Nevertheless, REMAX’s global footprint has expanded. At the end of Q4 2025, the total number of agents stood at 148,660, up 1.4% year-on-year. International growth – up 7.9% outside the US and Canada – offset a 6.1% decline in US agents and a 1.4% decline in Canada.
Lim joined REMAX in January 2025 after serving as president of Christie’s International Real Estate and was established Climb the Buildings.
“I’ve been a real estate agent for 23 years, selling in the San Francisco Bay area, so I have an agent’s lens,” he said. “The second idea I have is that I was a realtor. I built a brokerage, I founded a company called Climb Real Estate in San Francisco that I sold anywhere in 2016. The third idea is that I’m very focused on networks – I’m focused on growing networks.
“When I look at some of the things we’re dealing with, I try to look at it from that three-dimensional perspective as an agent, as someone who has been a consumer owner, and as someone who has led networks. I think that’s very important.”
Scale, partnership and technology investment
Lim said scale remains one of REMAX’s biggest advantages for hiring and retention – especially as agents consider costs.
“I think if you look at all the offerings, whether it’s marketing or innovation or technology, there’s actually an economy of scale that we have at REMAX that no other retailer or brand has,” he said. “You can look at our relationship with Zillow or look at the opportunity we have with Realtor.com or our recent partnership with Canva. We can provide those economies of scale and pass the savings on to our agents.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is key to that strategy, Lim added.
“I think we’re in a really important position to get real estate,” he said. “I think AI is accelerating productivity. Agent productivity is probably the lens through which we look at it and how we get back to our work of helping agents save more time. Whether it’s Sky Studio or marketing or whatever we’re doing with other partnerships that we’ve announced to create the world’s first real estate loyalty program, we’re very focused on productivity and improving our product.”
Integration and competitive positioning
Industry consolidation – including high profile acquisitions such as compass’ the addition of Anywhere – continues to reshape the brokerage landscape. Lim declined to speculate directly on the competitor’s long-term trajectory, instead emphasizing REMAX’s internal strategy.
“We always focus on where we look for opportunities,” he said. “I certainly point to two recent changes, REMAX Hawaii, which was under my leadership as chief growth officer. We brought the Better Homes and Gardens Ambassador to Hawaii, and we’re focused on finding amazing broker-owners who are thinking about growth, whether that’s organic growth or through acquisitions.”
He cited more major changes in Canada as evidence that the franchise model remains attractive to broker-owners looking for brand recognition and referral networks around the world.
When asked how the merger might impact agent recruitment over the next five to 10 years, Lim reiterated his forward-looking stance.
“I’m excited about the vision that (REMAX CEO) Erik Carlson has set,” he said. “He’s an outsider who came into the industry with fresh eyes. He’s put together a world-class leadership team with Don Kottick who runs REMAX Canada, and Travis Saxton as EVP of strategy and Daniel Dennis, who I’m proud to bring in. He’s an owner-operator. He ran Illustrated Properties and was the youngest CEO of Hathaaway’s service in Berkseeingshire and now the CEO of Global service for Hathaawayshire.
“I look up to Tom Flanagan, who gives us a new perspective on digital strategy, working with this amazing legacy team here. I’m excited about what we’re working on.”
Inventory, accessibility and first buyers
Aside from brokerage dynamics, Lim said housing inventory and affordability – especially for first-time buyers – remain defining challenges.
“I’m a big proponent of home ownership,” he said. “My father was an engineer. My mother was a real estate agent. I was able to develop my wealth by building a real estate portfolio. I think it’s the cornerstone not only of the American dream, but also the cornerstone of building wealth.”
He pointed to shifting demographics and changing ownership models as potential pressure valves.
“We’re going to see this massive transfer of wealth from the baby boomers to the millennials,” Lim said. “We’re seeing more millennial architecture than ever before. I think people are being creative. There are creative models and smart home types. We’re seeing fractional ownership. We’re seeing tiny homes. We’re seeing people moving and exploring differently with remote work.”
Lim argued that the long-term post-COVID job boom has expanded wealth creation through real estate beyond the more expensive coastal markets.
From a luxury to a global franchise leader
Lim’s move from luxury trading leadership to REMAX position marked a significant change last year.
“You will see the movement (REMAX’s) into the ways of life,” he said sadly. “We’re starting with golf, but we’re going to be doing vineyards, and we’re going to be doing ski towns and we’re going to be doing waterfronts and horse ranches and land and farms.
“People have asked me about going to REMAX after it was in full swing. I always say REMAX was the best real estate opportunity, and I’m so grateful to be here. I can’t wait to see what we do next.”
As profits rise despite revenue pressure and agent numbers stabilize globally, Lim is betting that focus — combined with scale, AI-driven productivity and strategic partnerships — will define REMAX’s next chapter.
