COACHELLA VALLEY - After shuttering its offices a year ago in the Coachella Valley, Sotheby's International again has a hand in the local luxury-home market by way of an affiliation agreement with nearly 20-year-old Dyson & Dyson Real Estate Associates.

The partnership with Sotheby's gives Dyson & Dyson more resources and marketing clout in the increasingly competitive world of luxury homes, estates and properties, said Bob Dyson, who heads the brokerage along with his wife, Loraine.

Under the new name Dyson & Dyson Sotheby's International Realty, the real estate brokerage's 300 agents will continue to operate out of nine offices across the Coachella Valley and two in Las Vegas.

Dyson & Dyson's office in San Diego will do business as Villa Sotheby's International Realty.

Dyson said the affiliation will give his real estate firm increased exposure to high-end clients through Sotheby's marketing efforts and lists on its global Web site www.sothebysrealty.com.

"(Sotheby's) has had hundreds of brokers apply for this (affiliation) in Southern California," Dyson said. "We were able to do it."

The agreement was signed a little more than a year after Sotheby's closed its Palm Desert and Palm Springs offices. It was then that a group of about 28 real estate agents at Sotheby's office at 1345 N. Palm Canyon Drive launched the valley's first Pacific Union GMAC Real Estate office.

Randy Heinitz, an owner of the Pacific Union GMAC franchise, said his firm has since formed an exclusive affiliation with Christie's Great Estates, a 12-year-old subsidiary of Christie's auction house that specializes in million-dollar and multimillion-dollar properties.

The Christie's Great Estates network comprises some 850 real estate offices and nearly 35,000 sales associates in more than 45 countries, company officials said. The combined annual sales volume of all Christie's affiliate real estate companies is about $125 billion.

Similarly, Dyson & Dyson stands to benefit from an association with the famed 260-year-old Sotheby's international auction house.

Dyson & Dyson signed the network affiliation deal with Parsippany, N.J.-based Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC, Sotheby's 31-year-old real estate operation. Three years ago, Sotheby's began a co-branding effort, forming partnerships with brokerages such as Dyson & Dyson to create a support network for marketing luxury properties worldwide.

Michael R. Good, president and CEO of Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates, said Dyson & Dyson was selected for its "stellar reputation for innovation" and commitment to clients.

Along with operational and marketing support, Sotheby's offers recruiting, educational and business development resources.