Brokerage & Franchise Executives | Real Estate Almanac

Largest Brokerages

Last Updated January 22, 2026

Whether a brokerage leader seeking to benchmark performance, an investor evaluating potential opportunities, or an executive analyzing market dynamics, the Mega 1000 delivers critical intelligence. The ranking serves as both a leaderboard of achievement and a tool for strategic insight.

Discover which companies are driving change, how market share is evolving, and where opportunities lie within the nation’s largest brokerages. Dive into the Mega 1000 and unlock the insights that matter most.

Rank	Executive	Title	Company
1 1SP 200 Rank	Robert Reffkin	Chairman and CEO	Compass International Holdings
1 1SP 200 Rank	In 2025, the leader of the US’s largest brokerage deepened his already significant industry power, most notably with the announcement of Compass’ plan to acquire behemoth Anywhere Real Estate (the deal closed on Jan. 9, 2026). Reffkin also oversaw the acquisition of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, which closed in January 2025, and led a vociferous campaign to promote an exclusive listing strategy that has spearheaded debate, policy developments and lawsuits. Additionally, Reffkin improved Compass’s profitability in 2025, which is on track to be Compass’ best year yet in terms of financial performance. Reffkin stands squarely as the industry’s most powerful leader.
2 4SP 200 Rank	Glenn Sanford	Founder and CEO	eXp World Holdings
2 4SP 200 Rank	Sanford leads eXp World Holdings, parent company of eXp Realty — the nation’s largest brokerage by US transaction sides and agent count (over 350,000 sides and 65,000 agents). He has built a strong leadership team at eXp Realty in recent years and has helped the firm maintain one of the best profit profiles among public brokerage companies. A clear visionary — and the largest shareholder in eXp World Holdings — Sanford continues to wield significant industry power.
3 5SP 200 Rank	Ryan Schneider	President and CEO	Anywhere Real Estate (a Compass company)
3 5SP 200 Rank	In his eight years at the helm of the nation’s largest real estate enterprise (with $535.3 billion in 2024 annual sales volume), Schneider has remained focused on reducing debt, maintaining positive cashflow, streamlining operations and centralizing data to optimize company operations and strengthen the firm. His efforts culminated in an acquisition by Compass for $1.6 billion in stock, representing approximately 10 times Anywhere’s projected 2026 earnings — a stellar multiple. The deal, which closed in early 2026, brings together the nation’s two largest brokerages as well as Anywhere’s notable franchise brands, including Sotheby’s International Realty and Coldwell Banker.
4 7SP 200 Rank	Chris Kelly	President and CEO	HomeServices of America
4 7SP 200 Rank	Groomed for the last several years to take the top role at HomeServices of America, Kelly was named president and CEO of the nation’s third-largest real estate enterprise by US sales volume ($262.5 billion) in April 2025. He has helped guide the firm through a profitable year with a net profit margin of 1.9% as of Q3 2025, putting the company on track for its best year since 2021. Kelly joined the enterprise in 2007 as general counsel for ReeceNichols. He later served as HomeServices' senior counsel supporting acquisitions and technology initiatives, and as president and CEO of subsidiary Ebby Halliday before becoming EVP of HomeServices.
5 8SP 200 Rank	Howard "Hoby" Hanna IV	CEO	Hanna Holdings
5 8SP 200 Rank	A third-generation company leader, Hanna maintains a respected industry voice as the head of a firm established during an era when family-owned brokerages had more prominence. In 2025, he led Howard Hanna, the nation’s seventh-largest brokerage and 13th-largest franchise brand, through a brand refresh as it consolidated more of its subsidiaries under a single identity. Under Hanna’s leadership, the company has continued to compete in the era of consolidation, making strategic acquisitions in Manhattan — a new market for the brokerage — and Ohio, deepening its leadership in its home state.
6 10SP 200 Rank	Leo Pareja	CEO	eXp Realty
6 10SP 200 Rank	In his first full year leading eXp Realty as CEO, Pareja has established himself as a respected voice within the industry while driving the brokerage’s expansion efforts both inside and outside the US, opening five new global markets in 2025. A clear, passionate communicator advocating for transparency in brokerage practices, he spearheaded the release of a seller advisory form available to all professionals, publicly opposed brokerage exclusive listing strategies and doubled down on eXp Realty’s focus on integrating AI into its business. Pareja, who began his real estate career at 19, previously worked with Keller Williams, presided over NAHREP, and co-founded private lending company Washington Capital Partners and MLS platform Remine.
7 11SP 200 Rank	Gary Keller	Co-Founder and Executive Chair	Keller Williams Realty
7 11SP 200 Rank	Keller, executive chair of the company he co-founded in 1983, retains partial ownership of Keller Williams Realty, but he ceded control of the nation’s largest franchise brand in March 2025 when private equity company Stone Point Capital acquired the firm. Stone Point brings capital to fuel growth and innovation and placed Chris Czarnecki in the role of CEO. A real estate visionary with nearly a half-century of foundational industry leadership under his belt, Keller is expanding his prolific writing, teaching and coaching activities.
8 12SP 200 Rank	Chris Czarnecki	President and CEO	Keller Williams Realty
8 12SP 200 Rank	Appointed president and CEO of Keller Williams Realty in March 2025 — in conjunction with private equity firm Stone Point Capital’s acquisition of the nation’s largest franchise brand — Czarnecki stepped into a role that had seen a lot of transition in recent years. The former CEO of REIT Broadstone Net Lease has taken the reins with confidence, leading the industry’s largest franchise brand with a clear, competent voice and investing in agent education, marketing and the company’s technology platform.
9 14SP 200 Rank	Dan Duffy	CEO	United Real Estate
9 14SP 200 Rank	The longtime leader of United Real Estate, Duffy elevated his voice within the industry in 2025 as the spokesperson for the new Pro-Agent Restore Trust in NAR group, a working group of 15 leaders of large brokerage companies pressing NAR to make foundational changes that improve value to brokers and agents. In addition to taking on this new advocacy role, Duffy continued to lead his firm — the nation’s 11th-largest brokerage and 12th-largest franchise brand, whose company-owned and franchised offices operate under a fee-based business model — through continued growth in 2025 with several key acquisitions and new affiliates.
10 15SP 200 Rank	Tamir Poleg	Co-Founder and CEO	The Real Brokerage
10 15SP 200 Rank	Poleg has orchestrated remarkable growth and innovation as head of The Real Brokerage, the US’s fifth-largest brokerage. The firm, on track for its most profitable year as a public company in 2025, saw more year-over-year sales volume growth than any other brokerage in the top 10, based on the latest data from the 2025 Mega 1000. Poleg has applied a revenue-sharing, capped, virtual model — fortified by a homegrown tech platform — to achieve his firm’s remarkable growth. Real continued to innovate under his leadership in 2025, launching AI tools for agents and consumers, and introducing financial services for agents.
11 16SP 200 Rank	Erik Carlson	CEO	RE/MAX Holdings
11 16SP 200 Rank	In his second year helming RE/MAX Holdings, the nation’s second-largest franchise brand, Carlson has continued to guide the business to profitability. With a net profit margin of 5.0% through the first three quarters of 2025, the REMAX brokerage operation — which has struggled with falling revenue — is on track for its most profitable year since 2020. Carlson has improved the company’s financial trajectory by streamlining operations, bringing on new talent, and introducing a digital-focused rebrand, lead concierge service, increased technology support to franchisees and a new marketing automation platform.
12 17SP 200 Rank	Susan "Sue" Yannaccone	President and CEO	Anywhere Brands
12 17SP 200 Rank	As president and CEO of Anywhere Brands, Yannaccone serves as the second in command at Anywhere Real Estate, overseeing brokerage operations of the firm’s company-owned and franchised offices: Coldwell Banker, Sotheby's International Realty, Century 21, ERA Real Estate, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and Corcoran Group. A respected and grounded leader in the industry, she has focused on identifying strategies for success and building community. Her “What Moves Her” program empowering women in real estate marked its five-year anniversary in 2025.
13 18SP 200 Rank	Glenn Kelman	CEO	Redfin (a Rocket company)
13 18SP 200 Rank	Over his two decades as CEO of Redfin, Kelman guided the company to its position as a top 10 brokerage and portal behemoth. While he sought a sustainable way to operate and grow an employee-based brokerage, after years of profitability challenges, he helped orchestrate the sale of the company to mortgage giant Rocket in 2025 for $1.75 billion — an amount roughly double Redfin's enterprise value at the time. Kelman, a passionate leader, has also been outspoken about his belief in an open, comprehensive marketplace, endorsing Zillow Group’s decision to reject listings that had been publicly marketed but not widely available through the MLS or national search portals. Note: The SP 200 reflects industry standing from 2025. Kelman resigned as CEO of Redfin on Jan. 13, 2026.
14 20SP 200 Rank	Philip "Phil" Soper	President	Bridgemarq Real Estate Services
14 20SP 200 Rank	Since 2004, Soper has led Bridgemarq Real Estate Services, Canada’s largest real estate company. As president, he oversees the more than 21,000 agents affiliated with the firm’s brokerage and franchise operations, including Royal LePage, Via Capitale, Johnston & Daniel and Proprio Direct in Quebec. In 2025, Royal LePage launched a “Proudly Canadian” marketing campaign to build brand awareness, and Soper was elected chair of The Realty Alliance’s board of directors.
15 21SP 200 Rank	Matt Widdows	Founder and CEO	HomeSmart
15 21SP 200 Rank	Widdows runs Scottsdale, Arizona-based HomeSmart, the fee-based brokerage he founded in 2000 that allows agents to pay transaction and membership fees in lieu of splitting commissions with the brokerage. HomeSmart, the 12th-largest real estate enterprise in the US, has approximately 64,500 agents at company-owned and franchised offices who do approximately $31 billion in annual sales. In 2025, the firm unveiled a full rebrand to mark its 25th anniversary and entered a national marketing agreement with mortgage lender Lower Mortgage.
16 22SP 200 Rank	OB Jacobi, Jill & Geoff Wood	Co-Presidents	Windermere Real Estate
16 22SP 200 Rank	Siblings OB Jacobi and Jill Jacobi Wood, along with Wood’s husband Geoff Wood, lead Windermere — a family-owned company for more than 50 years — as co-presidents. Based in Seattle, the company operates brokerages and a franchise brand in nine western states and Mexico. In 2025, Windermere appointed a new diversity leader and recommitted to diversity, equity and inclusion. OB Jacobi has been the most outspoken member of the leadership team, advocating for a comprehensive marketplace and transparency in MLS governance and industry policy issues.
17 23SP 200 Rank	Guy Gal & Hilary Saunders	Co-Founders	Side
17 23SP 200 Rank	Gal and Saunders co-founded Side with its innovative brokerage model in 2017 and have grown it into the nation’s ninth-largest brokerage by sales volume. Gal serves as CEO and Saunders is chief broker officer of the San Francisco-based company, which offers a brokerage platform for agents and teams. Side is the broker of record and provides key operational and back-office support for over 3,700 agents who do nearly $25 billion in annual sales.
18 24SP 200 Rank	James Dwiggins	Co-Founder and Co-CEO	NextHome
18 24SP 200 Rank	Dwiggins leads NextHome, the nation’s 18th-largest franchise brand by transaction sides, as co-CEO. He has emerged as an influential industry voice with his popular podcast “Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered,” and in 2025 spoke frequently about listing access standards. Also last year, the firm launched real estate coaching initiative NextHome Growth Lab in partnership with Workman Success Systems. A third-generation real estate professional with over 20 years in the industry, Dwiggins co-founded NextHome in 2014, later co-founding agent-focused tech platform Rayse in 2020.
19 25SP 200 Rank	Robert Palmer	Founder and CEO	LPT Holdings
19 25SP 200 Rank	Palmer runs Lake Mary, Florida-based LPT Holdings, which has soared to the top of the leaderboard since launching operations in 2022. Leveraging revenue-sharing, equity grants and a hybrid compensation model, Palmer has guided the firm’s brokerage wing, LPT Realty, to become the US’s 16th-largest brokerage in 2025 with nearly 15,000 agents and approximately $14 billion in sales. In 2025, the firm launched Aperture Global, a luxury brokerage division with a more traditional model, and is preparing to go public. Before founding LPT Holdings, Palmer achieved success as the founder and operator of a mortgage company.
20 28SP 200 Rank	Kuba Jewgieniew	Founder and CEO	Realty One Group
20 28SP 200 Rank	Jewgieniew leads Realty One Group, the firm he founded in 2005. Over the past two decades, he has grown Realty One to more than 20,000 agents doing $38.3 billion in annual sales, making it the nation's eighth-largest real estate enterprise in 2025. The brokerage focused on global expansion in 2025, its 20th anniversary year, entering new markets in Mexico City, Jamaica and Dominican Republic.