The Exclusive Group Positions Itself as South Florida’s Prime Property Dream Team

“Having the three of us on the one team brings an exceptional depth of knowledge,” said Malinosky. “With this listing, the ability to leverage all three of our perspectives on pricing and marketing proved invaluable.”

Malinosky, a 20-year veteran who has operated mainly in the oceanfront and luxury markets of Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Gulf Stream, Delray Beach, and Highland Beach, brought a career sales volume well over $3 billion to the partnership.

Pohrer is no slouch himself. Recognized as Douglas Elliman’s #2 agent nationwide, he had previously sold more than $2 billion worth of real estate in Palm Beach County.

As for Kay, who comes from a well-known family of developers, he had sold over $1 billion in real estate transactions, including many record-breakers in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties.

That each already had an established reputation—and the contacts that come with it—certainly helped them attract straightaway. After all, contacts are the key to business.

“The hardest part breaking in is developing that client list,” said Kay, who first came to Florida as a student on a golf scholarship. After playing for a few years, he decided the life of a professional golfer wasn’t for him. But playing the links proved essential for making his initial real estate connections. “It was a key to my developing this career,” he added.

Since joined by top-performing agents Johnny DelPrete, Jacqueline Marks, Michael Merrill, Michael O’Connor, Laura Preuss-Kühne, and Dana Rothman, which expanded its reach to Jupiter and Vero Beach, The Exclusive Group went on to reach the milestone of closing more than $1 billion in sales volume scarcely a year after its inception.

In the years before establishing their partnership, the founding trio of agents often found themselves crossing paths. Although Malinosky focused primarily on Boca and Palm Beach while Kay concentrated on the Miami area up to Palm Beach County, the two frequently encountered one another on opposite sides of deals. Both liked the way the other approached things.

“We worked a lot in this fashion for three or four years,” Kay recalled, “until maybe two years ago when Nick approached me, suggesting we work together.

They then thought about the market north of Palm Beach and enlisted Pohrer, whom they also knew well.

“We would now have the ability to work in all these markets seamlessly,” Pohrer said. “I wouldn’t normally be pursuing listings in other areas, but now I keep my ears open, and if there is a chance to refer to one of our other markets, I push to get it.”

“We knew we had each area covered, so when a client came wanting a luxury home anywhere in coastal South Florida, we could handle their needs,” Kay added. “And they could have considerable confidence in us to do so.”

There was still the question of how these three very successful brokers would actually work together. Of course, they would pool the knowledge and experience each had gained over the years. But the key strategic decision was to keep the new operation small and “very hands-on.”

“We’ve had quite a few agents approach us wanting to sign on, but it was crucial for our clients that we remained the face of the deal,” said Kay. “We do all the communicating with our clients, all the showings. When you have an important client trusting you with a multi-million-dollar home, they don’t want to come home and find a junior agent doing the showing. They want to see you there.”

“Working together elevates everything we do,” Pohrer added. “When you operate solo, you’re responsible for every aspect of a deal, which can be limiting. But as a team, we leverage each other’s strengths, insights, and networks to maximize opportunities for our clients. We’re constantly collaborating, whether it’s strategizing pricing, marketing, or negotiations, which ultimately leads to better results. Having two trusted partners means we can be in multiple places at once, ensuring that no opportunity is missed. It’s a level of efficiency and expertise that’s hard to match when working alone.”

They further prioritized the banner of The Exclusive Group above their own personal brands.

“It’s very rare to find three agents who are willing to put their ego to the side for a common goal,” Kay noted. “Our idea was always to work collectively.”

This sense of each feeling comfortable with his partners is reflected in their approach to working with clients: immediate, close, straightforward. Theirs is not a competition but an open and energizing working relationship. And though this may appear to be very much by design, I get the sense from Kay that much of the mutual respect they have for each other’s experience is organic—from knowing each other and how each works for some time.

That ease of collaboration has enabled them to create a unified whole that is greater than the sum of its considerably valuable parts—which, as it happens, is just what the team did for the proposed mansion on Manalapan.

After bringing the extraordinary piece of land, which it represented, the attention of Stewart Satter, who, in turn, purchased it, The Exclusive Group assembled the remaining elements needed for a luxury dream house: a renowned builder and visionary architect.

“It’s a home for the buyer who wants everything,” Kay touted. “Now we can offer that buyer an amazing piece of oceanfront property or a built home of everyone’s dreams.”

David Hay is a well-known architectural writer and playwright. His stories have been featured in The New York Times, Dwell and New York.