quinta outposts. Hoyt says that’s an impressive investment for a brokerage to make.

Westside expansion

Despite its market advantage brokering deals in the Valley, Hartouni says Equity Union is keen on expanding – pushing West as well as further south down into the Los Angeles basin in order to reach more and bigger clientele.

The firm recently signed a 6,200-square-foot lease on an office space at 11766 Wilshire Blvd. – an 18-story, Class A office tower in Sawtelle. The new space recently underwent a $10 million remodel of its lobby ahead of Equity’s move-in date in December. The office will service anywhere from Brentwood, Westwood, Santa Monica, Venice and the Wilshire Corridor, Hartouni says.

“We are very excited because it is time to go back (to) where I personally started my real estate career,” he says. “We are excited because we have received so many (inquiries from) agents that have known of our company and our brand and have asked if we’re going to expand. We’ve held back because I want to do it right, I want to be the best versus to be large and mediocre, and our new office, when it expands, will be one of the few (for us) on the Westside.”

Equity Union does have one additional office in Santa Monica. However, Hartouni alludes that the recent Sawtelle signing is one of more to eventually come on the Westside, and that Equity Union is currently scouting additional locations. The firm is also considering locations in Long Beach, Pasadena and Conejo Valley, he says.

Poised for more growth

Looking ahead, as the firm continues to grow, Hartouni says he wants Equity Union to become “the number one” independent brokerage in California in terms of volume and units, but not to expand beyond its means. He says he looks forward to growing more within Southern California, but it would take a lot more growth for him before he considers going out of state.

In the meantime, beyond geographical expansion, Equity Union is also doubling down on its commercial division. The firm just recently announced the joining of Ikon Properties, a Sherman Oaks-based, 11-person commercial real estate team led by founder Blas Fernandez, set to increase Equity Union’s commercial abilities. After making $3 billion in sales last year, Equity Union is poised for significant growth, having already surpassed that value by August.

“It sounds to me like they’re trying to really expand and jump in all feet,” Hoyt says. “I believe the market is going to turn around because it always does. The market hasn’t been the greatest in the last two years, but when it does (turn around), everybody’s going to take off. They might be really smart that they’re doing (all) that they’re doing, and it may cost them a little bit of money right now… but once this turns around, they’re already established, and it’ll be fabulous.”