The Swanepoel Power 200 ranks the most powerful leaders in the residential real estate brokerage industry as 2025 kicks off. Criteria used to rank leaders include the scope and power of leaders’ positions, the financial resources they have at their disposal, whether they have equity stake in their company, their trajectory and much more. For a detailed description of the careful methodology T3 Sixty used to determine the rankings, please see the methodology here.
The SP 200 reflects the relative power of leaders in the industry and is not a company ranking. Size and sales volume listed in bios provide framing and, while used to determine ranking, were just part of the data considered. Note that the numbers used in many of the bios reflect full-year 2024 data, as those are the only available across the board for all companies. Most companies have not completed their 2024 financials. When they do this spring, T3 Sixty will publish its annual ranking of the industry’s largest brokerages, brands and enterprises.
41
O’Bryon has been at Re/Max Gold Nation as CEO for more than 25 years. In that time, he has grown the company immensely from its Northern California base. The brokerage is part of Gold Nation, for which O’Bryon oversees over 2,400 agents, who do over $12 billion in annual sales, operating in California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, and Washington. In 2024, the company launched Gold Capital Partners, allowing agents and staff to own a part of Gold Nation.
42
Swartzman runs Peerage Realty Partners, which owns a network of brokerages in the luxury real estate space across North America, and, collectively, operates the U.S.’s eighth largest brokerage. The firm — which does approximately $23 billion in annual sales — has grown through acquisitions of large brokerages, many of them affiliates of Sotheby’s International Realty. Before joining Peerage in 2014, Swartzman oversaw 15 partner firms and real estate activity across MDC Partners’ entire network.
43
Brothers Chris and Ryan lead the firm their father, CEO William “Bill” Raveis, founded in 1974. Ryan oversees strategy and operations. Chris is responsible for residential sales business and growth. The firm operates throughout the Northeast and Florida with nearly 4,400 agents who do more than $18 billion in annual sales. In 2024, the brokerage acquired another Nantucket-based brokerage and continued its Mid-Atlantic expansion with a South Carolina brokerage acquisition.
44
Freedman helms the country’s 23rd largest brokerage with approximately 2,300 agents doing nearly 8 billion in annual sales. Brown Harris Stevens, which celebrated 150 years in business in 2023, operates as the brokerage wing under parent company Terra Holdings. As CEO since 2018, she oversees over 50 offices across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida. Freedman, who previously practiced law, is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York Board of Governors.
45
Skousen leads Inside Real Estate, maker of kvCore, an end-to-end platform featuring an integrated website, CRM and marketing system used by over 400,000 agents. The product, used by brokerages and teams as well as individual agents, has become a leader in the end-to-end platform space. In 2024, the company united its portfolio of products under the new BoldTrail brand and deepened its tech partnership with Re/Max that brings its tech to the brand’s franchisees in the U.S. and Canada.
46
Scavone leads Weichert Realtors, which operates the nation’s 13th largest brokerage with approximately 7,000 agents who do about $18 billion in annual sales. The 20-year veteran at Weichert took the helm of the brokerage side of the business in July 2022 after leading the franchise side, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, as president since 2016. The company also operates the U.S.’s 10th largest franchise brand.
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Cowen leads the nation’s third largest MLS in Stellar MLS, which serves nearly 84,000 subscribers in Florida and Puerto Rico. With more than four decades of industry experience, Cowen is also a twice past president of the Council of MLS and has been dean of its certification program. In her 16th year at the helm of Stellar, Cowen has helped the MLS expand its sights beyond the U.S. via the MLS’s subsidiary Universal Consulting Opportunities (of which she is also CEO).
48
Crawford is CEO of First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS), which has over 57,000 subscribers. A proponent of MLS collaboration, he continued to champion data-sharing in 2024 partnering with the Miami Association of Realtors, MLS Listings and Heartland MLS. Crawford began his real estate career in 2001 at the company now known as CoreLogic. Before becoming CEO of broker-owned FMLS in 2019, he led the Real Estate Standards Organization as CEO.
49
Since 1999, Ochsner has owned Denver-based brokerage Re/Max Alliance, which has nearly 700 agents who do approximately $3 billion in annual sales. He is a second-generation Realtor who has also served as a director of the Colorado Association of Realtors and has been on the board of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors and REcolorado (Denver’s MLS), as well as the advisory boards of Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia. Ochsner also owns mortgage and insurance companies and is active in land development.
50
Huskey oversees operations and strategy for the Naples, Florida-based Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, with offices reaching from Florida’s Gulf Coast to North Carolina’s High Country. He joined Premier SIR after retiring as CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate in 2016. In 2024, Huskey brought in a new senior vice president of development and appointed Jackie Thiel to succeed him in the role of company president.
51
Samuelson serves as Zillow’s key voice and strategist when it comes to industry relations. With over 25 years of experience in the technology and real estate sectors, he brings a wealth of knowledge and deep relationships to his role. Prior to joining Zillow in 2014, he served as president of Realtor.com.
52
Webber oversees Majestic Realty Collective, a brokerage company built of several Sotheby’s International Realty brokerages. LIV Sotheby’s International Realty is the collective’s largest firm with 57 offices in five western states. Majestic Realty Collective ranks as the U.S.’s 18th largest brokerage with more than $11 billion in annual sales. Webber has over four decades of real estate experience including time as a senior vice president at Anywhere Real Estate.
53
DiMichele manages the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), North America’s largest local Realtor board with over 73,000 members. Regarded as one of the sharpest leaders in the organized real estate world, he strengthened his leadership bench in 2024 with the addition of Kevin Crigger as an associate CEO. DiMichele helped establish PropTx, TRREB’s MLS and technology services subsidiary, which the association expanded in 2024 as part of an effort to develop a provincewide database. He also serves as chair-elect of the Council of Multiple Listing Services.
54
Brothers Dan and Stuart lead Michigan’s largest real estate company, which continued to expand in the state in 2024. Dan manages Real Estate One’s brokerage services, while Stuart helms financial services. They are the third generation to lead the company founded by their grandfather in 1929. REO is a top 40 national brokerage with approximately 1,900 agents doing over $5 billion in annual sales. Three fourth generation Elsea’s currently work at the firm as well managing branch offices.
55
Alexander has helmed Canada’s largest real estate franchise brand since 2021. As president of Re/Max Canada, he oversees operations in all Canadian provinces but Quebec, which remains independent, although he works closely with their leaders to build comprehensive brand strategy. Alexander, who began his career as a Re/Max sales associate in 2010, is the grandson of Frank J. Polzler, who co-founded the first Re/Max region in Atlantic Canada in 1980.
56
As co-founder and CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), Acosta leads the nation’s largest Hispanic business organization with over 40,000 members across 100 chapters, and the largest and most powerful real estate association outside of NAR. He co-founded L’Attitude Ventures, a Latino-focused $100 million venture firm, where he serves as partner. The serial entrepreneur has founded several mortgage, real estate and tech companies and formerly served on the board of Mortgage Bankers Association of America.
57
As head of Century 21 Canada, one of the franchise’s most successful regions globally, Charlwood oversees nearly 400 offices across Canada. He succeeded his father, who launched the firm in 1976, as CEO. He is also a director at Charlwood Pacific Group, which owns the Centum real estate franchise in Canada and Century 21 Asia-Pacific as well as Uniglobe Travel International and Real Property Management (Germany, Mexico, France and Spain rights).
58
Baird runs Baird & Warner, which has over 2,200 agents who do approximately $5 billion in annual sales in Illinois, Wisconsin and Florida. His great-great-grandfather, Lyman Baird, founded the Chicagoland brokerage in 1855, which makes the company one of the nation’s two oldest surviving brokerages. In 2024, the company settled the Gibson-Umpa copycat commissions suit in Illinois. Meanwhile, the firm revamped its agent offerings by unveiling a refreshed brand identity (the first in 40 years) with a comprehensive digital media platform in the fourth quarter.
59
As founder and CEO of his eponymous real estate coaching company, Ferry is influential in the industry with a role helping professionals navigate their challenges and implement tactical growth solutions. Having launched the firm in 2004, Ferry now shares his insights at training events, through his two bestselling books and a popular YouTube channel. In 2024, Ferry launched an AI-powered coaching chatbot and supported research into the power and value of teams.
60
Leading brokerage tech company Lone Wolf Technologies since 2019, Kelly has consistently looked to expand the firm’s product portfolio. After spending the past four years acquiring several other technology firms — including those covering digital marketing, CRM, transaction management, business insights and more product areas — Lone Wolf announced in July 2024 the launch of its Lone Wolf Foundation bringing all its offerings together into one complete platform. Lone Wolf also signed up two large MLSs for enterprise deals in 2024 in Arizona Regional MLS and Northern Nevada Regional MLS.
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