RE/MAX + Real: Why This Merger Could Be a Huge Win for EVERYONE!

Hey, welcome to this next episode of Brokers Uncensored. Again, I am here with Becky Dewey, managing broker for RE/MAX Alliance Group. Steve Zaras, another managing broker for RE/MAX Alliance Group. I'm Shadd Boucher, another managing broker for RE/MAX Alliance Group, and we wanted to come on here this week to discuss what's going on with the RE/MAX Real merger because there's a lot of stuff out there. There's all kinds of things coming out of the middle of nowhere, and I think there's a lot of people that are, for a better word, and you guys stop me if I'm, you know, getting out over my skis, but there's a lot of people that are scared. Um, there's a lot of people that are upset, and I think nobody really has a reason right now to be that way. I mean, you guys agree with me?

Absolutely.

And you guys, you guys were both just recently at the Broker Owner Conference where you got to actually hear our new chairman and CEO speak. You got to have conversations with them. And what are your guys' thoughts on what's going on right now?

I think it was an enlightening experience because obviously we don't know what we don't know. And I think, well, this was probably one of the most attended broker-owner conventions that I've ever been to and probably in history of RE/MAX.

Probably.

I can honestly say the feeling that I got from Tamir when he spoke and just listening to him and his entire team, they are all ears open. Like, they— their intention is not to come in like a bull in a china shop and make a ton of changes and shove it down our throat. They are allowing opportunities and tools and that kind of thing that will help broker owners and, you know, agents enhance their business and accomplish things that they want to accomplish as far as their goals go in a minimum amount of time and a minimum amount of expenses. So, they're offering it. Use it, don't use it.

Right.

You know, it's here for you if you want it. And he, I really felt like he was listening. And I really feel like he took a lot of what the broker owners had to say as far as feedback and ideas and those kind of things. And I really just feel like they were listening to us. And it wasn't just like, I'm going to come in and this is how I'm going to do it. And you're either going to like it or you're not. So, that's kind of my impression in a nutshell.

Well, and I haven't seen, I haven't seen anything that this has been an adversarial merger. He's not coming in looking to burn the crops and And destroy the buildings.

And no, but that was kind of like, I think the impression in like a lot of people's minds is going, all these changes are going to happen and what am I going to do with my business as a broker-owner? I have a, you know, I have a lot of money invested in a RE/MAX franchise or franchises. How is this going to change my business and how is it going to affect my agents?

And I have to agree with everything Becky said. And if I could add to it, I think there's a reason that RE/MAX is number one. Actually, there's thousands of reasons why RE/MAX Yep. Is number one. And I think if I were in Tamir's place, I would try and focus on best practices for both companies so that we can make just this mega company that will never look back. And that's the impression I got as well. Like, they want to use all of our strengths and they have some strengths, and how do we work together and just make it a better company? Now, whether or not we absorb Real or they want to absorb us or whatever, None of that matters at this point. What matters is you keep moving forward, and we start learning about the new technology, and how do we get better. We already do twice as much as the top brokerages outside of RE/MAX. So maybe we can get to 3 times as much. I don't know. All I know is I'm looking at this from a positive point of view. I welcome the changes. And, you know, we're going to be stronger because of it.

Well, and I agree with you. And I think what's really interesting is when you look at where Real is with their technology, You know, this is where RE/MAX wanted to go.

Yeah.

You know, we wanted to have our own AI and we were building it. And let's be honest, that's, that's where we wanted to go. And now that same plan is in place. It's just done.

Right.

It's, it's already there. So now we can just start utilizing it versus waiting 3 years to develop it or to build it or to do all that stuff. And, and Steve, I agree with you. You know, a lot of the fear that I think is happening out there with RE/MAX agents, you know, Tamir bought something, okay? He bought something that's ultra productive, right?

For a lot of money, by the way.

For a lot of money, like a lot of money. And he bought it, it's 3 times as productive as his company, right? On average, the agents in RE/MAX do almost 12. I think the average real agent does 4, 5 something. Yeah, 4 or 5 something. Okay, so I look at it, you know, him wanting to come in and just, you know, salt the earth and destroy everything, tantamount to me buying a Ferrari and then strapping Honda Civic parts to it. Like, why would I do that? I just paid a crap ton of money for this Ferrari.

Yeah.

I'm not going to start, you know, taking the fenders off and taking the hood off and changing the engine. And right, because it's— that's just, that's suicide, right? It's business suicide.

Yeah.

So in fact, you know, I think that he's open-minded enough, at least from what I've seen. I've never met the man personally, but he's open-minded enough and a good businessman that he's just here to learn.

Yeah.

He's just here to learn, and he's here to teach us if we're willing to learn.

Yep.

And I think that was the biggest thing I saw when we did the town hall after the merger, was people weren't even willing to be open-minded enough to, to learn.

Right. I mean, change is hard. Let's be honest. I mean, all of our red flags, and, you know, we kind of rode up a little bit when the initial announcement came out. We're like, what in the hell is going on and why? And then you stop and take a deep breath and you, you think back as like, he bought us for a reason.

Correct.

You know, like, he bought us because he understands the value behind that balloon. And there's a lot of money and time invested of over 50 years of an accumulated effort of every associate and broker-owner that's involved in RE/MAX behind that balloon. And it is the most recognized, it's the most, you know, successful agent. So he bought it for a reason. He— and like Steve said, he has strengths, we have strengths, and together I think it could be— we could have a huge impact on this industry.

And I have been through mergers before and acquisitions before. And, you know, look, you have to guard yourself against being emotionally uncertain. You've got to say, look, this is going to be a positive thing. There's a reason it's happening. And how do I make a better company because of it? How do I make a better person for myself? How do I take care of my family? There's a lot of variables that you need to look at from a positive point of view or else it's going to beat you up.

I don't disagree. I don't disagree at all. But like, You know, this is what I'm saying is he understands what RE/MAX is. He understands what RE/MAX brings to the table, and he wants to make it better.

Yes.

And I don't understand why any agent wouldn't be for that outcome, you know. And take it as it is right now, we're early days in this whole thing, right?

Yes.

We're way early days in this whole thing.

Yeah.

But for you to start making judgments, you know, I was always taught You never make a permanent decision based on a temporary feeling.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I think there's a lot of people right now making permanent decisions based on temporary feelings.

Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of negativity, um, on social media from RE/MAX agents. I don't necessarily think that's the most professional and classiest way to handle things. No, um, I don't think it— I don't think it's a good look for them. I don't think it's a good look on their business. And, and that's really not what RE/MAX stands for. I mean, yes, we've had a change. Let's stop. If you don't have anything positive to say or you're still uncertain about where this is headed, just sit back and relax and take a deep breath.

And go see your leader.

You're creating drama on social media that goes viral, and it just— especially coming from a RE/MAX agent, it just feeds into the negativity and what the competitors are out there trying to boast, to try to recruit.

Oh, I know. I mean, I, I've started seeing all the recruiting is coming up, all this stuff's showing up. And, you know, to that point, if you're an agent with a RE/MAX brokerage, yeah, you sort of fly RE/MAX's flag over your business, but you work for a broker. You work with a broker. So go see your broker, right? Don't, don't listen to social media. Go see your leadership team and talk to them and get their perspective. And, and, and look, that's what they're there for, because ultimately that's the team that, that, that You work with, right?

And don't forget what happens when you're number one. Everybody—

everybody wants to be—

oh yeah, you got a target on your back, you know.

Well, and I think it's really funny— sorry to interrupt, but I think it's really funny— as soon as this merger was announced, okay, we were second. So Compass picked up Anywhere, right, which a lot of people don't know about. So they bought a franchise company. We were second, okay. Well, then eXp bought NextHome, right? So, you know, this was happening.

Yeah.

Either way. And I think the worst thing that could have happened is we didn't get with Real, because, you know, you get with the wrong person, maybe they did want to come in here and salt the earth, you know, and change everything and burn everything down. And this is, this is a gentleman that doesn't. He understands what our value is. And he—

by the way, and they announced this, number one, this wasn't a decision that happened overnight. This has been ongoing for several years.

2021, I guess, was the first conversation.

Yeah, yeah. So it's been a while. And, and Real wasn't the only offer that RE/MAX received.

No, by the way, no, they were not.

So I mean, there was a lot of consideration coming into it to making sure that, you know, like, I've recently been through a merger of a RE/MAX office into RE/MAX Alliance Group. On a much smaller scale, I understand the merger and acquisition and all the stuff and minutiae behind the scenes. So, I think for me, this transition was a little bit easier only from a prior experience because I've kind of gone through that uncertainty with my agents. And kind of like my, my line to them was, you don't freak out until I freak out. And I'm not freaking out.

I'm not freaking out, right.

You know, keep your eye on the prize, stay focused. And cut out all the noise and just carry on. And I really think that just from that and RE/MAX Alliance Group too, like, we are— oh, we, we openly communicate to the agents and make sure that they have the information that they need that's important to them.

Yes.

I mean, we could, we could talk their ears off about all the stuff going on behind the scenes, but what we are boisterous about and very transparent is how is this going to affect you, what do you need to do, and what are we doing to help you. So I think being transparent about it, not hiding behind this, you know, behind the scenes and not talking about it, is not helpful either. So I think that it was approached the right way. We had a big meeting on Tuesday after the announcement. So I mean, it's just communicating with the agents. And honestly, I have not heard a blip of anything from my agents. Um, they are just like, you know what, as far as I'm concerned, business as usual. If there's something I need to know, Becky, call me and tell me, you know.

Right.

Other than that. I'll be carrying on, right?

Which I think is really the best attitude to have.

It really is.

It really is. But I think there's so many people out there, like, like there's people out there invested in getting all these people churned up and upset and all that stuff.

And some of them are RE/MAX agents, which is disappointing. Hugely disappointing.

I don't disagree with you. In fact, you know, I noticed, you know, not to, not to throw shade, but let's throw a little bit. I noticed every RE/MAX agent that left at some point in the last 3 years to Real was barking and, and, and yipping on social media of, I saw this coming.

No, you didn't.

No, you didn't. You didn't see anything coming. Okay, you saw nothing. So, you know, yeah, great 20/20 vision in hindsight, right? That's awesome.

But, um, I mean, we knew something was going to happen. I mean, for a multitude of reasons, you know, our leadership is aging and getting old and not in good health. We knew something needed to happen To keep us relevant. And, and it would have been silly for them not to having this plan in place.

Correct, it would have been. And I think, I think when you take the work ethic and the business acumen and the production of RE/MAX agents and you give it this tech now, which is going to just— I mean, let's be honest, the tech stack that Real has right now, I think one of its biggest advantages— and again, haven't touched it yet, haven't seen it, just been told about it— Is that it's going to take a lot of the admin work away from the agents, which is going to mean our agents can have more conversations, they can build more relationships, and they can handle more people. And when you give them the power to do that, they'll be dangerous.

Lethal.

They're going to be lethal. I mean, that's what's really gonna— I mean, think about how many agents just won't hire a TC or won't hire whatever, and now they don't need to.

Right.

And I mean, okay, here it comes. And I think it's just going to be amazing. So sit back, you know, take everything as it comes. Don't start to try to think about the what-ifs, right? And just take it as it comes and then keep moving forward. And I think that's what, you know, because I think you guys would admit, even internally, we've all talked about The advantages this is going to bring to our company, you know. And we've all started talking about those advantages already and how we're going to become a stronger company and how we're going to do a lot more and be able to serve more agents and serve more people. That's the problem, is most people come to this from the negative side, the dark side, what they're losing instead of what they're gaining.

Yeah.

And, you know, and let's be honest, that's, that's Typically your real estate agent, right? Yeah, they always—

Glass half full or half empty.

Correct. Or, well, and it's really funny, Steve, I, I've always thought that, and then I had a professor one time, or just say you need a, you need a different size glass. Yeah, you know, that's a good one. So, well, I mean, let's be honest, agents are generally a jumpy bunch. Okay, 2 things agents hate to go on. One, they hate things staying the same. Only second to that, they hate change. So yeah, that's kind of, that's kind of what we're doing. This is a big change.

Yeah, you know, the funny thing about it, I'm not gonna admit we were all scared too. We all, our heads were spinning for 30 seconds.

For 30 seconds. Yeah. Well, and okay, and let's, and let's, let's throw our little piece of— I don't think any of us were scared. We were caught off guard.

That's probably a better way.

And we weren't, we weren't informed that this was coming so that we could be prepped for those conversations.

Yeah.

Yeah. 6:30 on a Monday morning was not ideal for me.

No, 6:30 on a Monday morning was not ideal for any of us. And had we gotten a heads up on Friday, yeah, we could have been much more prepped for, yes, everything going nuclear.

Yep.

Um, but then again, I think— I mean, again, you guys tell me if you agree or not— by noon that day, we'd all sat down and had time to mull over it and went, okay, okay, yeah, okay, okay, let's see where this goes. Yeah, you know, and I, and I think, and I think ultimately part of that is because we had lines, we had lines to the current leadership at RE/MAX. We got to ask questions and get things answered.

Yep.

You know, and had those relationships, but Yeah, I get it. But I think it's onward and upward, to be honest with you. And I think, I think, you know, I think Tamir is gonna learn. He seems to be very quick. Once he figures out there's a problem, he addresses it, he handles it.

Absolutely.

We've already seen, we've already seen one of those kind of creep into the— and then things get fixed immediately.

Yeah.

Um, and that is the one nice thing about him being the end-all be-all.

Yeah.

He is, you know, That the buck stops with Tamir. So the fact that he can just make a change is, is awesome.

And kudos to him. He is— he has boots on the ground. You don't have to go through 5 people to get to him.

I know, I know. That's— well, and that's really what's really cool. Yeah. Is that you can actually get to him and he'll have a conversation and he'll listen and he'll watch. So now, am I excited to have him walk through my front door unannounced one of these days when he's traveling around offices? Yeah. But, um, but, you know, I'm excited to meet him. I actually absolutely am. I mean, the man, the man has a vision, and he has a vision for the next 50 years of RE/MAX.

Yes.

And I think that's what's exciting. Yep, that's exciting. And I think, I mean, what do you guys, what do you guys, you know, what's your takeaways from this? What do you, what do you guys see going forward?

I see positivity. I'm all for— I mean, let's be honest, Over the last several— none of us in this industry are any stranger to change. We have been faced with one change after another and one struggle and one obstacle. And honestly, it's helped wash out some agents who did not need to be in this business. And it's—

Zombie agents, like we talked about. Yeah, you know, in a previous episode we talked about zombie agents, and that, that got them gone.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Let's keep going.

And I think RE/MAX is a great company. However, now our greatness is going to go several levels up.

Agreed.

Fantastic. And I, and I can't agree with you guys more. So appreciate you guys jumping on here. I think this was a great episode. If you guys want more talk about RE/MAX, about the industry, if you're an agent that wants to just be able to get in on what we think, you know, from 75 years of doing this, what we think is a thing, like and subscribe down below. We're going to be putting this content out every single week, so absolutely wish you would join us. Leave us comments. We'd love to have these episodes be more directed to what people are wanting to watch. And I think the last thing I'm going to leave this with is we lost one of the founders of Remax yesterday. So I think all of our condolences to the Linegar family.

Absolutely.

You know, it was fantastic when Gail was here, and it is definitely a loss and a loss to the industry as a whole because she was a visionary along with Dave. And, you know, hopefully You know, the family can can take some comfort in the fact that she was one of those rare people that did good in the world.

Absolutely.

I think that's awesome. So appreciate it, and we'll see you guys next episode.

Go Remax!

Yes.