Early history: 1973–76 RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave Liniger and Gail Main in
Denver, Colorado. It was established with a maximum
commission concept, meaning that agents would keep nearly all of their commissions and pay their broker a share of the office expenses, rather than paying their broker a share of the commission of each sale, which is common in residential real estate. In 1975, Dennis Curtin purchased the first RE/MAX franchise outside of Colorado, in
Kansas City, Missouri. Growing to 100 franchises in two years, it has held an annual
convention since its first one was held in
Las Vegas in 1976. Having 30 Canadian franchises by 1981, RE/MAX became the top real estate company in that country six years later. Having made its inaugural flight at the
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in
New Mexico, becoming its official logo the following year. Expanding beyond North America with the formation of
RE/MAX Europe in 1994, it also began operating in
Germany,
Italy,
Spain, and
South Africa. In November 1994, RE/MAX Satellite Network was launched in the US as a sales training system for real estate. Later renamed RE/MAX University, it debuted at the
NAR Convention in
Anaheim, California, Liniger attempted the first manned balloon flight around the world in a stratospheric gas balloon. The flight was canceled due to design and weather problems. By 2011, the company already had more than 6,000 franchises. In April 2010, the
Obama administration announced the "
Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives" (HAFA) program. Leaders from the
U.S. Treasury Department and the
Bank of America detailed the initiative while participating in a live national broadcast held at RE/MAX headquarters. In 2013,
UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk released a report which alleged that real estate groups, such as RE/MAX, found to promote or sell properties in
Israeli settlements may be held liable for complicity in the crime of promoting settlement activity in occupied territory. In 2015, RE/MAX Israel was still selling properties in 18 different Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. With over 15,000 agents in
Europe, the company expanded into
China by opening an office in
Beijing. In November 2015, two years after its first
IPO raised $220 million, RE/MAX Holdings Inc completed its second offering of approximately $185 million, holding a 58.3% stake and RIHI owns 41.7% of RE/MAX LLC. Total diluted share count (public and private) as of December 31 was 30.2 million shares. Operating in about 100 countries, RE/MAX maintained the largest corporate fleet of hot air balloons in the world (115) in 2016. Furthermore, covering
Minnesota and
Wisconsin, RE/MAX Results was declared its largest franchise, with 1,200 agents and an average of 20 transactions per agent. Two years later, former president Geoff Lewis and Liniger retired after leaving their roles, with responsibilities passing to
CEO Adam Contos. That same year, it was reported that he had violated the firm's ethics by lending a multimillion-dollar sum of his own personal money to Contos.
Proposed acquisition by The Real Brokerage (2026) In April 2026, RE/MAX Holdings announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by
The Real Brokerage Inc. (NASDAQ: REAX), a technology-focused real estate brokerage, in a transaction implying an enterprise value of approximately $880 million. Under the terms, a new holding company named Real REMAX Group would be formed; RE/MAX Holdings shareholders may elect to receive either 5.152 shares of Real REMAX Group or $13.80 in cash per share (based on Real's closing price on April 24, 2026), subject to proration, with aggregate cash consideration capped between $60 million and $80 million. Real shareholders would receive one share of Real REMAX Group for each share held, and are expected to own approximately 59% of the combined company upon closing. The REMAX and Motto Mortgage brands are to continue operating independently within the group. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval and approval by shareholders of both companies. It is not subject to a financing condition; Real secured a $550 million commitment arranged by
Morgan Stanley and
Apollo Global Funding to refinance RE/MAX Holdings' existing debt and fund the cash consideration. == Subsidiaries ==