Westside Estate Agency (WEA) is a boutique real estate brokerage that specializes in the high-end residential market. WEA has built an unparalleled clientele from Los Angeles’ business, financial and entertainment industries with its unique combination of qualified real estate professionals, excellent service, and a reputation for integrity and discretion.
About Our Agency
Westside Estate Agency (WEA) is defined by the values and the vision of its two founders, Stephen Shapiro and Kurt Rappaport. In 1999, Stephen Shapiro and Kurt Rappaport were two of the most well-known, highly compensated realtors in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, they felt there had to be a better way to meet the expectations and individual needs of their high-net-worth clientele.
It wasn’t long before the two began making plans for a different kind of brokerage, a real estate agency committed to putting client service first, with the goal of completely satisfying the needs and desires of each client. In the words of Stephen Shapiro, “Negotiations conducted with intelligence and integrity result in what we call the ‘triple win.’ Great results for the buyer, the seller, and WEA.”
WEA Listings & Clients
At Westside Estate Agency, we believe that every home is unique. We also recognize that every buyer and seller is equally unparalleled and highly individual, and it is with this mindset that we approach working with our clients. Our agents do not simply list the homes we represent. They get to know each home intimately, from its one-of-a-kind features to its finite details. We combine this knowledge with an inherent understanding of our clients, their goals, needs, tastes, and interests, to ensure a precise, well-curated sampling of prospective homes—avoiding anything we don’t think will fit.
At WEA, we have always led our industry in the adoption and application of technology. We continue to ask ourselves: Can the technologies we use and how we use them help our clients buy and sell luxury real estate? Our website is designed to get people excited about luxury real estate within our key markets by showcasing the splendor and beauty of the homes we offer. Additionally, our website is simple to navigate and accessible to all citizens of the world, no matter where they are located or which language they speak. It is with this same attention to detail, innovation, and intuitive knowledge that we approach every home we buy and sell for clients.
WEA Agents
Just as every home and every client are unique, so is every agent. We hand select our real estate agents from the worlds of business, academia, entertainment and, of course, real estate. They are high achievers from diverse fields and experts in the details and subtleties that define multi-million dollar negotiations. Our agents possess a passion for fine architecture and intimate property-by-property knowledge of their local areas. They innately understand the finer points of caring for clients with high net worth and even higher expectations. We match our agents with our clients through a precise understanding of both, knowing which agent will inherently meet a client’s needs and goals.
Meet The Founders
Stephen Shapiro – Founder
Stephen Shapiro has worked in the prime Los Angeles real estate market for over 40 years. Originally from Philadelphia, Shapiro relocated to Los Angeles in 1969 and shortly thereafter started his first real estate company by thinking outside the box and offering potential renters photo and video tours of apartments, rather than the typical newspaper advertisement. This trend caught on and Shapiro’s success helped him transition from the leasing market into the luxury sales sector, where he began working with Stan Herman and created Stan Herman, Stephen Shapiro and Associates. In 1999 he left the firm to partner with Kurt Rappaport and created Westside Estate Agency, which has now grown to be the number one luxury real estate agency in Los Angeles and one of the top agencies in the country.
Shapiro’s dedication to his clients and strong work ethic have since made him one of the top Realtors in the country. He has worked with many of Los Angeles’ elite and completed sales totaling multiple billions of dollars. Shapiro has been featured in numerous media outlets including 48 Hours, 20/20, the Today Show, CNN, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, the Hollywood Reporter, Variety and many others. Shapiro currently resides in Bel Air and Malibu, CA.
KURT RAPPAPORT – Founder
Kurt was born and raised in Los Angeles as an only child. He started his career in real estate at 19 years old while working in the real estate department of Merrill Lynch. His career quickly ascended and in 1999 he started Westside Estate Agency (“WEA”) headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Today, WEA is the largest privately held brokerage on the West Coast with annual sales in excess of $3 billion dollars. WEA has been the market leader in the sales, marketing and development of luxury real estate with offices in Beverly Hills, Malibu and Miami. Kurt has been close counsel and guided clients including Larry Ellison, Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, Bono, Madonna, Sean Parker, Ellen DeGeneres, Ryan Seacrest, Steven A. Cohen, Peter Guber, Brad Pitt, Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen, and Tom Cruise.
In 2016, 2017, and 2018, Kurt was named to the 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal. He along with Larry Ellison single-handedly changed the real estate landscape in Malibu creating a new economic environment in bringing hotels, youth activities, restaurants, and luxury housing. He has been heralded by The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety as being the top real estate deal maker in town, and Army Archerd wrote that “Kurt Rappaport that he is the real estate guru, trusted by the most powerful”.
Kurt is an active investor in real estate and technology. He’s a partner of Carlos Slim and Larry King in an online digital network. Kurt’s development company has specialized in the development of ultra high-end luxury property with architectural or historical significance. His personal homes have been featured in Architectural Digest and numerous other publications.
Most importantly, Kurt is an avid philanthropist. He is a frequent volunteer and benefactor to Children’s Hospital and Cedars Sinai Los Angeles. His passion is to give back and help those in need. Kurt is part of a regular round table with top scientists, pediatricians and neurosurgeons to help fund and lead the cure for pediatric neuroscience and cancer. He is also on the board of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation.
Kurt lives in Malibu and Beverly Hills, California.
