From Startup to Global Powerhouse: The Real Brokerage Timeline

Every growing company has a timeline. Ours just happens to include two major real estate brands, one local team, and a full circle moment no one could have predicted.

The Real Brokerage began in 2014 with a bold vision for a more flexible, technology powered, and agent focused brokerage. Five years later, Devin Ihme formed the Lakeside Team under RE/MAX here in the Midlands of South Carolina. In 2021, Lakeside made the move to Real.

Then, in August 2026, Real completed its combination with RE/MAX Holdings.

Yes, you read that correctly. The brokerage Lakeside left to join Real is now part of the same global organization. Real estate has a sense of humor after all.

Here is how Real and the Lakeside Team grew along parallel paths before arriving at this remarkable new chapter together.

2014: Real Begins With an Agent First Vision

Real was founded in 2014 with a straightforward mission: build a brokerage that serves agents better.

The idea challenged the traditional office heavy brokerage model. Real focused on flexibility, useful technology, financial opportunities, and a connected professional community. Agents could build businesses that felt like their own while still having access to tools and support designed for growth.

That foundation became the blueprint for everything that followed.

2019: Devin Forms the Lakeside Team Under RE/MAX

While Real was building momentum nationally, an important chapter was beginning locally.

In 2019, Devin Ihme formed the Lakeside Team under RE/MAX. The goal was never simply to add more names to a roster. It was to create a collaborative team where agents could grow their businesses while giving buyers and sellers the knowledgeable, personal guidance they deserved.

Rooted in Lexington and the Lake Murray area, the team began building its reputation one relationship, one closing, and one community connection at a time.

2020: Two Very Different Milestones

The year 2020 brought meaningful accomplishments for both Real and Lakeside.

By June, Real had grown to approximately 1,100 agents. The company completed its qualifying transaction and began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker REAX. Going public gave Real greater visibility and additional resources to expand its brokerage and technology platform.

That same year, Devin was inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, recognizing the success he had built through years of service, leadership, and dedication to his clients.

For Devin and Lakeside, the recognition was more than a production milestone. It reflected the trust of the people who had allowed the team to guide them through some of life's biggest decisions.

2021: Real Reaches Nasdaq and Lakeside Makes a Move

In 2021, Real took another major step by listing on Nasdaq under the REAX ticker. The brokerage was expanding rapidly across the United States and building a name around its cloud based model, technology, revenue sharing, equity opportunities, and collaborative culture.

That was also the year the Lakeside Team joined Real Broker.

The move gave the team access to growing technology and resources while allowing Lakeside to preserve its local identity, culture, and commitment to personal service. It offered the best of both worlds: the flexibility and innovation of a modern brokerage combined with a team that remained firmly connected to its community.

2022: Real Expands Beyond the Brokerage

Real's next chapter focused on creating a more connected real estate experience for agents and consumers.

After acquiring digital title company Expetitle in January 2022, Real renamed it The Real Title and began integrating title services into its technology ecosystem. By April, the brokerage had more than 4,500 agents across 44 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.

This expansion offered an early look at a much larger goal: simplifying the real estate journey from the first home search through the closing table.

2023: Technology and Agent Growth Gain Momentum

By the third quarter of 2023, Real had grown to 12,175 agents, an increase of 81 percent from the previous year.

The company also introduced tools that helped define its broader platform, including the One Real consumer app, Real Wallet, and an updated version of Leo, its artificial intelligence powered virtual assistant.

Real was no longer simply growing its agent count. It was building an ecosystem intended to reduce administrative work, connect more parts of the transaction, and help agents spend more time serving their clients.

For local teams like Lakeside, those resources supported the work happening behind every listing, showing, contract, and closing. The technology handled more of the busywork so the people could focus on the people. A refreshingly sensible concept.

2024: Real Surpasses 20,000 Agents

Growth accelerated again in 2024. By August, more than 20,000 agents were using the Real platform.

During the second quarter alone, Real agents closed 30,367 transactions representing $12.6 billion in sales volume. The company also introduced programs including Real Luxury and Real Partners, expanding the resources available to agents and the clients they serve.

Real had moved well beyond emerging brokerage status. It was becoming one of the largest and fastest growing real estate companies in North America.

2025: A Breakout Year

Real ended 2025 with 31,739 agents and nearly $2 billion in annual revenue, an increase of 56 percent from 2024.

Agents on the platform closed 185,314 transactions totaling $75.3 billion in sales volume during the year. Real also continued developing its title, mortgage, financial, and artificial intelligence tools.

Those numbers were impressive in any market, but especially during a challenging period for housing. More importantly, they showed that Real's model was attracting agents who wanted flexibility, innovation, and a stronger sense of community.

2026: A Global Milestone and a Full Circle Moment

Real entered 2026 with plenty of momentum. By early August, its platform supported more than 36,000 agents across the United States and Canada. Second quarter revenue reached $700.6 million, while agents closed 62,380 transactions totaling $26.3 billion in sales volume.

Then came the biggest milestone in the company's history.

On April 27, Real announced an agreement to acquire RE/MAX Holdings. The transaction received shareholder and court approvals over the following months and officially closed on August 24, 2026.

The completed combination created Real REMAX Group Inc., a technology enabled global real estate platform with more than 180,000 agents in over 120 countries and territories. The company continues to trade on Nasdaq under REAX, while the Real and REMAX brands maintain their distinct identities within the larger organization.

For the Lakeside Team, the news created an especially meaningful full circle moment. Devin formed Lakeside under RE/MAX in 2019, led the team to Real in 2021, and now both brands are part of the same global organization.

No one could have written that plot twist in 2019, but here we are.

Lakeside's Story Is Still Local

In 2026, the Lakeside Team continues to grow while staying focused on the same purpose that shaped it from the beginning: serving people well and supporting the community wherever and however we can.

That includes guiding buyers and sellers throughout Lexington, Lake Murray, Columbia, and the Midlands of South Carolina. It also means supporting local organizations, creating opportunities for agents to connect and learn, participating in community events, and stepping up when our neighbors need help.

The brokerage behind us may now reach around the world, but our work remains personal and local.

For our clients, that means access to the technology and resources of a global organization paired with guidance from people who know this community and genuinely care about what happens here.

For agents, it means the opportunity to build a business with flexibility, collaboration, and room to grow. Lakeside Team members also have access to office and meeting space conveniently located in downtown Lexington, adding a valuable local home base to Real's cloud based model.

What Has Stayed Consistent?

Real's scale has changed dramatically. Lakeside has grown and evolved too. But the most important parts of both stories remain familiar.

Technology should make real estate simpler, not less personal. Agents deserve opportunities to grow without losing their independence. Clients deserve honest advice, local knowledge, and a trusted guide in their corner. Communities deserve businesses that show up for more than a transaction.

From Real's founding in 2014 to the creation of Real REMAX Group in 2026, this timeline is a story of growth, change, and a willingness to see what could be done differently.

For the Lakeside Team, it is also a reminder that growth matters most when it helps us serve people better.

And we are still getting started.