From Brokerage Shakeups to Your Next Vacation Home: How Industry Moves Affect Buyers

When brokerage shakeups hit the headlines, your vacation-home plans can change overnight — here’s how to protect your purchase and get the best deal in 2026.

Buying a holiday home already feels complex: comparing coastal insurance, rental regulations, and seasonal demand on top of negotiating price and inspection contingencies. Add recent leadership moves and brokerage consolidations — like the 2025 leadership change at Century 21 New Millennium and REMAX’s Toronto conversions — and the landscape for buyers looks very different.

Why buyers should care about brokerage leadership and consolidation

Brokerage reshuffles and conversions are not just internal headlines for agents and franchisors — they have practical, measurable effects on how quickly you find properties, the commission structures attached to deals, and the actual market access you’ll get as a buyer of a vacation home.

• Commission frameworks can shift when new leadership or a different franchisor standardizes fee models across offices.
• Agent availability and responsiveness change as teams restructure, recruit, or consolidate under new brand priorities.
• Market access grows or narrows depending on network scale: joining a global brand can widen distribution while local boutique firms may have tighter community ties and exclusive inventory.

Recent industry moves that matter for vacation-home buyers (late 2025 – early 2026)

Two concrete developments at the end of 2025 are useful case studies:

Century 21 New Millennium: leadership change and governance shift

In late 2025 Century 21 New Millennium appointed Kim Harris Campbell — previously a Compass executive — as CEO, while founders Todd Hetherington and Mary Lynn Stone moved into a new board role. Hetherington emphasized ongoing strategic involvement:

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to build this company alongside exceptional agents and leaders. While my role is changing, my commitment to NM and its people is not.”

Why this matters: new executives often bring fresh priorities — aggressive tech investment, standardized agent commission policies, or national marketing campaigns — which can change how listings are marketed and which incentives agents offer buyers or sellers.

REMAX adds scale in Toronto — 1,200 agents and 17 offices

Also in late 2025 REMAX converted two large Royal LePage firms in the Greater Toronto Area, adding roughly 1,200 agents and 17 offices. REMAX leadership framed the move as part of a technology- and global-brand-driven strategy to increase reach and digital presence.

Why this matters: when a global brand absorbs regional teams, marketing reach expands and cross-border exposure increases — both positives for sellers wanting global buyers and for buyers hunting international-quality inventory. But absorption can also lead to internal competition among agents, shifting lead allocation and service models.

How these shifts affect the three buyer concerns that matter most

1. Commission structures — what’s changing and how to negotiate

Consolidation tends to create pressure to standardize commission models. Larger franchises often push uniform splits, flat fees, or tech-enabled caps to improve margins. That can mean:

• More tiered commission offers based on price bands or property type (common for vacation homes in luxury tiers).
• A rise in flat-fee or low-commission options marketed to sellers, which can indirectly affect buyer-side representation budgets.
• Greater use of marketing fees and add-ons (virtual tours, enhanced listing syndication) that may be billed separately.

Actionable advice:

• Ask the agent upfront for a breakdown: what portion of seller-paid commission is passed to buyer agents, and are there withheld marketing fees?
• Negotiate a buyer-side compensation agreement: clarify whether your agent expects a commission split from the seller or a direct fee from you and document it.
• Compare the effective commission on comparable listings across brokerages — a low advertised commission can hide service or marketing cuts.

2. Agent availability and quality — more faces, not always more coverage

When a franchisor brings hundreds of agents into its network — as REMAX did in Toronto — buyers may assume more agents = better coverage. But scale can lead to:

• Higher competition internally for leads and branding attention.
• Teams absorbing solo agents, meaning lead distribution and responsibilities change (you may work with a lead agent or a buyer team).
• Potential short-term drops in responsiveness as systems and CRMs are unified under new leadership.

Actionable advice:

• Interview prospective agents on service levels and team structure: who answers texts, who attends inspections, who handles closings?
• Request references from recent vacation-home clients and ask for examples of deals closed in your target market in the last 12 months.
• Confirm who will be your day-to-day contact if the brokerage reorganizes — and get it in writing.

3. Market access — wider syndication vs. local exclusives

Large brands provide expanded syndication, global buyer pools, and integrated marketing platforms. That’s great for sellers and for buyers who want more options. But there’s trade-offs:

• Global reach can increase demand and prices for popular vacation markets as international eyes get access.
• Local boutiques may still control pocket listings or community-first networks that large franchisors don’t fully penetrate.
• Consolidations can prompt policy changes on exclusivity and how listings are shared in MLS or private networks.

Actionable advice:

• Ask whether the listing will be placed in MLS and syndicated nationally and internationally.
• Search both large-brand portals and local brokerage pages — exclusive or off-market options often live on boutique sites or agent networks.
• Consider a dual-strategy: use a global-brand agent for wide search reach and a local boutique contact for neighborhood intel and access to pocket listings.

Practical checklist for vacation-home buyers in 2026

Use this when interviewing agents or evaluating offers:

1. Confirm the agent’s recent vacation-home closings and ask for specific examples (dates, neighborhoods).
2. Request a transparent commission/pay breakdown — who pays what and when.
3. Ask about buyer rebates or fee-for-service options; some brokerages now offer fixed-fee buyer representation.
4. Verify MLS and syndication strategy — international exposure if that’s important to you.
5. Understand the team structure: who’s your lead agent, transaction coordinator, and backup?
6. Ask about technology tools used (AI valuations, virtual tours) and whether they’re in-house or outsourced.
7. Get a written communication plan: response times, preferred methods, and expected weekly updates.
8. Confirm how the brokerage handles conflicts of interest and dual agency in your state/province.
9. Discuss post-close services: property management introductions, short-term rental setup, and local vendors.
10. Check how the brokerage handled transitions in 2025–2026 — did agents stay, leave, or move to teams?

Case study: Two routes to the same Cape Cod condo (realistic 2025 scenario)

Consider a buyer, Anna, who targeted a Cape Cod condo listed by a major franchise post-conversion and another listed by a respected local boutique. The franchise listing got international exposure and multiple offers within 48 hours — pushing price up. The boutique listing sat longer but the seller agreed to a below-list deal with contingencies favorable to Anna.

Key takeaways from Anna’s example:

• Large-brand exposure can increase competition quickly, useful if you want to resell or rent the property.
• Local brokerages can sometimes unlock negotiation space and better local vendor partnerships for management.
• The best strategy: assess your goals (income vs. personal getaway) and choose an agent/brokerage aligned with that goal.

2026 trends and what to expect next

Industry momentum entering 2026 suggests three macro trends buyers should monitor:

1. Tech-first consolidation

Late 2025 saw brokerages highlight technology and digital presence as reasons for conversions. Expect more consolidation where tech platforms are the prize — unified CRMs, AI lead routing, automated valuations, and immersive virtual tours. For buyers, this means faster discovery and more predictive pricing tools, but also a risk of overreliance on algorithmic valuations without local nuance.

2. Fee innovation and regulatory attention

With legal scrutiny on commission practices intensifying in recent years, expect more innovative fee models in 2026: buyer rebates, capped commissions, and fee-for-service agreements. Regulators may increase transparency requirements, which benefits buyers who demand line-item clarity.

3. Hybrid local-global brokerage models

Buyers will increasingly see hybrid models: global brand marketing combined with hyperlocal teams. This can be ideal for vacation-home buyers who want global exposure for rental demand and local expertise for compliance, maintenance, and community rules.

How to protect your buying power when brokerages consolidate

Practical, immediate steps to keep the upper hand:

• Document buyer representation before touring properties so your agent’s commission expectations are clear.
• Keep multiple agent conversations open — a boutique agent and a franchise agent can leverage different inventories.
• Negotiate rebates or service fees if the buyer-side commission pool shrinks due to seller-side flat fees.
• Audit marketing fees on seller listings — don’t accept opaque add-on charges that reduce the agent’s incentive to show certain properties.
• Factor tech tools into offers: when a platform provides instant AI valuations, use them as a data point but validate with local comps and on-the-ground inspections.

Final thoughts: make brokerage moves work for your next vacation home

Brokerage leadership changes and franchise conversions — from Century 21 New Millennium’s new CEO to REMAX’s sizable Toronto expansion — are reshaping how vacation homes are marketed and sold in 2026. These moves affect commissions, the availability and structure of agents, and the scope of market access you’ll actually get as a buyer.

But consolidation is not inherently bad for buyers. It creates opportunities: wider syndication for listings, new tech tools that speed searches, and alternative fee models that can lower outright costs. The key is active due diligence: interview agents, get fee transparency in writing, and align your broker choice with the purpose of your purchase — personal getaway vs. income-producing property.

Actionable next steps

• Start by interviewing at least two agents from different brokerage types (a global franchise and a local boutique).
• Demand a written fee and service plan before you tour properties.
• Sign up for targeted alerts on local MLS feeds and boutique sites to catch both syndicated and off-market opportunities.

Ready to compare agents and listings with a travel-focused lens? Contact our resort listings concierge to get vetted agent matches, commission transparency checklists, and market-fee breakdowns tailored to your target vacation destination.

Take action today: Sign up for tailored alerts and a free buyer-representation checklist to protect your budget and find the right resort or bed-and-breakfast investment in 2026.

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