TL;DR
- Christie’s launched a unit for real estate transactions in cryptocurrency without relying on banks.
Aaron Kirman leads a team of lawyers, financial analysts, and crypto experts to manage direct deals in Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The division was created after a $65 million mansion in Beverly Hills sold entirely in crypto.
Christie’s International Real Estate has opened a specialized division to handle property transactions conducted exclusively in cryptocurrency, bypassing traditional banking channels.
Aaron Kirman, head of the Los Angeles affiliate, oversees a group of attorneys, financial analysts, and digital-asset specialists. Their mission is to facilitate peer-to-peer deals using Bitcoin or Ethereum, giving clients enhanced privacy and eliminating conventional banking procedures.
This initiative followed several landmark sales, notably a Beverly Hills estate bought for $65 million entirely in crypto. Kirman says that deal underscored a market shift and spurred the launch of the new team.
Today, the brokerage’s crypto-accepting portfolio tops $1 billion and includes flagship properties such as La Fin in Bel Air—valued at $118 million—the $63 million Nightingale in Beverly Hills, and Joshua Tree’s Invisible House, listed at nearly $18 million.
To streamline these transactions, buyers form LLCs funded directly with cryptocurrency. This approach makes it far harder to trace the purchaser’s identity, a feature that appeals to high-profile clients seeking discretion. Kirman notes that in several cases, sellers never learned the buyer’s identity, while their attorneys confirmed the funds’ legitimate origin.
U.S. regulators have also taken steps that favor crypto-based real estate deals. President Donald Trump signed the Genius Act, which sets federal guidelines for stablecoins, and the House passed the Clarity Act to prevent overregulation of digital currencies.
Christie’s Plans Crypto-Backed Mortgages
Furthermore, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now instructed to factor crypto holdings into mortgage applications—a critical update given that roughly 14% of American adults own some form of cryptocurrency, according to Gallup.
Christie’s is already in talks with several banks to offer home loans payable in crypto. Kirman predicts that within five years, digital currencies will account for over one-third of all U.S. residential real estate transactions. His expertise in the luxury market, combined with growing demand for confidentiality, underpins this forecast.
With this new unit, Christie’s aims to provide its clients a swift, discreet way to acquire real estate using cryptocurrency. The team’s legal and financial know-how, paired with blockchain’s inherent flexibility, ensures a more direct, tailored process for buyers and sellers alike
