An independent brokerage is assuming ownership of the North Georgia office of luxury real estate powerhouse Engel & Völkers Atlanta.
LH Group, headed by Linda Baker and Heather Foresman, will now run the Engel & Völkers mountain operations in Blue Ridge, Georgia, with support from Christa Huffstickler, founder and CEO of E&V Atlanta.
With more than 25 sales above $3 million in the past year, northern Georgia has become one of the Southeast’s top destinations for second homes and investment properties, according to E&V Atlanta.
"Together with the team at LH Group, this newly formed leadership structure will strengthen our regional presence and reinforce our shared mission of delivering exceptional service and maintaining the high standards of excellence synonymous with Engel & Völkers,” Huffstickler said in a statement.
Baker and Foresman launched their firm in 2022 to serve clients across Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. The duo operated out of the Engel & Völkers office in Blue Ridge and previously worked together on listings and sales.
Baker and Foresman will continue operating as LH Group in markets outside the Georgia mountains.
“Our goal is to strengthen the foothold of the now independently owned Engel & Völkers North Georgia Mountains shop by creating a more community-oriented culture,” Baker said in the statement. “We want to expand brand visibility through local engagement while continuing to support our advisors with hands-on leadership and strategic growth initiatives.”
Engel & Völkers launched in Germany in 1977 and now has roughly 16,000 agents in more than 31 countries.
Huffstickler, a native of Altoona, Pennsylvania, joined the brokerage six years ago. At the time, the brokerage had two other operators in the Atlanta metropolitan area, but Huffstickler later bought out those groups.
Engel & Völkers Atlanta has more than 200 agents in four offices across the region. The brokerage also serves Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama.