Michele Mahl Joins Whitman’s The Agency Hamptons

Tyler Whitman’s first big-name recruit for his new The Agency Hamptons franchise has never made a residential real estate sale.

She does, however, have a long list of commercial sales under her belt, including the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York and the Four Seasons Washington, D.C. All told, her commercial sales exceed $65 billion in volume.

The Agency announced Michele Mahl’s arrival this week, though her first day was in October. Mahl said the announcement was put off for organizational reasons.

Mahl was most recently the executive vice president of JLL’s hotel and hospitality group. Prior to that she was a managing director of Newmark Knight Frank, where she worked in the lodging capital markets group.

“In recent years due to a change in, or lack thereof of transaction activity, I felt there was need for a change and a new challenge,” Mahl said on why she switched to residential sales.

It may seem like a strange time to make the switch to residential, as markets across the country have been constrained by a lack of supply caused by the interest rates’ hike. But Mahl cited an analysis that residential Hamptons brokers insisted upon last summer — that the Hamptons still attracts buyers, and that deals are still happening. And she has a rolodex of prospective clients from her time in the commercial world.

“I know how to sell a piece of real estate, I know how to speak to clients, understand their needs and what they’re booking for,” said Mahl. “The curve is just building the business up.”

Mahl’s primary residence since the Covid-19 pandemic has been the home she bought in 2016 in Water Mill on Long Island. She met Whitman last winter by chance while he was out walking his dog, which eventually led to her joining his team.