Real can help REMAX agents triple their business, CEO says 

Company leaders have painted The Real Brokerage's proposed deal to buy REMAX as a symbiotic move, with the cloud-based firm gaining REMAX's global reach and the franchise giant acquiring Real's tech platform.

In recent media appearances, the two CEOs reiterated that point.

REMAX has been "slowing down" in North America, Real CEO Tamir Poleg remarked on the RealTrending podcast — a result of "a tech gap" that he said Real can fill.

"We have the growth mindset; we've been enjoying great momentum," Poleg said. By bringing its energy, tech and value proposition into the mix at REMAX, Real believes it "could really turn around that ship."

'Just right' timing: Real has grown to over 34,000 agents since its founding in 2014 — and as its chief growth officer told Real Estate News earlier this year, the firm has an appetite for further growth.

As Real REMAX Group, the combined company believes it can "create a more compelling story" for its agents and the wider industry, Poleg told RISMedia's Industry Briefing. "The timing was just right — and this is why we decided to move forward."

Two options in one: The Real and REMAX brands will remain distinct, Poleg said, with agents able to choose which brand to align with based on their business' needs.

Agents "who want to build a business with their own branding, who are a little bit more tech savvy, who do not need the backing of a larger brand — they can come to Real. And if you're an agent who seeks to have office access, you want the brand behind you, you can go to REMAX," Poleg explained, adding that he believes there's "benefit in having those two offerings under the same umbrella."

Looking for outsiders to join: For any REMAX agents who want to move to Real, "there needs to be continuous benefit to the franchisee" and "to the broker who attracted them to the network," Poleg said.

He and REMAX CEO Erik Carlson want their agents to understand that "the potential is outside — bringing people from the outside into this amazing community that we're building together."

"First and foremost, we are still competitors today," Carlson added.

Real's vision: Rather than worry about what other major industry players are up to, Real aims "to focus on our own vision, our own path and just execution," Poleg said. "We were focused not only on business model innovation — we were focused on true tech innovation out of the understanding that, using technology, you will never run out of innovation."

Real's philosophy, he added, is to never be "stagnant."

"We always have a very long-term view of the business — we're thinking about what people will need in five and 10 years," he said.

Carlson told RISMedia that he also sees the value in that approach, nodding to Real's development of Leo, an AI assistant, to reduce agent workloads. "That's just a win-win in my book," Carlson said.

Using AI to 'double or triple' transactions: Leo now reviews contracts, answers support calls and serves as an agent's "main interface," Poleg said, adding that the tech can "be transformational for any business."

"We think that AI can make agents extremely more productive," Poleg said. "I think that, at the end of the day, if REMAX agents right now close 12 transactions a year, we can double or triple that using the right technology that is AI-based."

Gaining 'a seat at the table': Neither Real nor REMAX is "involved in the politics in the industry," Poleg told RISMedia, a point he reiterated a few days later. But the combined company, which is poised to become the second-largest U.S. brokerage if the deal closes, now has "a seat at the table."

On the topic of private listings, for example, Poleg told RealTrending that Real has mostly chosen to "stay quiet" — at least for now.

"We're observing, we're learning," he said. "But if and when the time comes to react, we will. And I think that we're just thinking about all this just a little bit differently — and we have some ideas in mind. Some of them are pretty groundbreaking, but we're not pushing the button yet."

Real and REMAX "are kind in nature," he added. "We're trying to disconnect ourselves from the politics in the industry."