On a brisk March morning in Rhode Island, midway through one of the biggest announcements of his life, Dean deTonnancourt felt a flicker of nerves.
The longtime brokerage owner had assembled his 300 agents—people he cares about deeply, many of whom had been with their national brand for years—to announce the conversion of their successful, six-office firm to the REMAX® brand.
deTonnancourt explained to his agents that he had recognized the need for change, researched every option, and concluded that REMAX was the best way to go. Moving forward, he announced, they would operate as REMAX Revolution.
While the shock of the announcement was audible in the room, deTonnancourt continued to explain the many reasons for the transition. Everyone felt the sincerity behind his emotion, and someone shouted, “We love you, Dean!” from the back of the room.
Agents rose to their feet in a standing ovation. In that moment, deTonnancourt felt absolutely sure about his decision—and his team’s support of it.
His confidence was justified. After all, he was aligning his agents and brokerage—one of the largest in the state—with a global community built on trust, productivity and professionalism. He was expanding the value he could deliver to each agent—through the brand, marketing, technology and services, and a referral network with a presence in 120 countries and territories. And he was reinforcing his own philosophy of putting the interests of agents and clients first.
“They know I care—and that I chose REMAX for them,” deTonnancourt said. “Something exciting is happening at REMAX. You can see it in the brand, the leadership team and the technology. We’re thrilled to be joining right now. A new era is beginning at REMAX—and we want to be part of it.”
Something exciting, indeed
deTonnancourt is right. It is, by many measures, the dawning of a new era at REMAX. And, just seven weeks after the REMAX Revolution conversion, that new era became even more compelling.
On April 27 it was announced that RE/MAX Holdings—the parent company of the REMAX and Motto® Mortgage franchise brands—had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Real Brokerage. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of this year, creating a technology-enabled global real estate entity called Real REMAX Group.
“This is a transformational combination—one that unites the most iconic brand and one of the largest franchise networks in real estate with the most innovative technology and fastest-growing major public real estate brokerage,” REMAX CEO Erik Carlson told REMAX broker/owners in a town hall on announcement day.
Until the transaction closes, Carlson reiterated, both companies will continue to operate independently, with no business changes for REMAX brokerages or agents. After close, the combination will bring together two unique and complementary companies—with designs on driving more value to agents, franchisees, consumers and shareholders.
Notably, the REMAX brand will stay intact, he said.
“Real recognizes the strength of the REMAX brand. So even after the transaction closes, the REMAX brand will be maintained and continue to operate as a dedicated franchise model,” Carlson said.
REMAX President and Chief Growth Officer Chris Lim, who co-hosted the town hall, reinforced the benefits that could come from the post-close arrangement.
“Agents operating under both brands will be able to keep their respective brands, their economic models and their relationships,” said Lim, echoing the joint press release that was issued earlier that day. “What changes is that both agent groups will now have the support of a significantly larger platform. We believe that makes the agent value proposition more competitive, not less—and we expect it to strengthen retention and accelerate growth. Put simply, the combined platform gives agents more reasons to join and more reasons to stay.”
‘A faster pace of play’
The Real REMAX Group announcement arrived amid one of the busiest, most dynamic periods in REMAX history. The senior leadership team Carlson assembled over the past two years—adding decades of high-level industry experience to decades of REMAX insight—has expanded the REMAX value proposition across the business.
“There’s a faster pace of play at REMAX World Headquarters. For the last few years, we’ve been moving quickly—and with purpose—to strengthen the advantages of being with REMAX. And we’re doubling down on the winning culture that defines this brand,” Carlson says. “Affiliates are leaning in to this new direction. They see the value in staying ahead of their competitors.”
Going fast and staying ahead of the competition are key themes in a major REMAX sponsorship. In February, REMAX became the official real estate partner of INDYCAR team, Meyer Shank Racing. Two of the team’s cars are carrying REMAX branding through the full 2026 INDYCAR Series season. The 18-race season stretches from March to September, with each race broadcast nationally on FOX.
“We’re thrilled to join forces with Meyer Shank Racing and bring the REMAX brand to tens of millions of INDYCAR race fans,” says REMAX Chief Marketing Officer Abby Lee. “As the No. 1 name in real estate*, REMAX has a fast-moving, winning mindset, making this relationship an ideal fit. Our involvement is an innovative way to further the brand and create opportunities for REMAX brokerages and agents,” she adds.
Winning more listings
Creating opportunities for brokerages and agents is the aim of virtually every REMAX initiative.
“Every day, we wake up thinking about helping you win more listings, do it in less time and make more money,” Carlson told thousands of agents at the annual REMAX R4® global event in March. “That’s our purpose. It’s our North Star.”
Winning listings and closing sales, of course, has been a REMAX superpower for years. More than 200 REMAX brokerages qualified for the 2026 RISMedia Power Broker Survey, combining for over 320,000 closed transaction sides and just under $150 billion in sales volume. Within those firms, REMAX agents averaged 11.3 closed sides each—more than double the 5.3 average of all competing agents in the survey.
“You can’t say enough about the quality and productivity of REMAX agents,” Carlson says. “That’s the starting point for everything else.”
Incredible energy
Despite closing more than 1.56 million residential transaction sides last year (and 1.63 million total)—reinforcing the longtime tagline that “Nobody in the World Sells More Real Estate than REMAX”**—the brand continues to innovate and evolve, especially under Carlson and his leadership team.
“We’re a 53-year-old brand with the heart of a startup,” Lim says. “We’ve built great momentum in the past year.”
When he arrived as chief growth officer in February 2025, Lim brought impressive industry experience to his role. He’s the former president of Christie’s International Real Estate, president of @properties, and founder and CEO of Climb Real Estate, which was acquired by a Realogy subsidiary (later Anywhere) in 2016. Since Lim’s arrival, he and Lee have championed the idea of modernizing and elevating the brand’s look, feel and image.
“How you show up and present yourself is a major differentiator in our industry,” says Lim, whose online innovations include Global Passport, a showcase of extraordinary REMAX listings from around the world. “It’s true in marketing, on social media and in real life. We’re changing the way people experience REMAX. We’re bringing a creative, luxury mindset to every interaction.”
Lim doesn’t just talk about interactions. He’s launched an ambitious new project called the 365 Tour, during which he’ll visit 365 REMAX offices in the course of a year.
“Like all of our leaders, I’m a big believer in the power of social media and strategic digital marketing, but I also see the undeniable value of face-to-face conversations,” says Lim, who in addition to his executive roles was a top-producing agent for over 20 years. “Real estate is still a business built on relationships, so we’re hitting the road to speak to as many REMAX affiliates as we can. We want to hear what challenges and opportunities they see in their markets—and how we can help.”
Impactful products
Over the past year, REMAX leadership has put affiliates at the center of product development, forming several official innovation groups of broker/owners and agents. These groups have weighed in on early concepts, tested live solutions and provided direct feedback—helping ensure that new offerings are both relevant and impactful.
“REMAX affiliates are shaping what we build,” says REMAX EVP of Strategy Travis Saxton. “Their involvement and collaboration have made a tangible difference.”
A major focus is listing visibility.
Through a strategic partnership announced in March, REMAX agents across the U.S. can access Zillow Preview, allowing homes to be marketed to consumers before hitting the MLS, where permitted. A related agreement provides deeply discounted access to Zillow Showcase, which elevates the listing experience and exposes properties to Zillow’s 235 million average monthly visitors. Both offerings will be integrated into REMAX Marketing StudioSM, a platform that also includes a brand-enhanced version of Canva, generative AI video creation and social media promotion tools.
Another key offering is MasterPitchSM, a comprehensive listing system developed from techniques Lim refined as a top-producing agent. Rather than focusing solely on presentation, MasterPitch combines strategy, marketing solutions and execution—helping agents articulate their value, differentiate themselves and win listings more consistently.
REMAX also has an optional lead management solution that serves consumers and agents alike. Lead Concierge, launched in late 2024, nurtures remax.com leads—sometimes for up to a year—before delivering them, conversation-ready, to participating agents. Since launch, concierge-managed leads have contributed to more than 600 closed transactions.
And for agents exchanging business across the country or around the world, MAXReferSM offers a centralized, AI-assisted referral platform designed to simplify sending, receiving and tracking referrals. Early data suggests the impact is meaningful. Agents participating in MAXRefer have averaged seven more closed transactions than non-users***.
Taken together, the aim of the product suite is clear: Reduce friction, save time and help agents focus on their clients.
“It’s about helping REMAX agents and broker/owners build their businesses,” Carlson says. “We’re constantly working to give them new competitive advantages.”
‘Fired up’ about the future
That effort can be seen in the April 27 announcement, which generated a wide range of reactions and buzz—in both the industry and the REMAX community.
Back in Rhode Island, deTonnancourt processed the news like everyone else. And, like many others, he posted his initial reaction on Facebook: “I have always believed that where you place your roots in this industry matters deeply. We chose REMAX because of the people, the brand and the belief that the best of real estate was still ahead. (This news) reinforces every part of that.
“At REMAX Revolution, we are fired up about what this next chapter holds for our agents, our clients and this industry. The next decade of real estate is being written right now.”
For more information, visit join.remax.com.
* Based on the MMR Strategy Group study of unaided awareness
** As measured by closed residential transaction sides
*** Based on a February 2026 analysis of active REMAX agents. Agents are flagged as MAXRefer participants if they have sent or accepted a referral through MAXRefer (RESAAS) since the program launched in May 2025
