REMAX One Earns Its Place Among the 2026 RealTrends GameChangers
In an era defined by housing market volatility, rising interest rates, and sweeping industry change, one Indianapolis-based brokerage managed to do something remarkable: it nearly doubled its transaction volume over four years. REMAX One — formerly known as REMAX at the Crossing and REMAX Centerstone — achieved a staggering 113% growth in transaction sides between 2021 and 2025, earning the No. 5 spot in the prestigious 2026 RealTrends GameChanger rankings.
But what truly sets REMAX One apart is not found in spreadsheets or performance dashboards. According to broker-owner Mike Jones, the secret behind the firm's explosive growth lies in something far less tangible and far more powerful: culture.
The Numbers Behind the Growth
Before diving into the philosophy that drives REMAX One, it's worth appreciating just how significant the firm's numbers are. In 2025 alone, the brokerage closed 1,212 transaction sides with a combined sales volume of $377.85 million, according to RealTrends Verified data. That performance placed the firm among the fastest-growing brokerages in the entire country.
Achieving this level of growth under any market conditions would be impressive. Achieving it during a prolonged housing slowdown — one marked by high mortgage rates, shrinking inventory, and economic uncertainty — is exceptional. It signals that REMAX One's growth model is not dependent on a bull market. It is built on a foundation that performs through adversity.
The 2026 RealTrends GameChanger rankings recognize brokerages that have demonstrated the highest rates of growth in transaction sides over a defined period. Ranking No. 5 nationally places REMAX One in a very select category of high-performing firms whose strategies merit careful study.
Three Pillars of Growth: Organic, M&A, and Retention
Mike Jones has been transparent about what has powered REMAX One's growth trajectory. The firm's expansion is not the result of a single strategy but rather a deliberate combination of three interconnected approaches.
Organic Growth
At its core, REMAX One has grown by consistently attracting new agents who are drawn to the firm's reputation, resources, and environment. Word travels fast in the real estate community, and a brokerage known for supporting its agents tends to attract more of them. Organic growth is the most sustainable form of expansion because it reflects genuine market confidence in a brand.
Mergers and Acquisitions
The firm has also strategically pursued mergers and acquisitions to accelerate its market footprint. M&A activity in real estate brokerage requires careful execution — particularly when it comes to integrating teams and preserving morale. This is where culture becomes a competitive advantage. Firms that acquire others and quickly assimilate them into a strong, welcoming environment tend to retain more talent from those acquisitions than firms that treat growth as a purely transactional exercise.
Agent Retention
Perhaps the most overlooked driver of brokerage growth is retention. Acquiring new agents costs time and resources. Keeping the agents you already have — and keeping them productive and motivated — is where real long-term value is built. Jones credits both the broader REMAX network's resources and the specific internal culture his team has cultivated for the firm's ability to retain agents even through periods of significant change.
Why Culture Is the Real Competitive Advantage
"We really do operate the brokerage with this feeling of being a family," Jones has stated. This may sound like standard corporate language, but the results suggest it is far more than a talking point. In a profession notorious for high turnover and agent mobility, REMAX One has managed to build a community that people want to stay in.
Real estate is an intensely personal business. Agents often work independently, managing their own pipelines, their own clients, and their own stress. The brokerage they choose to affiliate with can either amplify that isolation or counteract it. By building a culture rooted in genuine mutual support, Jones has created an environment where agents feel seen, valued, and connected to something larger than their individual commission checks.
This matters enormously during periods of industry upheaval. The real estate industry has faced significant structural changes in recent years, including shifts in how commissions are structured and disclosed, new buyer representation requirements, and ongoing technological disruption. Agents navigating these changes benefit enormously from being part of a team that communicates openly, trains consistently, and supports one another through uncertainty.
The Rebrand: From REMAX at the Crossing and REMAX Centerstone to REMAX One
The firm's recent rebrand to REMAX One is more than a cosmetic change. It represents a consolidation of identity that mirrors the unified culture Jones has worked to build. As the company has grown through acquisitions and organic expansion, having a single, cohesive brand signals to the market — and to existing agents — that the organization stands together as one.
The timing of the rebrand also aligns with a moment of real momentum. With a top-five GameChanger ranking in hand and strong performance metrics to back it up, the new name arrives with credibility and visibility.
Lessons for Other Brokerages
The REMAX One story offers several actionable lessons for brokerage owners and real estate leaders who want to grow sustainably:
- Invest in culture intentionally. Culture does not happen by accident. It requires consistent communication, leadership by example, and genuine care for the people on your team. Jones's emphasis on a family-like atmosphere is not just a feel-good strategy — it directly impacts retention, which directly impacts growth.
- Diversify your growth levers. Relying on a single growth strategy, whether organic recruitment or M&A, creates fragility. REMAX One's three-pronged approach means that if one channel slows, the others can compensate.
- Use market downturns as differentiation moments. When the market is easy, almost every brokerage grows. The firms that grow during difficult markets are the ones that have built something genuinely durable. REMAX One's growth through a housing slowdown is proof that its model does not depend on favorable conditions.
- Align your brand with your values. The rebrand to REMAX One is a reminder that how you present yourself externally should reflect what you stand for internally. Brand clarity reinforces culture and makes recruiting and retention easier.
Looking Ahead
As REMAX One moves forward under its new identity, all eyes will be on whether it can sustain the momentum it has built over the past four years. The fundamentals look strong. The culture is established. The growth infrastructure — organic, M&A, and retention-focused — is in place. And with a national ranking that validates the firm's trajectory, REMAX One enters this next chapter with both credibility and confidence.
For Mike Jones and his team, the 2026 GameChanger designation is not a destination. It is a milestone on a longer journey — one measured not just in transaction sides and sales volume, but in the relationships, trust, and shared purpose that make those numbers possible in the first place.