Compass, Anywhere merger on track to close this week
Compass indicated that approximately 99% of its shareholders voted for the deal, which the brokerage said is now expected to close on Jan. 9.
Key points:
- The mega-merger, which the companies announced in September 2025, is now expected to close on Jan. 9 after Compass and Anywhere shareholders voted to approve the deal.
- Days before shareholders had their say, the proposed merger cleared a mandated waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act).
- Meanwhile, Compass announced improved guidance for Q4 of 2025, sending share prices up for both Compass and Anywhere.
Compass and Anywhere shareholders voted on Jan. 7 to approve the companies' planned merger, clearing a key final hurdle for the transaction that is now on track to close as soon as Jan. 9.
Merger heading for speedy close
"Approximately 99% of the votes cast" during Compass' special stockholders meeting approved of the proposed acquisition, while approximately 72% of Anywhere shareholders voted in favor of the deal, Compass signaled in an 8-K form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Compass also disclosed that its shareholders approved the issuance of Compass Class A common stock to Anywhere shareholders in connection with the merger. Anywhere (HOUS) shares were up 20% by Wednesday afternoon, trading at $17.40 per share, while Compass' stock price gained nearly 12%, trading at $12.15 a share.
The merger is now expected to close on Jan. 9, subject to customary closing conditions, Compass announced. Executives previously suggested that the deal might not close until the second half of 2026.
Shareholders indicate 'strong support'
"We are pleased with the strong support from our and Anywhere's stockholders in approving this transaction," Compass CEO Robert Reffkin said in a news release.
The shareholder approvals occurred days after the companies cleared another major milestone. The mandated waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act) expired on Jan. 2 at 11:59 p.m. ET, according to an earlier 8-K filing.
Ahead of the Jan. 7 vote, Compass also updated its financial guidance for the fourth quarter of 2025, raising expectations from its prior outlook issued Nov. 4. Compass said it now expects revenue to come in at the high end of its previous range of $1.59 billion to $1.69 billion, and adjusted EBITDA to be at or slightly above the high end of its prior $35 million to $49 million range.
Compass also disclosed that it added more than 800 principal agents in Q4 of 2025.
Merger backing signals shareholder 'confidence,' Reffkin says
The shareholder votes on Jan. 7 reflect "confidence in our shared vision to empower real estate professionals with everything they need to grow their business and better serve their clients," Reffkin said in the announcement.
While the merger would make Anywhere a wholly-owned Compass subsidiary, Reffkin has previously emphasized that Compass does not intend to fold the company's portfolio into a single brand. In the September 2025 acquisition announcement, Reffkin said that Compass plans to preserve "the unique independence of Anywhere's leading brands."
Those brands include Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Corcoran Group, Sotheby's International Realty and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. The combined brokerages under Compass will create the largest residential real estate brokerage company in the world, representing nearly 340,000 real estate professionals servicing roughly 120 countries and territories, Compass previously indicated.