RE/MAX has seen a steady stream of agents and new franchisees over the past three weeks.
In late November, the firm announced that Elizabeth Ruehrwein, a top agent in the Rehoboth, Massachusetts area joined RE/MAX Integrity, leaving Lamacchia Realty, previously known as Keystone Property Group.
Ruehrwein, who became a licensed agent in 2017 after working in the new construction industry for 28 years, serves clients in Rehoboth and surrounding Massachusetts towns, as well as East Providence and the Narraganset area of Rhode Island.
“My mom was a single parent who taught by example what a strong work ethic is, but we always rented. It wasn’t until I started at Frito Lay that homeownership became an option for us,” Ruehrwein said in a statement. “I moved mountains to get my mom and me into a home – that desire to help make homeownership a reality is what continues to drive me for my clients today.”
Ruehrwein’s move was not the only major addition for RE/MAX in Massachusetts. In early December, Newburyport-based Bentley’s Real Estate announced that it would be rebranding to RE/MAX Bentley’s as part of RE/MAX Collection, the brand’s luxury division.
Co-owners Robert Bentley and Alissa Christie, as well as over 60 of their agents are making the move. The firm currently serves buyers and sellers in Essex County, the Merrimack River Valley and Southern New Hampshire.
Bentley and Christie are no strangers to RE/MAX, as both are former RE/MAX agents. In 2014, Bentley started his team at RE/MAX with Christie and four other agents, by 2016 the team had expanded to 10 agents and in 2018 they transitioned from a team to an independent brokerage, Bentley’s Real Estate.
According to the release, the firm closed more than $350 million in volume in 2022.
“We started as a team in a collaborative environment and that theme will carry through to REMAX Bentley’s. We will continue to surround ourselves with like-minded professionals who want to succeed and help others do well,” Christie said in a statement. “I’m most excited to bring something new to the table. What REMAX offers in marketing and advertising will further support our agents and expose our clients’ properties to a bigger audience.”
On the other side of the country, changes are also taking place, with RE/MAX announcing last Friday that San Diego-based Tidal Realty was rebranding to RE/MAX Tidal.
The independent brokerage, which now has over 50 agents was founded in 2010 by Claude Blackman. In 2022, the firm closed nearly $95 million in sales volume according to the release, serving clients in San Diego and South Riverside Counties.
“With RE/MAX I am in business for myself, but not by myself,” Blackman said in a statement. “My agents and I are most excited to be backed by a proven business model and national marketing campaign. And the number of resources that will be at our disposal will allow us to focus more on our clients – and me, my agents.”
