Mick Night and John Pinel join Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

Winter Park real-estate duo Mick Night and John Pinel recently made the decision to join the Winter Park office of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, bringing with them more than 40 years of combined experience and more than $1.5 billion in career sales volume.

The two previously were with Coldwell Banker Real Estate. That company rated them the No. 1 small team in North America in 2017 — a year where Night and Pinel saw $181 million in sales volume.

Night said the decision stemmed from discussions with Premier Sotheby’s about three years ago. At that time, Night’s son, John Michael, had just suffered a brain-stem stroke and that commanded every bit of his attention.

Later, talks resumed and eventually Night and Pinel agreed that the transition was the right move to make.

“We tabled the whole thing, and I hadn’t been open to doing anything until really the last three months or so,” Night said. “For whatever reason, it kind of heated back up. We had to get to a place where I was comfortable and felt stable enough past John Michael’s stroke and where we were headed, which is a continual journey, of course.”

Close connections with the staff at the Premier Sotheby’s Winter Park office played a major role in the decision, Night said.

“Danny Williams is the manager of the company, and Danny’s been a friend of mine for over 20 years, maybe 25,” Night said. “He and I were actually business partners for two or three years when the market was really tough. We have that connection — that friendship connection.

“The CEO of the Premier Sotheby’s franchise is Judy Green, and she is like a second mom to me,” he said. “She’s been great friends with my mom for many, many years, and she got into the business. The president is Budge Huskey, who’s also a family friend, so I have a personal connection with the CEO, the president and the office manager.”

The Premier Sotheby’s reputation and the small, boutique-style office of about 30 employees also were incentives to move, Night said.

“The draw was certainly the Sotheby’s name and the Sotheby’s brand — not to take anything away from Coldwell Banker,” Night said. “Obviously, it’s a top-notch international company, as well. The Sotheby’s brand I just felt like was more boutique and had more of a luxury element to it, if you will, and culture all the way back to the auction house. … The Sotheby’s company has been and still is the oldest company on the New York Stock Exchange. It goes back to 1744.”

Pinel agreed.

“The brand aligns well with our business model, because Mick has focused on the Winter Park market for 31 years,” he said. “It’s morphed into, overtime, mainly the higher-end market, the lakefronts and the big estates.”

Night said he and Pinel are thrilled about their new company.

“I was at a point in my career where I just felt like I needed a change,” he said. “I needed something to energize me and excite me. I’ve been through a lot obviously in the last three years — not near as much as my son, not even close — but our family as a whole has been through a tremendous amount of stress and pressure along with the typical day-to-day routine that everybody goes through. I was just at a point where I felt like there’s a reason Danny was being patient with me over the last three years. Three years is a long time to be talking on and off about this move. He left it up to me, and for whatever reason something just clicked in the last few months. … I just felt like if I was going to make a move, now is the time to do it.”