Angel Nicolas, a leading agent at Compass with over $200 million in combined sales during the past year, has left the brokerage to join Serhant. State licensing records show that Nicolas’ license was transferred to Serhant on Monday.
Nicolas, who started his real estate career in 2016 after playing professional baseball, had been with Compass since 2019. He was named one of Compass’ top 100 agents for 2024. According to a press release, Nicolas has completed nearly $2 billion in sales since becoming an agent. His work focuses on neighborhoods such as Coconut Grove, Gables Estates, Pinecrest, Ponce Davis and Southwest Ranches.
Most members of Nicolas’ 18-person team are also transitioning to Serhant.
“It’s been a tough move to be honest because I am quite happy with Compass,” Nicolas said. He added that Ryan Serhant, founder and CEO of his namesake company, had been in talks with him for the past three years.
Nicolas said he looks forward to starting a nationwide luxury division at Serhant.
“Him [Serhant] and I have been talking about how we can become the No. 1 team in Miami,” Nicolas said. “We both want to be No. 1 in all of Florida. That’s the plan.”
In 2023, Nicolas brokered both sides of a $19.3 million penthouse sale at Grove at Grand Bay, setting a record for Coconut Grove condo transactions. Another team member, William Abreu—also a former professional baseball player—represented the buyer in the sale of a large estate in Davie earlier this year for $25.5 million; streamer Adin Ross purchased that property.
Nicolas described South Florida’s luxury sector as stable and noted ongoing demand for turnkey homes. He expects this demand could increase if Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York City.
“The homes sitting on the market need a lot of work or are teardowns. Your special homes in special neighborhoods are setting records,” he said. Recently, he represented the seller in a $6.3 million transaction at 7425 Southwest 56th Avenue in Miami—a record for High Pines.
Plans are underway for Serhant to open offices in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and Miami Beach, according to Nicolas.
The move is part of Serhant’s continued expansion into South Florida; in May, Gary Pohrer joined to help lead its Palm Beach office after previously being part of Douglas Elliman’s Exclusive Group.
Serhant began its South Florida presence by opening an office in Delray Beach in 2023 and now counts about 260 agents across Florida—including Tyler Cameron and founding agents Mariana Niro and Chris Prakas—according to state licensing records. Yasser Ponce has overseen the company’s growth in Miami.
Compass declined comment on Nicolas’ departure.
