RE/MAX Leadership Focused on Growth, Expansion

With an eye on “delivering the best experience in everything real estate,” RE/MAX Holdings has a vision to help franchisees and agents build their business through channels well beyond real estate sales and mortgage brokerage.

That was one of several takeaways from the opening general session of the 2021 RE/MAX Broker Owner Conference (BOC) August 8-10 in Austin, Texas.

Other takeaways included a broker sneak peek at a reinvented RE/MAX University launching to agents in October and multiple tech innovations to help franchisees grow their brokerages.

‘Everything Real Estate’

CEO Adam Contos unveiled a strategic roadmap for RE/MAX Holdings and said the organization plans to expand into all areas of the real estate spectrum including property management, title and escrow, property insurance and more – if and when the time is right. New entities would expand the winning foundation laid by RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage – which launched in 2016 and has grown into a network of over 160 open offices – that cover real estate and mortgage brokerage, respectively,

RE/MAX Holdings would decide whether to buy, partner or build when appropriate in each channel – in ways that provide further opportunities for franchisees at the local level, Contos said.

The CEO noted that in the past five years, RE/MAX Holdings has grown from a single-brand franchisor to a multi-brand operation – with recently acquired tech and data companies added to the mix.

“In many ways, RE/MAX is bigger, bolder and more ambitious than ever – but with an amazing framework of values that help people be as successful as they want to be,” Contos said. “We have more than half of our staff at HQ dedicated to working on technology advancements and building infrastructure for our network of brokers and agents. We’re staying 10 steps ahead to achieve our company mission of delivering the best experience in everything real estate.”

Innovation + Reinvention + Expansion

RE/MAX agents closed over 1.78 million transaction sides in 2020 and the worldwide agent count – roughly 140,000 – is at its all-time high. Supported by more technology firepower than ever, the network is positioned to strengthen its industry leadership even further, suggested both Contos and Nick Bailey, who became president of RE/MAX, LLC in June.

Competition for the best agents is fierce, Bailey noted during the session, but RE/MAX continues to innovate, reinvent and expand its services to give brokerage an edge in recruiting. A prime example: the thoroughly modernized RE/MAX University®, which will debut to agents this fall. Built on a mobile-friendly, A.I.-powered platform, the reinvented RU will connect agents to invaluable education on all aspects of real estate marketing and sales. The result: an even stronger value proposition for RE/MAX brokerages and even better service for consumers.

The new platform advances the longtime prioritization of agent development at RE/MAX. Even before the transformation, agents who engaged with RE/MAX University*, on average:

• Closed 29% to 38% more transaction sides. • Earned 31% to 233% more in commissions. ** • Were 30% more likely to remain with their brokerage. **

Brokers are able to access the new system now and prepare for the October rollout to their agents, he added.

“Education is crucial,” Bailey said. “Getting a real estate license is easy but being successful in real estate is tough.”

Turning Up the Volume

A similar reinvention, Bailey said, was the recent introduction of Megaphone – a modern, in-house tech platform for creating and placing lead-generating online ads – that evolved from the former RE/MAX Design Center, a cutting edge technology when it debuted more than a decade ago. Megaphone‘s addition of Design Center’s traditional products – printed and digital ads, brochures, fliers and more – gives RE/MAX agents a single, centralized site for most of their marketing needs.

RE/MAX is also innovating with its award-winning First® app to help brokers identify and attract agents who would fit well in the network. RE/MAX brokers, Bailey noted, have many competitive advantages beyond price – and the app’s new recruiting functionality can help them “turn up the volume” on elements that can make a difference in an agent’s productivity and career.

Bailey encouraged U.S. brokers to make sure agents and prospects were aware that RE/MAX affiliates can obtain family health insurance coverage through a national provider – which helps fill a gap in the real estate industry. The innovative program, which launched in April for all states except Hawaii, provides high-quality, discounted coverage as well as open enrollment the first 10 days of each month. It’s currently a RE/MAX exclusive.

Ultimately, he said, the initiatives unveiled at the BOC – and, frankly, virtually everything being developed by RE/MAX Headquarters – are designed to help RE/MAX brokerages grow and RE/MAX agents close more sales. And much of that effort involves improving the real estate experience for consumers.

“The agent is the most important part of the transaction, and that’s not changing in my lifetime,” Bailey said. “But we’re at a point where A.I. and machine learning is the future of this business, so let’s lean into that technology. The easier we make the process for buyers and sellers, the more apt they will be to like buying and selling real estate.”

Leadership Insights

The opening session also featured the thoughts of several renowned experts – from the real estate industry and beyond. Keynote speaker J.R. Martinez inspired the crowd with his story of grit, resilience and optimism.

Consultant Ivy Zelman, whose Zelman & Associates is a leading national voice on homebuilding and housing, noted that buyers are starting to push back on skyrocketing home prices – especially when listings aren’t in stellar physical condition.

“Prices are too hot right now,” Zelman said, noting that the current rate of appreciation is likely not sustainable.

RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger, who appeared in a roundtable discussion with Bailey and Contos, said the future is bright for the brand he and his wife, Gail, led for four decades. The current leadership team – which includes CFO Karri Callahan, COO Serene Smith and Motto Franchising President Ward Morrison – is “taking RE/MAX to an even higher level,” he said.

Finally, Contos revealed on stage that he will donate all proceeds from his upcoming book “Start with a Win,” which will release in October and is available to pre-order now, to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals®.

“I don’t have a listing to make a Miracle Home, so I’m calling this my Miracle Book,” Contos said in reference to the longstanding tradition of RE/MAX agents designating their listings as Miracle Homes and dedicating a portion of their earnings to the cause.

* Agents included in the study participated in at least one RU course during their first year with RE/MAX.
** As measured across 4 agent cohorts relative to the remaining agent population. A statistically significant correlation for agent retention was found in 3 of the 4 cohorts.

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