The brokerage firm I built looks nothing like what I imagined when I started. Every assumption I made about how this business would operate was tested, revised, or completely discarded. If you’re running your brokerage the same way you did in 2023, you’re already behind the curve.
What will securities company management actually look like in 2026?
This is what my current job actually looks like and what I had to let go of to get here.
You operate in the post-payment buyer world
Buyer agency is no longer a fun conversation. It is operationally mandatory, consumer-facing, and constantly questioned by the public.
Buyer agreements will become mandatory nationwide from August 17, 2024 and must be signed prior to tour. NAR’s 2026 Professional Standards Update explicitly references a scenario in which the buyer agrees to indemnification in writing, with some of it being paid by the seller and the rest potentially being paid by the buyer.
The legal environment remains unstable. Housing Wire reports that the appellate court could affect the settlement and restructure the compensation rules again.
We had to completely retrain our agents on how to lead with values, explain rewards, and engage early. Gone is the old approach of touring first and talking later. If the buyer objects to signing the contract, the problem is not with the contract, but with the negotiation with the buyer. The value is in how you present it.
Manages MLS rules updates
This is not administrative busywork. This is risk management.
NAR’s MLS Policy Summary requires compliance starting January 2026, generally requires local implementation by March 1, 2026, and also lists MLS self-certification requirements. NAR also announced the most extensive update to the MLS Handbook in 20 years.
You’re no longer just running an agency. We implement governance, disclosure discipline, and operational security measures. Every broker I know is spending more time on their compliance infrastructure than they were two years ago.
Recruiting sounds the same everywhere
culture. training. tool. support. Every securities company says this. The differentiator is your ability to accurately show agents how they will grow once they join the company.
Inman contributor Brett Jennings makes a clear case that brokerages need a clear and memorable growth framework, not a list of features. Frameworks transform your brokerage business into a system for success, rather than a buffet.
When I’m currently recruiting, I draw out the entire agent process on a whiteboard. Absorption phase, Experience phase, Management phase, Arrival phase, Entrepreneurship phase. I will show you exactly what they will be like in year one, year three, and year five. If your value proposition is more like a list of amenities, you’ll lose to someone who can articulate the path.
AI is not the future. We’re in the middle of an arms race
AI is being incorporated into marketing, onboarding, follow-up, and agent productivity faster than most broker owners expect.
Inman’s 2026 Leadership Prediction states that AI will be the common factor driving change and will separate adaptive leaders from those who lag. The case for mediation is clear. Reduce onboarding time and improve productivity to increase ROI.
My CRM logs all calls through the platform and the AI creates summaries directly within the contact record. We use transcription tools to record meetings and feed those transcriptions to AI to draft blog content and newsletter copy. Tasks that previously required a marketing coordinator can now be completed in minutes.
Brokers are transitioning from training companies to enablement and automation companies. If you’re delivering training the same way you did in 2019, continuing to lecture in conference rooms without integrating workflows, you’re falling behind every quarter.
integration is real
Leading companies are accumulating market share, services, and platform leverage.
Compass completed its acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate in a $1.6 billion transaction in January.
“Compass is the largest residential real estate brokerage in the U.S. by sales value, with sales exceeding $231 billion in 2024, according to RealTrends,” Inman’s Lillian Dickerson wrote.
“Second-place Anywhere is not far behind, with sales of $183.81 billion in 2024. The number of agents for both companies after the merger will also be significant. Compass has about 40,000 agents, while Anywhere has 51,000 at its own brokerage and an additional 250,000 at franchised stores.”
Independent brokerages can win, but they can’t win by pretending that size doesn’t matter. Win with focus, speed, and sharper niche systems. We cut out high-end and investor-focused customers from the market because we couldn’t compete on volume. We needed to compete on depth of expertise and quality of service.
what we had to let go of
The hardest thing about running a brokerage firm in 2026 is not learning new things. You forget the assumptions that worked before.
We had to stop touring first and explaining later. We are leading with consensus, clarity and values because the regulatory environment demands it now.
We had to let go of recruiting as part of our overall growth plan. We need a repeatable agent growth system that is easy to explain and prove. We can no longer hire as promised. You need to show exactly how agents are developed within your system.
I had to let go of my tech stack as a perk. Handing someone your CRM login information and wishing them luck won’t cut it. 2026 will reward intermediaries who integrate tools into their workflows and operate quickly. Here’s our 5-step follow-up flow, template, training, and accountability structure.
We had to let go of our lax compliance posture. Updates to MLS rules and standards call for stronger structure, deadlines, and risk discipline. Every week I have conversations about compliance that we would never have had three years ago.
We had to let go of the idea that the industry had settled down. Even the settlement itself is still in dispute. The playbook must remain flexible as the rules may change again.
What actually works now
Securities companies that will survive in 2026 will have common characteristics. They treat talent retention as seriously as recruitment. They have a documented system that agents can follow. They put technology into practice rather than just buying it. They train agents to articulate value before showing a single property. They build compliance infrastructure proactively rather than reactively.
Most importantly, they remain humble and continue to learn. Just when you think you understand how a securities company is run, something changes. That is the reality now.
Real estate remains a simple business. Consistently generate leads, reliably convert them, and provide superior service to your clients. However, the operating environment centered around that simple core has become exponentially more complex.
Adapt or watch as agents who want to build a real career choose someone to build a career with.
Throughout this month, we are focusing on ‘New Mediation Strategies’. How securities companies operate in 2026 will be no different than before. From corporate giants to finicky indies, we map the new playing field and talk to brokerage leaders across the country about what’s working now and what’s next.
Nick Shulkway is the founder of Amherst Madison, a real estate brokerage firm based in Boise, Idaho. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
