Real REMAX Group halts Motto Mortgage franchise growth

Real REMAX Group announced that it will cease selling new Motto Mortgage franchises while honoring all existing franchise agreements, a shift confirmed Thursday by a company spokesperson after the acquisition’s close. The decision places Kate Gurevich, CEO of One Real Mortgage, in charge of the firm’s mortgage services, succeeding Vic Lombardo, who stepped down as president of REMAX’s mortgage division. The move follows earlier assurances in April 2026 that the Motto brand would remain unchanged and that franchisees could continue operating as usual, but now the company will focus investment on a single, scalable mortgage platform for its broader agent community rather than expanding the franchise network.

The strategic pivot reflects a broader restructuring of REMAX’s mortgage operations, which have seen a 24 percent drop in franchise locations to 171 offices nationwide by the end of 2025. In the fourth quarter of that year, REMAX terminated roughly 80 underperforming franchisees and introduced a new financial model in early 2026 that combines a $2,500 monthly fee with a 25‑basis‑point variable charge per closed loan, alongside processing fees for its wemlo service. These changes underscore the firm’s effort to streamline revenue streams and improve profitability, as One Real Mortgage reported a 10 percent year‑over‑year revenue increase to $1.9 million in Q2 2026 and has originated about $110.8 million in mortgages to date.

Leadership reshuffles accompany the operational shift, with REMAX CEO Erik Carlson moving to the Real REMAX board and Jenna Rozenblat, formerly REMAX’s chief operating officer, assuming the presidency of the newly formed Real REMAX Group while also serving as chief integration officer. The new leadership team, which blends talent from both Real and REMAX, aims to leverage expertise across technology, marketing, finance, and franchising to drive the unified mortgage platform’s growth, positioning the combined entity for a more cohesive national presence in the mortgage brokerage market.

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