08/26/2026
The Real Brokerage acquisition of RE/MAX hits a little closer to home for me than most real estate industry news.
I spent 18 years with RE/MAX, and during much of that time, RE/MAX was one of the most respected and dominant names in real estate.
Now Real has completed its acquisition of RE/MAX Holdings in a deal valued at roughly $880 million, creating Real REMAX Group. The combination brings together Real’s technology-driven brokerage model with one of the most recognized real estate brands in the world. Together, the organizations represent more than 180,000 real estate professionals across 120+ countries and territories.
I've seen brokers from both Real and RE/MAX say this won't change how they treat their clients.
I agree.
Real estate has always been a one-on-one business. At the end of the day, clients hire the broker, not the sign hanging outside the office. Your knowledge, integrity, communication and ability to get the deal done matter far more than the company name on your business card.
But there is another side to this merger that longtime RE/MAX brokers will understand.
RE/MAX didn't just change real estate for consumers. It changed what it meant to be a real estate broker.
When I joined RE/MAX, one of its biggest competitive advantages was its compensation model. Instead of the traditional company split, experienced brokers could essentially pay their expenses upfront and keep their commissions.
That required something from you.
Confidence. Commitment. And the willingness to bet on yourself.
I can't tell you how many times another agent asked me:
"How can you afford to work at RE/MAX?"
My answer was always:
"How can I afford NOT to work at RE/MAX?"
There was a certain respect that came with being a RE/MAX broker. You were operating much more like an independent businessperson. You had overhead. You had to produce. If you didn't sell anything, those expenses didn't magically disappear.
That pressure wasn't for everyone — but for productive brokers, the economics could be tremendous.
RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger around an entrepreneurial model that gave agents greater independence. More than five decades later, the company had grown into one of the largest and most recognizable real estate networks in the world.
Plenty of companies have since introduced versions of the 100% commission model, caps, flat fees and other agent-centered compensation plans.
But in my opinion, none changed the broker community quite the way RE/MAX did.
That's why seeing RE/MAX become part of Real is bittersweet for me. Business evolves. Technology changes. Brokerage models change. What looked revolutionary 30 or 40 years ago eventually becomes the foundation for the next idea.
Maybe that's exactly what we're watching happen again.
Real brings a rapidly growing, technology-focused platform. RE/MAX brings more than 50 years of brand recognition, history and an enormous global network.
I genuinely wish both organizations — and especially the brokers whose livelihoods depend on them — tremendous success with this next chapter.
But I'll always have a soft spot for the RE/MAX that I knew.
For 18 years, that balloon wasn't just the company I worked with. It represented the idea that I was willing to bet on myself.
