A group of agents hailing from several Phoenix brokerage firms has partnered to launch their own venture.
APEX Residential launched Dec. 5 with Kirk Linehan, Jim Cavanaugh, Marilyn Cavanaugh, Bridget Landry, Jonathan Leaman and Hayley Jamison as founding partners of the firm.
Linehan, the former partner of brokerage RETSY, is now a managing member for APEX Residential. He told Homes.com that he first pitched Jim and Marilyn Cavanaugh — formerly of Cavanaugh Luxury Group at The Agency — during the summer as a "soft approach."
By early October, the vision was in place. Linehan and the Cavanaughs then brought the remaining founders on board.
"It's not about just bringing on agents, it's about bringing on agents that you want to be in business with," Linehan said.
The founders aim to have a boutique firm where agents are considered more like clients than employees. That way, the agents have all the necessary resources at their disposal to help navigate their clients' needs, according to Linehan.
Some of those elements include a contracted black car service and an in-house agent concierge that aim to alleviate some of the day-to-day tasks for agents.
Mentorship and intentional growth are key elements for APEX Residential
The firm will eventually be made up of 50 "groups" that could be either a top producer or a small team. Over time, the founders see more than 100 agents eventually working for APEX Residential.
"That approach keeps us very focused on elite talent, focused on the culture, the mentorship, and just the level of excellence," Jim Cavanaugh said in an interview with Homes.com.
While APEX Residential labels itself as a luxury brokerage, Linehan and Cavanaugh said that has less to do with the price point and location of a home, but rather with the service they aim to deliver to agents and clients.
The team has been preparing its back-end platforms, branding and marketing materials to hit the ground running.
"It will look very different in three months and six months and nine months as you perfect your systems," Linehan said.
The launch comes as agents throughout Phoenix brokerages are preparing for a busy start to the year. Jim Cavanaugh said the market is poised to "explode" in the coming months, with some help from mortgage rates potentially coming down.
"I think we're all pretty excited about where we stand going into 2026," he said.