On August 24, 2026, The Real Brokerage finished buying RE/MAX Holdings, the company that owns the RE/MAX name. The new parent company is called Real REMAX Group, and it started trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange the next day. The price was about $880 million.

If you hang your license at a RE/MAX office here in Louisville, you've probably heard some version of "nothing changes for you." Maybe that's true for now. I've been in this business 13 years and I've watched a lot of these deals play out, so here's what actually happened, what usually changes next, and the questions I'd be asking my broker this week.

What actually happened

RE/MAX is a franchise. The company in Denver doesn't own the office down the street. A local owner does, and that owner pays RE/MAX for the name, the balloon, and the system. What Real bought is the company at the top, the franchisor. Your office, your broker, and your desk didn't get sold. Their landlord did.

Real is the opposite kind of company. It's a cloud brokerage, which means no big offices. Agents work off an online platform and can earn revenue share (a cut of the company's money from agents they bring in) plus company stock. RE/MAX is brick and mortar with franchise fees. Putting the two together under one roof is the whole bet.

It's also worth knowing RE/MAX wasn't selling from strength. Its revenue dropped 5.7% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the year before, and it lost $9.7 million in that quarter.

What usually changes next

Honest answer: nobody outside the boardroom knows the details yet, including your broker. But here's what tends to happen after a deal like this:

• Fees get a second look. Somebody paid $880 million and wants it back. Franchise fees, tech fees, and what trickles down to agents are where that money comes from.
• Your tech changes. Buyers usually move everybody onto their own platform. That means relearning your systems, sometimes in the middle of a busy season.
• Recruiting gets loud. Real pays agents to recruit agents. Expect people in your own office to start pitching you.
• Office owners make their own call. Each franchise owner has their own contract. Some will renew, some will renegotiate, some will walk.

None of that is bad on its own. But it's a lot of moving parts, and you're the one who has to keep closing deals while it settles.

Five questions to ask your broker this week

• Is my monthly cost or per-deal fee changing? When?
• Are we moving to a new tech platform? Who pays for the switch and the training?
• When does our office's franchise agreement come up for renewal?
• Does anything change about leads, where they come from, or what they cost me?
• If I don't like the new terms, what does leaving look like?

Clear answers? Great. "We'll know more soon"? That's an answer too.

Where Winner Realty fits

I started Winner Realty because I wanted a brokerage where agents keep their money and get real deal flow without having to buy it.

• Leads you don't pay for up front. We own a data company, Property Partner, so our agents get residential and commercial leads in their inbox every morning at 6:30. We don't buy Zillow leads and pass you the bill.
• Investor and commercial deals. Our private investor marketplace, OffMarket.deals, has 70,000+ buyers. Your listings can go in front of them, plus a shout-out in my newsletter. And anything with two or more units is commercial here, backed by Winner Commercial.
• A plan that matches how much you close. $595 a month and keep 100%. Or $100 a month on an 85/15 split. Or $50 a month on a 60/40 split if you're newer or part-time. Every plan is $295 per closed deal, with a one-time $100 to get set up. No surprises.
• Contract-to-close help and broker support on every deal. Text us and you'll hear back within 15 minutes. That's a rule, not a slogan.

Not in a hurry? Totally fine. Bookmark this and see how things shake out. If you want to talk it through, grab a time with me at robbergeron.youcanbook.me, or look at our plans at thewinnerrealty.com/join.

— Rob Bergeron, Owner–Realtor, Winner Realty

Sources: McCarthy Tétrault, RE/MAX Holdings acquired by Real (Aug 2026); RE/MAX Holdings first-quarter 2026 results, SEC filing; Willkie Farr deal announcement (Apr 2026).