John Aaroe, former real estate agent and CEO from LA, died at the age of 73 on December 16, 2025about eight years after retiring from the industry for the second time.
Aaroe was known for improving customer service and encouraging agents to reach their full potential. He retired in 1998 after selling John Aaroe & Associates to Prudential, but the pull of the industry was too great and Aaroe returned to the fold in 2009 to form the John Aaroe Group (JAG).
Aaroe was named to the very first class of Inman’s Golden I Hall of Fame in 2019, alongside luxury giant Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker.
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As news of Aaroe’s passing spread, those who knew him paid tribute to the Southern California icon.
Craig Strong of the Craig Strong Group at Compass praised his former mentor on Instagram with a heartfelt post claiming that “there will never be another one.”
“He always knew what to say and when,” Strong wrote. “He made you feel important somehow. He showed you something in yourself that you couldn’t see. He could make you laugh in your darkest moments. He reached out in both good and hard times, as if he knew he was needed. His secret was that he really cared…”
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties agent Linda Riha commented on the post: “NOOOOO…my heart is broken!💔”
Sonia Cabrera, an agent at The Agency in LA, also wrote: “Awe [sic] RIP John 💔🙏🏼.”
Milwaukee Brewers co-owner Robert Beyer also commented on Strong’s post, testifying to the relationship the mentor and mentee maintained.
“He was incredibly proud to be associated with you, Craig,” Beyer wrote. “I said it to me recently when we were talking about a presentation you gave together. We share these special memories.”
Aaroe began his real estate career in 1975 and was a top agent with Jon Douglas. While there, Aaroe developed the company’s luxury division, which at the time became the largest seller of multimillion-dollar homes in the country with sales of more than $1.5 billion annually, Inman reported in a story about Aaroe’s retirement in 2017. (Coldwell Banker Realty subsequently acquired Jon Douglas in 1997.)
After founding JAG in 2009, Aaroe grew the company into a 450-agent brokerage firm that generated $2.5 billion in sales volume in 2016. That same year, he led the company’s merger with Pacific Union International. Pacific Union, led by CEO Mark McLaughlin, was subsequently acquired by Compass in 2018.
Shortly after launching an office in Calabasas and closing its doors months later, Aaroe retired again in 2017 and the John Aaroe Group was renamed Pacific Union. A year later, unable to stay away, Aaroe rejoined Pacific Union in an advisory role, telling Inman at the time: “It is not in my nature to completely separate myself from the challenges and opportunities this industry has to offer.”
John Aaroe, founder and president of John Aaroe Group, and Aaron Kirman, president of Aaroe Estates, in 2013 | Credit: PRNews Photo / John Aaroe Group
Inman News founder Brad Inman said in a statement: “John was a giver, not a taker, humble to the core, a servant leader and a super fun conversationalist. He was a dear friend to Yaz and me, who we were fortunate to learn from until the end of his amazing life.”
Mark McLaughlin, who is now an M&A advisor at Compass, said in a statement: “John Aaroe was a gifted leader of people and businesses. He led with grace, compassion and his heart. John is revered by thousands of people and will never be forgotten. We have lost a legend, but the memories remain.”
A number of Southern California’s top-earning agents have joined Aaroe’s companies over the years, a testament to his caliber as an industry leader. Famous real estate agent Aaron Kirman joined JAG from Hilton & Hyland in 2013 to lead the company’s luxury estate division. Top Beverly Hills agent Sally Forster Jones was also with the firm for a few years before it merged with Pacific Union.
Forster Jones praised Aaroe for his ethical backbone in an emailed statement to Inman.
“He was a great leader and a great person,” she wrote. “He had the biggest heart and the clearest vision and would always step in and help. Truly a guiding light in ethics and vision.”
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