Power Broker · Los Angeles
Santiago Arana
Principal & Partner, The Agency · as of September 2026
Los Angeles · Beverly Hills · Bel-Air · Brentwood · Pacific Palisades · Santa Monica · Malibu
Santiago Arana is a Los Angeles luxury real estate broker and Principal & Partner of The Agency, which he joined in 2014 alongside co-founders Billy Rose and Mauricio Umansky. Born in Sucre, Bolivia, Arana relocated to Los Angeles in 2003 and built his practice from the Westside up, now spearheading The Agency's Brentwood and Pacific Palisades offices. He has placed among REAL Trends' Top 250 Realtors in the nation — as published in The Wall Street Journal — for twelve consecutive years, and has closed more than $4.6 billion in career residential sales.
His documented record is led by the $48.67 million sale of Villa Ruchello, the storied Santa Monica Canyon compound sold on behalf of Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith in April 2021 — the highest price ever recorded for a home on the Santa Monica–Pacific Palisades border — alongside the $28.5 million sale of Ben Affleck's Pacific Palisades bachelor estate and the $23 million sale of a Brentwood spec mansion to LeBron James. Arana has been named to The Hollywood Reporter's list of Hollywood's Top Real Estate Agents in multiple years and has appeared at every edition of the THR L.A. Power Broker Awards, presented by The SOCIETY Group, winning the Philanthropic Impact Award at the inaugural 2021 ceremony and the Celebrity Property Portfolio Award in 2024.
Top Recorded Deals
Press-verified transactions on file for Santiago Arana.
Record Sale · Santa Monica Canyon
Villa Ruchello
$48,674,649 · 2021
Sell-side, representing Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith; closed April 19, 2021 per the Combined L.A./Westside MLS — an all-time record for Santa Monica, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. Buy-side: Richard Ehrlich, Westside Estate Agency.
View Full Record →Notable Sale · Pacific Palisades
1172 Napoli Drive
$28,500,000 · 2022
Sell-side, with Amir Mostame, for seller Ben Affleck; listed at just under $30 million in August 2022 and in contract within weeks. Buy-side: Lisa Kirshner Elkin, Compass.
Celebrity Sale · Brentwood
North Tigertail Road Spec Estate
$23,000,000 · 2017
Sell-side and developer of the newly built spec mansion; buyer LeBron James, then of the Cleveland Cavaliers, closed December 2017.
Awards & Recognition
Recognition from The Hollywood Reporter's L.A. Power Broker Awards, presented annually by The SOCIETY Group.
Philanthropic Impact Award
The Hollywood Reporter, 2026 Power Broker Awards
Inaugural year · for civic work with Union Rescue Mission, Synergy International School and Give Back Homes · The Hollywood Reporter, Sept 2021
Celebrity Property Portfolio Award
Fourth annual year · beating nominees Cindy Ambuehl and Justin Paul Huchel · The Hollywood Reporter, Sept 2024
Fifth annual year · The Hollywood Reporter, Sept 2025
Named to THR's annual Top L.A. Real Estate Agents list
Multiple years, including 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 · The Hollywood Reporter
Record
Who is Santiago Arana?
Santiago Arana is a Los Angeles luxury real estate broker and Principal & Partner of The Agency, which he joined in 2014 alongside Billy Rose and Mauricio Umansky. Originally from Sucre, Bolivia, he has closed more than $4.6 billion in career residential sales and specializes in high-end residential real estate, new construction and celebrity clientele across Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Malibu.
What is Santiago Arana's most expensive documented sale?
Arana's largest press-verified transaction is the $48,674,649 sale of Villa Ruchello, a 3.35-acre Santa Monica Canyon compound sold on behalf of Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith. The sale closed April 19, 2021 and set an all-time price record for the Santa Monica, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades market. Arana represented the seller; the buyer's agent was Richard Ehrlich of Westside Estate Agency. His next-largest verified sale is the $28.5 million sale of Ben Affleck's Pacific Palisades home in 2022.
What brokerage is Santiago Arana with?
As of September 2026, Arana is a Principal & Partner of The Agency, which he joined in 2014 and where he spearheads the Brentwood and Pacific Palisades offices. He also co-runs Cutting Edge Developments, a high-end spec home development company, alongside business partner David Herskowitz.
What awards and recognitions has Santiago Arana received?
Arana won the Philanthropic Impact Award at the inaugural L.A. Power Broker Awards in 2021 and the Celebrity Property Portfolio Award at the fourth annual ceremony in 2024, both presented by The Hollywood Reporter and The SOCIETY Group. He was a Condo Sale of the Year nominee in 2025, and has been named to The Hollywood Reporter's annual list of Hollywood's Top Real Estate Agents in multiple years.
Press Archive
All records compiled from published editorial sources.
— placements
The Hollywood Reporter
Vice Media's Shane Smith Sells Santa Monica Estate for Nearly $49M
Confirmed Arana's role as listing agent on the $48.67 million sale of Villa Ruchello.
Apr 2021
Palisadian Post
Shane Smith Compound Sale Breaks Home Price Record for Palisades
Cited the exact CLAW MLS closing figure of $48,674,649 and closing date of April 19, 2021, with Arana holding the listing.
Apr 2021
Mansion Global
Vice Co-Founder to List Santa Monica Compound for $50 Million
First reported the Villa Ruchello listing at $50 million with Arana as exclusive agent, quoting Shane Smith directly on the estate's renovation; the property closed two months later at $48,674,649.
Feb 2021
Los Angeles Times
Ben Affleck Sells L.A. Bachelor Pad for $28.5 Million
Confirmed Arana and Amir Mostame of The Agency held the listing; Lisa Kirshner Elkin of Compass represented the buyer.
Oct 2022
Forbes
Ben Affleck Sells Pacific Palisades Home For $28.5 Million
Named Arana and Mostame as listing agents and Lisa Kirshner Elkin as buyer's agent.
Oct 2022
The Hollywood Reporter
The 35 Go-To L.A. Real Estate Brokers for Beyoncé, J.Lo and Other Hollywood Heavyweights
Profiled Arana's $513 million sales year, including the Affleck sale, and named him to THR's Top Real Estate Agents list.
Sept 2023
Sports Illustrated
LeBron James Buys Second Los Angeles Home for $23 Million
Reported on LeBron James's $23 million purchase of the Brentwood spec mansion Arana developed and listed.
Dec 2017
The Real Deal
LeBron James' Real Estate Game Is Pretty Strong, Too
Confirmed the $23 million Brentwood purchase and Arana's role in the deal.
Jul 2018
ADG Lighting
$23 Million Brentwood Home Purchased by NBA Player LeBron James
Named Santiago Arana of The Agency as listing agent on the LeBron James Brentwood sale.
Dec 2017
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter Honors L.A.'s Top Real Estate Agents at Inaugural Power Broker Awards
Confirmed Arana's win of the Philanthropic Impact Award at the inaugural 2021 ceremony.
Sept 2021
The Hollywood Reporter
Inside The Hollywood Reporter's Power Broker Awards, Hosted by Jason Oppenheim and Mary Bonnet
Confirmed Arana's win of the Celebrity Property Portfolio Award at the fourth annual ceremony.
Sept 2024
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter's L.A. Power Broker Awards Return For Fifth Year
Named Arana a nominee for Condo Sale of the Year at the fifth annual ceremony.
Sept 2025
Los Angeles Business Journal
Leaders of Influence: Residential Real Estate 2024 — Santiago Arana
Profiled Arana's career sales volume, ranking and twelve-year run on REAL Trends' Top 250 Realtors list.
Aug 2024
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How This Record Was Verified
- Method
- Compiled from the property records in this archive and their named press citations, not from any submission by the agent. Santiago Arana cannot amend this page except by producing evidence a stated fact is wrong.
- Sources
- Every press placement listed above carries its own publication, headline, and live link. Sourced from The Hollywood Reporter, The Real Deal, Palisadian Post, Mansion Global, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ADG Lighting, and Los Angeles Business Journal.
- Open entries
- None currently open on this page. A widely repeated claim attributing the $94 million sale of 924 Bel Air Road to Arana could not be independently verified — press records instead credit Branden and Rayni Williams (sell-side) and Ben Bacal (buy-side) — and has been excluded from this record.
- Corrections
- Unconditional and not contingent on any commercial relationship. See Corrections Policy.