They Left RE/MAX! But They Came Back. Find Out Why.

It’s a common chorus repeated by agents who leave RE/MAX for another brand: “What was I thinking?” Those who set out for what they thought would be greener pastures are rejoining the RE/MAX network in earnest. They’re realizing the support and brand-name recognition simply can’t be replicated elsewhere. Offices are enthusiastically welcoming back these motivated agents.

Here are two of the many stories of agents who are glad to be back.

Susan Canny returned to RE/MAX in 2012 after leaving in 2005 for the opportunity to enter a partnership and be a managing broker with a different national brand.

When the recession hit and her new venture folded, the former GRI instructor moved to yet another franchise, where she was the top agent in her 60-agent office and the top recruiter for two years.

“I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I gave it a shot,” she says. “But forming a new office and joining another franchise only made me appreciate all that RE/MAX offers and the value of the brand. I’ve now been on the other side.”

Today, Canny works with a supportive manager and is thriving, surrounded by other top producers – a key reason for her return. She realized the average transactions per agent at RE/MAX were staggeringly high, and she wanted to be around other successful, productive agents.

“I can concentrate again on listing and selling,” she says. “I’m excited that I have earned several No. 2 monthly sales awards in my office for doing what I enjoy most.”

Canny’s son is earning his real estate license, and Canny can’t overstate how highly she recommends RE/MAX.

Greg Skipper first joined RE/MAX Ocean Forest at the height of the market in 2007, but, like many others, he found himself struggling when the recession hit. He started getting antsy and left the brand to join an independent brokerage in 2010.

Skipper quickly realized that the leads weren’t as robust as he had been led to believe. He began feeling that he had made a mistake leaving RE/MAX.

“Any of the leads that came in were the brokerages’ leads; at RE/MAX, it’s your business and your clients,” he says. “If I wanted to make a decision about my fees or advertising, it had to go through one person, and sometimes I couldn’t get an answer.”

At the end of 2010, Skipper decided to come back to RE/MAX and spoke with his former manager, who welcomed him back as if no time had passed.

“They were wondering how long it was going to take,” Skipper says, laughing.

It’s been three years since he returned, and Skipper couldn’t be happier with the combination of freedom and support he gets from RE/MAX. Instead of competing against others in the same office, as was the case with the independent brokerage, Skipper enjoys the camaraderie at his RE/MAX office and likes that everyone supports each other in their success.

“If you dig in and do the work, you can make a lot more money with RE/MAX,” he says. “I won’t ever leave the Balloon behind again!”