Above, Glenn Sanford, left, and Leo Pareja
eXp Founder Glenn Sanford, chairman and chief executive officer of AGNT, Inc.—the parent company of eXp Realty and NextHome Inc.—announced Thursday that eXp CEO Leo Pareja will take the reins of the parent company, according to a news release.
The leadership transition “marks the next phase of its growth strategy as the Company continues to scale and expand its presence locally and internationally,” according to a statement.
Sanford, who has led the company for two decades, will continue serving as chairman of the board of AGNT, according to the release. In addition to its two real estate firms, AGNT is also the parent company of FrameVR.io, a virtual collaboration platform, and SUCCESS® Enterprises, a personal development and media brand for entrepreneurs.
“Building this company from the ground up and watching our vision for a better, agent-centric model of real estate grow into the global, AI-native, multi-model platform it is today has been the privilege of my career,” Sanford said in a news release. “Leo has earned this moment. He’s been instrumental in moving our model into the AI-native era, and I’ve seen firsthand his commitment to our agents, our people, and our shareholders.”
Pareja, who has more than 20 years of experience in real estate, expressed gratitude for Sanford’s vision and leadership—and outlined the priorities that lie ahead.
“Glenn built something the industry said couldn’t work—a company owned by the agents who power it—and turned it into a global, AI-native platform that’s redefining what real estate can be. I don’t take that legacy lightly,” Pareja said in a statement.
“My focus now is making sure every agent on our platform has the tools, the technology and the ownership stake to compete and win in an AI-native market. We’re not just adapting to where the industry is headed, we’re building the infrastructure for it. That’s the work ahead, and I’m ready for it,” Pareja added.
eXp and Sanford are facing a high-stakes civil trial in the coming weeks over allegations by a former agent that the company covered up—and benefitted from—a recruiting “scheme” by two top eXp recruiters to drug and sexually assault women at company events. The plaintiff, a former eXp agent, claims eXp and Sanford should be held responsible for failing to vet the men or hold them accountable, with four other women making similar allegations in a separate case scheduled for trial in 2028.
Pareja has not been named in those lawsuits, having joined the company in June 2022, months after the first lawsuit was filed.
Pareja, 44, ascended to the helm of eXp in April 2024 after moving up through multiple executive leadership roles within the company. A featured speaker at RISMedia’s 38th Annual CEO & Leadership Conference last week in Washington, D.C., Pareja has been recognized as a top-ranked agent and one Realtor® Magazine’s “30 Under 30.” He also served as founding president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals’ (NAHREP) Metro D.C. chapter and later as NAHREP’s national president.
Jesse Williams contributed to this report. Event photo by AJ Canaria.
