Gold Nation: Inside the Success of the World’s No. 1 RE/MAX Brokerage

The same ambition that brought James O’Bryon to RE/MAX in 1993 remains an important part of the brokerage today: an unstoppable drive to win.

But winning means something different at RE/MAX Gold. It’s not just about market share, sales volume or agent count – although with more than 2,100 agents across 101 offices throughout California and Northern Nevada, and $10 billion in annual sales, the brokerage is a standout in all three areas. For RE/MAX Gold, winning is about providing agents with the maximum advantage in their careers. 

“If you’re a productive agent anywhere within our footprint, we want you to know you should be working here,” O’Bryon says. “We strive to offer the best business-building benefits available in the industry.”

Today, RE/MAX Gold and its sister brokerages RE/MAX One and RE/MAX Realty Affiliates combine to be the largest brokerage in the RE/MAX network (which O’Bryon collectively refers to as Gold Nation), and it’s the No.1 RE/MAX franchise in the world by residential sales volume. The brokerage is also devoted to giving back to the communities where its agents live and work. This summer, RE/MAX Gold became the third U.S. office in the history of RE/MAX to reach $1 million in donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

O’Bryon says RE/MAX is a key to his agents’ success.  

“When our agents compete [with others] for listings, they’re bringing the world’s most powerful brand combined with Gold Nation and all the tools and professionalism that come with it,” he says. “Who else can say that? Nobody.”

Relentlessly pursuing a vision

Over the years, O’Bryon has frequently been asked for his secret to success. He says the answer is simple: “We’re relentless.”

The leadership team of RE/MAX Gold is sharply focused on growth – and on constantly measuring the brokerage’s performance. Every afternoon, the team meets to discuss the day’s recruiting efforts, analyzing what went well and what can be done better the next day.

“I’ll ask other brokers, ‘What’s your daily activity around recruiting?’ Often, I get either a blank stare or an excuse,” O’Bryon says. “If someone were to ask the same question to any Gold Nation leader, they would get an answer with clear objectives spelled out.”

The most important metric the team measures, according to O’Bryon, is how happy agents are to be with RE/MAX Gold. Agents with thriving businesses are the brokerage’s loudest advocates.

“When we do a good job on the development front, make a professional’s life better, provide better tools and teach how to use them, agents never want to leave,” O’Bryon says. “Why  would they go somewhere else?”

Each month, RE/MAX GOLD offers MEC events, which stands for Motivate, Educate, Collaborate. These professional development programs often feature industry-leading coaches and speakers.

MEC events can have anywhere between 300-800 attendees, and because they’re recorded for agents to revisit on their own time, O’Bryon estimates the programs reach between 70% and 80% of the office’s agents.

Adding agents (and staff) that meet the Gold Standard

Not every agent is a good fit for RE/MAX Gold. The brokerage is careful about who is invited to join the company.

“We select agents who should be part of Gold Nation,” O’Bryon says. “And we make certain to deliver on the value proposition that brought them here.”

Two necessary elements: high levels of professionalism and productivity.

“We select agents based on their threshold of productivity,” O’Bryon says. “That’s a really big way we mirror the RE/MAX brand, which was established to be a home for top producers.”

Providing superior service to great agents requires an elite staff. O’Bryon says that although he often gets the credit for RE/MAX Gold’s success, it’s a team effort.

“We have the most spectacular leadership group imaginable,” O’Bryon says. “These leaders genuinely believe in our mission and they’re willing to reinvent the way we communicate that mission – or even reinvent themselves – in order to achieve it.”

Reinvention has been even more important amid the unpredictability of 2020.

“When COVID hit, many competitors retreated to the sidelines, but that’s not our way,” O’Bryon says. “Instead, we took action and redefined what we do to make us even better, to the point where we are doing an even better job now than we were doing in February.”

After 26 years with the brand, O’Bryon’s drive to win is stronger than ever. In fact, every time RE/MAX Gold reaches a new milestone, his vision grows bigger. He says all of the company’s achievements so far are just a prologue of what’s to come.

“What’s going to happen next is the exciting part,” O’Bryon says. “What we’re doing right now is gaining momentum and building toward something epic.”