John Sandberg, team leaves Douglas Elliman for Compass

After more than a decade at Douglas Elliman, John Sandberg is packing his bags and heading to Compass’ office in Miami Beach.

Following the broker are his two team members, Nick Jovanovich and Jennifer Quinones. Under the umbrella of the Sandberg Group, the team closed almost $90 million in sales last year, and has closed $45 million in sales this year to date, according to a spokesperson for Compass.

Nick Jovanovich and Jennifer Quinones (Douglas Elliman)

The Sandberg Group has been recognized by Douglas Elliman as a top producer, primarily serving the luxury markets in Miami and Miami Beach. “We wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” said a spokesperson for the brokerage.

Sandberg said he was drawn to Compass by its technology and company culture, specifically the emphasis on team building.

“Building a team has never come naturally to me,” he said, “Here, it’s encouraged and tutored.”

Sandberg, who only has ever worked with one or two people at a time, noted the difficulty of competing with the large broker teams that have cropped up in recent years.

“There’s leverage in numbers,” he said. Now, with the move to Compass, he’s looking to expand his team, but he doesn’t yet know how big he wants it to grow. “It could be five, six, four, eight, seven. I’m not sure,” he said.

Sandberg, who started his career as an investment manager at Bear Stearns, said he’s conscious of the timing of his move. Compass stock recently rallied after a difficult summer of hemorrhaging money, and a recession looms on the horizon.

“[Compass has] reduced their staff greatly, so their margins are up,” he said, “I’m confident we’ll steer through this.”

Sandberg also name-dropped some of the heavy hitters Compass has been able to lure in recent years, including Chad Carroll and Nancy Batchelor.

“We’ve got some monsters here,” he said.