This Power Couple Commands Real Estate in Trousdale

Top-producing real estate agents Branden Williams and Rayni Romito Williams have become the “King and Queen of Trousdale” by pushing boundaries—and each other.

Beverly Hills native Branden Williams and East Coast transplant Rayni Romito Williams bonded instantly in 2006 upon joining the same real estate firm. “I just loved to work, and when I met Branden, he loved to work,” says Romito Williams, who comes from a real estate family that started out in mortgages. The young, hungry newcomers were the first in the office and the last to leave. Williams would then call Romito Williams at night. “He’d be like, ‘Let’s recap the day. What could we have done better?’”

Williams honed his flair for design at fashion school and acted in films such as Never Been Kissed. His natural showmanship perfectly complemented Romito Williams’ mortgage expertise. “[From the instant we met], there was a magic and synergy,” says Williams, who recalls their immediate banter and mutual love of fashion. “I wouldn’t be doing this job today if it wasn’t for her because we made it fun together.”

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House is currently on the market.

Joining Hilton & Hyland in 2010, the now-married duo behind Williams & Williams Estates Group were business partners for nearly six years before dating. “We’re best friends, first and foremost,” says Romito Williams. “So I knew we could be a successful couple because we run a business and we built it from the ground up.”

Also for sale, Sarbonne’s two-story covered deck was designed to resemble a picture frame outlining the city skyline.

The team holds sales records in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Malibu, Los Feliz and Sunset Strip—attributable to their honesty, market savviness and long-term interest in their clients, who include Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Willis and Jeremy Renner. Taking a creative marketing approach, they’ve sold properties by producing high-budget films and throwing a themed benefit for Woolsey fire victims. “I think a lot of agents go, ‘How do they keep doing this?’” says Williams of their success. “It’s because we create an experience.”

One-fourth of the couple’s $5 billion in sales has been in Beverly Hills’ Trousdale area, coining them the King and Queen. “We were told to find one neighborhood that we loved and target it,” says Romito Williams. “At the time, The Bird Streets were really happening and all the celebrities were living there. But we were like, ‘Why are people not doing this over here?’” In addition to directing their clients to the burgeoning hillside enclave, they purchased there themselves. Architect Jack A. Charney designed the couple’s midcentury home, where they live with daughter Viviana, 4, and son Gianni, 1.

Lenny Kravitz served as the creative director for this dream home—a past listing—which has its own nightclub.

Despite the high-end market’s over-saturation, their deals are bigger than ever. The team made L.A. history with the $110 million sale of Peter Morton’s Carbon Beach home, and have the exclusive listings for builder Ardie Tavangarian’s first spec project, 822 Sarbonne Road ($88 million), as well as luxury developer Bruce Makowsky’s masterpiece, 924 Bel-Air Road ($150 million), featuring a helipad, bowling alley and vintage car collection.

In addition to their work with single-family residences, the hardworking team is staying busy with other projects, including helping with the recent move of the Zimmer Children’s Museum to its new location in Santa Monica. And after teaming up with Lenny Kravitz on The Stanley House and their personal residence, other development projects with Nobu Malibu architect Scott Mitchell and interior designer John Sofio lie ahead. “When you surround yourself with incredible people,” says Williams, looking over at his wife, “they just keep making you better at what you do.”