After coming to the U.S. in 2001 at the age of 17, Los Angeles and Miami indie broker Andres Hoyos got his first job at a pizza restaurant, working in the kitchen, making deliveries and cleaning tables. Fast forward more than two decades, and he’s the CEO of one of the country’s fastest-growing indie brokerages.
Hoyos “got introduced to real estate by accident,” starting as an assistant for a team selling REOs and short sales. After getting his license in 2011, he became one of the top producers at Rodeo Realty, then built his own team, which became one of REMAX’s top producers.
Hoyos launched Sync Brokerage as a boutique firm in early 2017 with the intention of “fostering a healthy culture, promoting happiness, positive energy and collaboration.” Subsequently, Sync opened an escrow company and lending division before focusing on expansion, resulting in a growth trajectory to about 540 agents between California and Florida, with close to $1 billion in sales.
Learn how this indie broker combines care for the industry and his agents and where he sees real estate moving in 2026.
Name: Andres Hoyos
Title: Founder and CEO
Experience: 17 years in real estate
Location: Los Angeles and Miami
Brokerage name: Sync Brokerage, Inc.
Rankings: Top 1 percent nationwide
Team size: 540 agents
Transaction sides: 674
Sales volume: $650 million
Awards:
- Inc. 5000: Ranked 2452 on list of fastest-growing privately owned companies in America
- National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) 2024: No. 10 brokerage (units) and No. 2 (volume)
- NAHREP 2023: No. 7 (units) and No. 2 (volume)
What’s something you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
How to see real estate through the eyes of the investor, to recognize opportunities, understand several ways to obtain financing and tap into some of those investment opportunities, building long-term wealth for my family and me rather than just thinking as a Realtor.
What’s your top prediction for next year?
The real estate industry will only have two types of companies: the large, traditional concept like Compass and boutiques such as Sync Brokerage. Nothing in between. No franchises and no large traditional brokerages. They are simply not sustainable, not scalable, plus no one is interested in buying into franchises anymore.
Agents’ compensation plans are super aggressive, leaving very low or no margins to operate a brokerage. Our industry will get consolidated, creating opportunities for boutiques within the next 18-24 months.
Tell us about an epic fail you’ve experienced since you became a broker
At the end of 2022, I overleveraged and extended myself without thinking about the probabilities of the market pulling back. In addition, I didn’t realize how difficult and the level of persistence it would take for me to get the attention from venture capital, investors and the industry.
Certainly, it was a moment where I felt I was losing it all, but thanks to my wife’s support and me working on my mental health, I was able to push through and get to the other side of the line between failure and growth.
What makes a good leader?
People who are willing to elevate others, to sacrifice themselves for the success of the team. Those who are not egocentric and selfish give credit to everyone else rather than taking it. You have to be willing to learn in order to pivot and share your knowledge and experience without withholding information.
It’s never been a more exciting — or more demanding — time to be an independent brokerage. This December, Inman is celebrating the Indie Broker. We’re digging into the tech, tools and strategies today’s leaders are using to grow in a shifting market and consolidating industry. Find out what’s working — and what’s next.
