Rayni Williams is the cofounder and chief executive of West Hollywood-based The Beverly Hills Estates, a luxury boutique residential real estate brokerage firm, she founded alongside her partner Branden Williams in 2020 after nearly a decade with Beverly Hills-based Hilton & Hyland.
The pair specialize in luxury residential real estate sales and together boast $15.8 billion in career sales.
Williams’ client list includes Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie and Max Martin, to name a few.
Last year, Rayni Williams was the top-producing female agent in Los Angeles, accumulating over $1.3 billion in sales.
How did you get your start in real estate?
Real estate has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories go back to riding around with my Italian grandfather when I was four or five years old, visiting his construction sites – he was a home builder, and I was fascinated by the process.
Later, my stepfather was deeply involved in multifamily and commercial real estate, constantly acquiring properties. I would tag along to site visits, construction meetings and even when he collected rent, so real estate always felt second nature to me.
When I moved to Los Angeles right after college, I started my career in the mortgage industry. I loved the fast pace of lending, but I found myself wanting something more fulfilling – helping people find their dream homes and truly making an impact on their lives. That’s what led me to transition into real estate sales in 2006, and I’ve never looked back.
It’s been about five years since you and Branden branched off to start your own firm. What has the process of growth looked like?
The last five years of running The Beverly Hills Estates alongside Branden has been nothing short of a dream come true. It’s given us the autonomy to reshape the industry and build something we truly believe is the future of real estate. Our brokerage isn’t modeled after a traditional firm – it’s something we created from the ground up to fill what we saw as a gap in the market.
We’ve merged creativity, collaboration and our vision for revolutionizing the industry, all under one roof. Every person on our team is handpicked, which creates an incredible energy when we walk through the doors each day. We believe that when you operate from a place of inspiration, there’s no such thing as failure – only growth and success.
What are some of the benefits and challenges that come with being on your own?
The benefits are endless. There’s an incredible sense of fulfillment in not only achieving our own dreams, but also helping others realize theirs – whether it’s our clients finding their perfect homes or the agents we mentor and support. Of course, with that comes challenges.
We’re fielding more calls, managing more responsibilities and balancing it all with an already demanding book of business. But that’s exactly what we signed up for, and nothing about it feels like a burden – it’s part of the journey, and we truly love what we do.
How big is your team?
Our Williams & Williams team, which Branden and I started in the early 2000s, consists of eight core members. Beyond that, our brokerage has grown significantly – we now have over 140 agents and a dedicated staff of over 15. It’s been incredible to build a company with such a strong, talented team, all working toward a shared vision for the future of real estate.
You’ve also started to get more into development and design. How does this go hand in hand with brokering deals?
We’ve been designing and developing since 2010 – it’s a natural extension of who we are. Branden and I are inherently creative, and what started as a personal passion and creative outlet evolved into something much bigger.
After designing and building multiple homes of our own, we had the opportunity to collaborate with incredible partners – many of whom were our clients first. We’ve even worked alongside architects we deeply admire, like Scott Mitchell.
This journey has been exciting, challenging, and eye-opening, ultimately making us better agents. I always tell my agents that at some point, you should experience development firsthand. It gives you a deeper understanding of what your clients go through, allowing you to truly step into their shoes and navigate the process from a more informed perspective.
What excites you most about a home?
For me, it’s all about function and flow. I get excited by pristine quality, innovative design and thoughtful details. Seeing something that hasn’t been done before – where every element has been carefully considered to enhance how an individual or family will live in the space – is what truly inspires me. It’s those little nuances, the ingenuity behind the design, that make a home exceptional.
