Howard Hanna nabs Maine’s top indie in latest M&A 

Family-owned powerhouse Howard Hanna Real Estate Services has made another notable M&A, expanding its reach into a new market for the company: Northern New England.

The brokerage announced today that it is acquiring Portside Real Estate Group, the largest independent firm in Maine, which also serves parts of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Portside's more than 225 agents and 12 offices will now operate as a subsidiary of Howard Hanna while retaining its local leadership.

Portside was founded in 2012 by Dana Davin, who has led the independent brokerage since its inception and will continue to oversee the firm. The brokerage has grown significantly under Davin's leadership: Just over a year ago, Portside merged with another woman-owned independent brokerage, Swan Agency Real Estate, also based in Maine; and in 2024, Portside acquired Lakepoint Real Estate, a boutique firm specializing in lakefront sales.

Portside's 2025 sales volume was $1.5 billion, according to a news release.

Strength in numbers

The Portside partnership aligns with Howard Hanna's strategy of "thoughtful, disciplined growth" through the acquisition of established regional firms with compatible cultures and a strong community focus, according to Howard Hanna CEO Hoby Hanna. The union also serves as a win-win for indie brokerages, Hanna noted.

"Portside has built an extraordinary company with dominant market share. This alliance proves that by joining forces, independent, family-owned brokerages can deliver the national scale and institutional resources that benefit both agents and the clients they serve, while preserving the agility and local decision-making that define independent companies," Hanna said in the announcement. 

From Davin's perspective, the partnership means "Portside is getting stronger." 

"We've built something really special together," Davin said. "Partnering with Howard Hanna lets us protect everything that makes us unique while opening doors we couldn't open on our own."

A string of acquisitions

The latest deal marks Howard Hanna's third major acquisition in 10 months. 

The brokerage scored a significant win in October with its acquisition of Elegran Real Estate, an established independent New York City firm, which will serve as "a springboard and entree to the market," Hanna said at the time.

Just last month, the brokerage announced it had acquired Carolina Realty of the Lowcountry, a move that increased its South Carolina footprint after two previous acquisitions in the region in 2024 and 2025. 

In an era of brokerage consolidation, expansion could be the key to success for some firms. But Hanna has repeatedly emphasized the importance of taking a measured approach to growth. When asked about the firm's acquisition strategy earlier this year, Hanna told Real Estate News, "We have to stay disciplined. We're acquiring with our own dollars as a family business. We're not looking to leverage the company excessively."

Real Estate News has reached out to Howard Hanna for additional information about the partnership.