T
he national brokerage‑platform model has become a catalyst for rapid expansion in the real‑estate sector. Since 2006, the Swanepoel Trends Report has tracked the forces reshaping residential markets; the 2026 edition, released November 2025, spotlights the most influential trends, including the rise of platform‑based brokerages.

    **National platforms vs. traditional brokerages**

    While conventional brokerage structures remain, their dominance has eroded as national platforms leverage technology, cloud operations, and streamlined processes to grow organically—without franchising. This shift is exemplified by Real, a company that has turned the platform model into a growth engine.

    **Real’s founding vision**

    In 2014, Tamir Poleg and co‑founders launched Real with a clear mission: use technology and operational efficiency to build a brokerage that could compete swiftly and effectively with incumbents. They aimed to merge real‑estate expertise with a scalable national platform, offering agents a high‑quality, affordable alternative.

    **Impressive growth metrics**

    Real’s performance outpaces the industry. From 2022 to 2024, its U.S. sales volume surged from $12.1 billion to $42.4 billion—more than tripling—while only Compass grew by 1.3 % among the top ten brokerages in 2025. With 90,298 U.S. listings and 24,140 agents, Real ranks fifth in U.S. sales volume for 2025.

    **The ReZen platform**

    At the heart of Real is ReZen, a comprehensive back‑end system that delivers:

    - **End‑to‑end transaction management**: Teams, brokers, and agents coordinate deals, commissions, and payments in one place.

    - **Automated compliance**: Real‑time oversight reduces manual work and ensures regulatory adherence.

    - **Integrated payments**: Commission disbursement and financial tools are built in.

    - **Leo CoPilot**: An AI assistant that tracks and automates routine tasks.

    - **Customizable team tools**: Manage compensation plans, team structures, and individual payouts.

    All Real agents use ReZen for every transaction, and the firm processes and pays agents exclusively through the platform—an uncommon level of adoption that drives efficiency.

    **AI‑driven document review**

    ReZen’s AI, Leo, scans submitted documents, flags potential issues, and supports manual review. By September 2025, 40 % of markets had AI‑mapped transaction documents, with high accuracy reported by CTO Pritesh Damani. The goal is full coverage across all markets by year‑end.

    **Real Wallet**

    Agents access a real‑time dashboard—Real Wallet—showing monthly income, commission, equity, revenue‑share, active/closed/terminated deals, and borrowing capacity. Clicking an active transaction reveals a snapshot: timeline, status, payments, conversations, files, and alerts. Data can be filtered by transaction, time period, or other criteria.

    For the complete analysis, digital and print copies of the 2026 Swanepoel Trends Report are available through T3 Trends. Real Estate News operates independently within T3 Sixty.