If you’re not in the business of selling real estate, you probably missed the headline last week.

A cloud-based brokerage with no offices—The Real Brokerage—acquired RE/MAX. Not a region. Not a handful of offices. The entire global network—roughly 145,000 agents.

A year earlier, Compass absorbed Anywhere Real Estate, the parent company behind Coldwell Banker, Century 21, and Sotheby’s. That deal created a network of more than 300,000 agents.

Different strategies, with one particular goal -”depth.”

Now zoom in closer to home.

In 2010, the Toronto Real Estate Board had about 28,000 agents. Today, it’s pushing 70,000. The city didn’t double. The housing stock didn’t double. But the number of agents did.

That shift matters.

In 2010, the average agent sold about 3 homes per year.
In 2025, that number dropped to roughly 0.9.

That is not 9 homes per year, it is less than one.

At an average Durham Region price of $850,000, that works out to roughly $19,000 in gross income before expenses.

That’s not a sustainable business model.

So when companies make acquisitions like these, they’re not chasing headcount. They’re chasing depth—the agents who consistently produce through every type of market.

The professionals. The ones who have built something durable.

Cloud-based models have grown quickly by offering flexibility, low overhead, and in some cases revenue-sharing structures that resemble network marketing. That model attracts new entrants, and in a rising market, it works.

Because real estate has never been built on convenience. It’s built on competence. Serving clients properly. Training at a high level. Staying connected. Doing the work when the market isn’t doing it for you.

That part hasn’t changed in 40 years. 

What has changed is the number of people trying to do the job.

When the market tightens—as it has now—it exposes the difference between navigating a challenging market using the tools you have learned from past experiences and learning the skills a tough market teaches you. The agents who move forward are the ones with the depth of knowledge they bring to the table.

If you are planning to make a move I would be happy to share how 4 decades of experience can help you move at the best value and without stress. I can be reached at lindsay@buyselllove.ca or 905-743-5555.

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