A top-selling real estate team in southwest Florida has left Premier Sotheby’s International Realty for rival Douglas Elliman.
The Schemmel Soda Group, led by business partners Joel Schemmel and Donna Soda since 2021, ranks as the No. 1 small team by sales volume in Sarasota County, according to industry tracker RealTrends. Schemmel had been part of Premier Sotheby’s top team in Sarasota and Manatee counties since RealTrends started the rankings.
The six-person Schemmel-Soda also includes agents and longtime Sarasota residents Sharon Chiodi and Patti Tebo, marketing director Katie Kurbiel and client service coordinator Preston Lane.
The move to Elliman "keeps our properties elevated with the backing of an incredible national brand that aligns with our group," Soda said in an email to Homes.com.
New York-based Douglas Elliman ranks as the nation's sixth-largest brokerage with $36.39 billion in sales last year.
The addition of the Schemmel Soda Group bolsters Elliman's reach across fast-growing Sarasota County, south of Tampa. The brokerage giant entered the market in October 2023.
Seeing small market improvements
“They have built a strong, trusted brand, and this represents a strategic win for our Sarasota operations and the clients we serve," said Jay Phillip Parker, CEO of Douglas Elliman's Florida business, in a statement.
Schemmel-Soda represents more sellers than buyers, though it's not unusual for the team to represent both the buy and sell side of a transaction, Schemmel said in an email.
He is an attorney and former certified public accountant with an international law and tax consulting career. Soda, who led her own team before partnering with Schemmel, is known for her specialty in Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, one of the nation's best-selling master-planned communities.
Despite an increase in listings in Florida and across the country, which is leading to a leveling of home prices, Schemmel said he's noticing small improvements in the market.
"Although inventory is up year to year, we are starting to see a decrease in inventory for month to month since the first quarter of 2025," he said. "Yes, in certain areas, prices are softer, but in others, they remain strong. If you look at trends when inventory starts to decrease, you know that the market may be turning the corner."
