A RE/MAX affiliate has purchased Compass’s Chicago North Shore office locations, Inman learned on late Tuesday.
Compass offloaded the brick-and-mortar locations as a result of its $444 million acquisition of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, which closed in January. Previously, @properties had acquired Christie’s International Real Estate in November 2021, becoming the eighth-largest brokerage by volume in the nation and further solidifying its position as the brokerage with the largest market share in Chicago.
RE/MAX said in a statement to Inman that the affiliate, RE/MAX Premier, has acquired and will rebrand five Compass offices located in Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Forest and Winnetka. These offices will now operate under the RE/MAX Premier banner, with the transition wrapping up by October 13.
“REMAX is more than a brand — it’s a platform built for productivity, innovation, and agent empowerment,” Janice Corley, Founder and CEO of RE/MAX Premier, said in a written statement. “We’re excited to expand that value to the North Shore, where clients and agents alike deserve access to the most trusted name in real estate, cutting-edge technology and marketing tools that truly move the needle.”
A Compass spokesperson declined to share how many Compass agents were working in the offloaded offices or which Compass offices those displaced agents are working in now.
However, Compass’s website offers a clue, with the website showing 455 agents in the North Shore.
The reduction in brick-and-mortar locations doesn’t mean a reduction in agent count, as all former agents who worked in the North Shore offices will remain under Compass’s banner and continue to serve homebuyers and homeowners throughout the area.
The sale of Compass’ brick-and-mortar locations comes during a period of intense competition among brokerages for talent and market share. Compass in particular has tended to be a winner in this competition, with high profile recruitments and acquisitions helping the company achieve above-average growth in recent quarters. According to Compass’ most recent earnings report, the brokerage had 20,965 principal agents at the end of this year’s second quarter — an increase from 16,997 at the end of Q2 2024.
RE/MAX has also seen its total agent count grow lately, hitting a total of 147,073 at the end of Q2. However, in RE/MAX’s case a growing share of those agents are located outside the U.S. and Canada, with the franchisor’s agent count in Anglophone North America ticking down in recent years.
