Brokerage Beat: News from Real, The Agency, ERA, eXp, Coldwell Banker 

Editor's note: The brokerage business is a busy one, with frequent moves, mergers and milestones. Here we highlight some of the latest activity among brokerages across the U.S. and globally.

The Real Brokerage adds 13 offices from U.S. and Canada in March

The Real Brokerage Inc. added 13 high-performing offices during March. Three of the brokerages – F3 Home Team of Jacksonville/St. Augustine, Florida; River City Elite Properties of Richmond, Virginia; and the Nussbaum Team of New Jersey – all topped $100 million in sales in 2023.

Real has more than 16,000 agents throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is seeing particular growth in California, Texas and Virginia., where Real has seen its agent count more than double over the past 12 months.

Five of the offices have maintained their existing branding via Real's recently launched Private Label program. All 13 teams have access to the company's ProTeams platform, which allows them to customize caps, splits and fees at an individual level.

The 10 other new Real members are: Lisa Birdsong Group, Dallas; Mint Real Estate, Costa Mesa, California; McKenna Team, Suffolk and Nassau Counties, New York; Farr Group, Spokane, Washington; Match Realty, Detroit; Pinpoint Properties, Wilmington and coastal North Carolina; MK & Associates, Hampton Roads, Virginia; Crescas Real Estate, North Carolina's Outer Banks; O.N.E. Florida Group, Northeast Florida; and Bureau Real Estate, Edmonton, Alberta.

The company kicked off April by adding Damon Gettier & Associates to the fold. Gettier, hailed as an early adopter of the team model, has served Central and Southwest Virginia for more than 20 years. In 2023, his 30-agent team had more than $72 million in sales.

"Real has built a culture we are running to," said Gettier, praising the company's "no-silo approach."

The Agency expands in Texas and the Hamptons

The Agency has extended its luxury brand in two very different markets: Texas and the Hamptons, New York. The brokerage has opened a new office in Frisco, Texas, which will focus on that city and other North Dallas communities. The second new office is in Long Island's East Hampton.

Industry veterans have been chosen to lead both offices. Heather Stevens is the managing partner for Frisco, while Rylan Jacka and Randi Ball share that role in East Hampton. The offices join The Agency's network of independently owned brokerages in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe.

"Recognized as a thriving suburb of Dallas, Frisco has garnered acclaim for its family-oriented atmosphere and exceptional quality of life," said Jim Ramsay, executive vice president of Franchise Sales at The Agency. "We are thrilled to welcome Heather Stevens and her team to The Agency family." This is The Agency's third office in Texas.

The organization opened its first Hamptons office just six months ago. "We are very proud of how quickly we have grown our presence in the Hamptons," said Tyler Whitman, managing partner of The Agency Hamptons. "East Hampton is a popular, dynamic real estate market and our team is looking forward to serving our clients' needs in this beautiful destination."

Family-owned Colorado brokerage sees growth potential with ERA

ERA Real Estate has a new affiliate in Western Colorado's Grand Valley. RONIN Real Estate Professionals ERA Powered is owned by husband and wife Mark and Trisha Wingerter.

Mark opened the Grand Junction office three years ago, and he serves as managing broker. Trisha is director of operations. They and their agents serve a diverse group of clients, covering residential and commercial sales, property rental, farms and land. They serve Mesa County as well as the communities of Rifle and Delta.

Backed by ERA's business-building tools and marketing programs, the Wingerters hope to attract growth-minded members to their team, and to pursue strategic M&As to expand their service area.

"Culture is what guides every decision we make at RONIN Real Estate Professionals ERA Powered," Trisha Wingerter said in a news release. "While our tools and resources are incredibly valuable, it's our company philosophy and our ability to give back to others that makes clients remember us – that's why we believe we're a perfect match with ERA Real Estate."

Briko joins eXp, brings along the iList technology platform 

North Texas-based independent brokerage Briko Realty Services, led by Joe Peterson, has joined eXp Realty. Peterson brings along 41 agents and two support staff members.

Briko operates in Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma in addition to Texas. It had 2023 sales of $98,750,000 from 277 units. Peterson said in a news release he considered several options before deciding to join eXp, and "the network and framework eXp has built was the deciding factor."

An additional attraction was Peterson's hope of introducing eXp's 86,000+ agents to his iList listing platform.

"Every agent wants to focus on sellers, but they lack the tools to do so. … With iList, we can come in and upgrade agent sites to engage sellers using listing options, cash offers, and interactive values designed to interact with sellers."

Patrick DePinto brings his team back to Coldwell Banker

Patrick DiPinto is shuttering his brokerage and returning to Coldwell Banker Realty with a six-person real estate team that will be known as The DiPinto Group.

This office is a family operation, and includes his wife, Rene DiPinto, and his sister, Nicholle McKiernan, who was already an agent there. Their focus is residential real estate in and around Sarasota, in particular the $3 million and up price point, and his team has annual sales in the $70 million to $80 million range.

"When the decision was made to return to a larger real estate company, it was an easy choice," Patrick DiPinto said in a statement. "There's no other company in Sarasota that could give our listings more exposure locally and around the world than Coldwell Banker Realty."