Looking past NAR drama to the heart of Hanna’s success
Hoby Hanna dishes on what it takes to be the nation’s largest privately held brokerage and the advantages — and challenges — of being an independent brand.
July 6, 2025
Independents' Day
- Indies flex their muscle as the big brokerages get biggerRegional brokerages are seizing opportunities — and grabbing the mic — as consolidation and conflict shift the balance of power in residential real estate.July 4, 2025
- Chicago indie brokerages merge as national brands close inThe union of venerable Baird & Warner and “friendly competitor” Dream Town will create the 2nd-largest brokerage in the region, with about 3,000 agents.June 26, 2025
- Why one NY broker built his brand around inclusivityAlly Realty's Anthony Ruperto is working to make homeownership accessible to all. "I see it as my responsibility as a Realtor," he says, "to call for change."June 26, 2025
More Independents' Day
- Baird: Chicago’s brokerage battle will be won by the ‘owner-driven’Stephen Baird of Baird & Warner has seen many brokerage giants rise and fall over the decades and believes a similar scenario may be playing out right now.June 6, 2025
- Where small brokerages have an edge over the giantsLeadingRE’s Jessica Edgerton explained how regional and family firms can excel by reacting to market changes quickly and building culture and trust.May 24, 2025
- Windermere exec slams Compass over 'dirty' tactics“We're gonna kick their ass and we're going to do it without a private listing network,” Windermere Co-President OB Jacobi said about competing with Compass.April 10, 2025
- The path to becoming one of the top women in real estateBess Freedman, CEO of Brown Harris Stevens, embraced entrepreneurship and “took a U-turn” from law to become a leading force in the industry.August 18, 2024
- A brokerage built to last with ‘passion, stamina, grit’Michael Saunders has always been driven, building her brokerage into a multibillion-dollar company with the goal of making a difference.July 13, 2024
- William Raveis: ‘Pivot, innovate, downsize, upsize and lead through it’As his namesake firm celebrates 50 years, Bill Raveis says the key to surviving rough cycles is to look for opportunities and “figure it out.”April 29, 2024
- The Ten: All eyes on Hanna after bold listings shift — but now what?After becoming CEO of the nation’s largest independent brokerage, Hoby Hanna limited access to some listings. Expanding that approach is the table for 2024.December 9, 2023
- Brokers in Focus: 'We want fewer agents who do more business'Red Oak Realty CEO Vanessa Bergmark has clear goals for growth — and for finding and keeping great agents, no matter the market.August 20, 2023
- Brokers in Focus: Community-driven approach is a winning strategyDava Davin, whose firm did nearly $860M in sales volume in the past 12 months, believes a philosophy of altruism has helped her win clients — and agents.July 22, 2023
- Brokers in Focus: Education, guidance key to agent successNatalie Grubb Campbell, who manages Village Properties alongside her mom, makes sure her agents are "equipped to handle any situation" in a changing market.July 16, 2023
- Steve Baird: Brokerage owners ‘need to focus on what we can control’The Baird & Warner CEO shares how his family business has thrived in a cyclical, sometimes “regressive” industry, and discusses the future of buyer agency.July 6, 2023
- Brokers in Focus: Choosing to merge and retire a brandFacing a contraction of his brokerage business, J. Philip Faranda made a previously "unthinkable" decision. Now he wishes he had done it sooner.July 2, 2023
- Brokers in Focus: Rethinking a brokerage exit strategyJ. Philip Faranda grew a thriving brokerage business over 18 years. He never considered selling — but then the market shifted. Here's his story.July 1, 2023
- At family-owned Windermere, relationships are a top priority for 2023Led by co-presidents OB Jacobi, Jill Jacobi Wood and Geoff Wood, the company continues to grow but strives to retain its family-oriented culture.February 21, 2023
