Glenn Sanford
A serial entrepreneur, Sanford founded eXp after finding success as a top real estate agent and broker.
- Current role:
- Founder, CEO and Chairman, eXp World Holdings; CEO, eXp Realty
- Home:
- Bellingham, Washington
- Power 200 Leadership Ranking:
- 3
Other notable roles
Chief Strategy Officer, Virbela; CEO, Success Magazine
Career journey
In many ways, eXp is an extension of Sanford's early professional passions: tech and sales. He was developing accounting software when he was just 15 and later sold vacuums door-to-door. A serial entrepreneur, he left the University of Oklahoma because he was too busy starting and running businesses. In 1998, he founded eShippers.com, an e-commerce and logistics company. But while helping a local real estate agent build out his website, Sanford was convinced to try his hand at selling real estate in 2002. By 2004, he was a MegaAgent with Keller Williams. He left to start his own brokerage in 2007, and in 2009 founded eXp to realize his vision of a fully virtual brokerage.
In 2019, Sanford appointed Jason Gesing as CEO of eXp Realty while Sanford continued to lead eXp World Holdings. In January 2023, Sanford stepped back into the CEO role at eXp Realty "to be the hands-on leader for the next period of growth for the company," he said.
How he describes himself
"The ability to be collaborative with people that aren't with you physically and still be able to learn new things, and try new things and build relationships, has been almost part of my DNA," Sanford told Success Magazine.
What others are saying
"When he had 24 agents working out of five offices, including in Seattle, the 2008 recession and subsequent housing crash sent him looking for a way to save his business. Deciding that the best way to run his company was without brick-and-mortar offices, Sanford sent everyone home to do their jobs and never looked back." (Geekwire)
Charitable efforts
Sanford matched $300,000 in eXp agent donations to New Story, helping to build 100 homes for families in Mexico who lost their homes in a 2017 earthquake.
Did you know?
Tired of criss-crossing the country by plane, In 2015-2016, Sanford drove a 43-foot Class A Winnebago across 26 states in 10 months to meet with and recruit agents to eXp, documenting the trip on Facebook.