REMAX Canada is expanding with 17 Ontario offices and over 1,200 agents from competitor Royal LePage in what it calls the largest conversion in the brand's history.

The offices that have operated under Royal LePage Your Community Realty and Royal LePage Connect Realty will now carry the REMAX banner. The offices will be under the leadership of Vivian Risi, Michelle Risi and Justin Risi. 

Vivian Risi is the president and CEO of Richmond Hill-based Your Community Realty. Her daughter Michelle Risi is the president and broker of record of Pickering-based Connect Realty; son Justin Risi is the executive vice-president and managing director of Your Community Realty in Vaughan.

The transition to REMAX was made to support its agents and equip them with the “global reach, tools and services needed now and in the future,” Vivian Risi said in the announcement. The leadership of Your Community Realty and Connect Realty identified growing opportunities with international buyers and investors as a major reason for the conversion.

“We see that our agents need more – an international network, innovative tools and expanded services. REMAX can provide that,” she said.

Your Community Realty and Connect Realty will continue to service clients in the Greater Toronto Area with a focus on residential, luxury and commercial properties. 

The Risi family’s real estate business was founded in 1994, and has grown from one office with 18 agents to 17 offices with over 1,200 agents. Your Community Realty is the larger of the two, with over 1,000 Realtors across 10 locations from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe.

Change doesn't 'tremendously change the landscape': Soper

In an interview with RENX Homes, Royal LePage president and CEO Phil Soper said he was “very surprised” by the Risi's decision to leave. He said there was no indication the Risi realty businesses would change to an American-owned brand.

Unlike REMAX, which is headquartered in Denver, Royal LePage is Canadian-owned with its head office in Toronto.

“In the face of a clear Buy Canadian backlash against aggressive American policy, a long-time Canadian brokerage decides to sign a deal with the largest and most American of Canadian brokerages,” Soper said.

He noted that individual agents within the brokerages are not obligated to follow - they can opt to remain with Royal LePage.

“Is it good for the agents? I can’t see how,” Soper said of the conversion. For example, he said REMAX agents pay higher fees than those of Royal LePage, as payments have to be made to both Canada and the U.S.

Your Community Realty and Connect Realty did comprise a notable portion of Royal LePage’s agent count nationwide, Soper said, which is between 22,000 to 23,000. But he countered it is offset by the additions of other brokerages the company made in 2025.

“They were an important business, but they don’t tremendously change the landscape in terms of market share,” he told RENX Homes.

Last year’s activity in the sector was driven by consumer backlash to U.S. products, Soper said.

Typically, approximately 500 agents each year join Royal LePage through conversion from other brands, he said. In 2025, it was approximately 1,000. But he sees the trend settling down this year.

Uppabe joins Wahi as conversions ramp up

In a separate move, Ottawa-based brokerage Uppabe has joined forces with Wahi Realty Inc., a Toronto-based digital real estate platform and brokerage. Uppabe will transition into Wahi Realty, while Subhir Uppal, CEO and founder of Uppabe, will join Wahi as managing broker, Ottawa region.

“This transition gives our agents greater scale, support, and opportunity,” Uppal said in the announcement. “Wahi offers a powerful platform for growth, and I’m excited to lead the Ottawa team as the company expands.”

The slowdown in the housing sector has been noted as a key reason behind the surge in activity among real estate offices. Home sales have slumped nationwide, most recently declining 2.7 per cent on a month-over-month basis in December 2025, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.

To stay steady or avoid shutting down in an unstable market, realty offices have been making moves such as expanding or joining other brands.

“When you’ve got a slow market, then people are open to change and they might be looking for a new brand or opportunity,” Ross McCredie, CEO of Vancouver-based Sutton Group Realty, told RENX Homes last November about his decision to acquire new offices in Canada.

Found Spaces Realty Group, based in Hamilton, joined The Real Brokerage Inc. last year. Management teams of realty companies are considering joining other brands as of late because of the potential for increased efficiency and access to advanced technologies, Found Spaces’ founder and CEO Sandy MacKay told RENX Homes.