Reorganization of the real estate industry is progressing relentlessly. According to Daniel Garofalo, mergers and acquisitions have reshaped the competitive landscape over the past five years, and most brokerage leaders still lack the infrastructure to navigate the competitive landscape.
Daniel Garofalo
That’s the premise behind RLTYconsulting, a new national consulting division launched Monday by RLTYco, a New York-based financial services firm created specifically for real estate professionals.
Garofalo, who previously served as chief strategy officer at Stribling & Associates and chief business development officer at CORE, will co-lead the division with Greenwich, Conn.-based Douglas Elliman broker Scott Elwell.
This launch marks a significant expansion for RLTYco. RLTYco operates primarily as a platform for 1099 agents, offering upfront fees, tax preparation, health insurance, and legal support under the RLTY Capital, RLTY Tax, RLTY Health, and RLTY Legal brands.
With RLTYconsulting, the company focuses on C-level business development and brand strategy for brokerages, professional firms, and large teams looking to scale.
“For too long, top agencies and brokerages have been forced to choose between focusing on brand and focusing on revenue, and it often feels like an unfortunate trade-off,” Garofalo said in a statement. “By partnering with RLTYco, we give leaders the freedom to double down on their brand’s storytelling, identity and measurable growth, while simplifying the tedious backend of running a real estate business.”
“It’s not a temporary cycle.”
Garofalo and Elwell are intentionally timing their pitches. The wave of consolidation continues, with companies like Compass expanding through acquisitions and regional brands merging into larger networks.
scott elwell
The reality is that for boutique and independent companies without balance sheets, there is pressure to compete at that scale.
“I view this as a structural rather than a temporary cycle,” Garofalo told Inman. “For boutique companies, this is the moment to prove why they are valuable. AI is the great equalizer in technology, and everyone has access to it. The difference comes down to structure. Companies that understand their performance drivers and core strengths will be able to lead. Companies that are not up to the task themselves.”
Mr. Elwell, who has served as both a real estate agent and regional manager throughout New England, saw the opportunity in terms of real estate agent value, not agent survival.
“This is a great opportunity for individual agents to demonstrate their value,” Elwell said. “I’m an agent at heart. When we’re talking about small businesses and boutique brands, we’re also talking about the value of the agency itself, and this is a great opportunity to show that.”
Garofalo said the ideal clients for RLTYconsulting at this time are independent brokerages, boutique brands, large corporations and regional platform leaders.
“We can work directly with ownership teams and management teams, but we can also work with larger teams,” she said. “It’s primarily people who are producing at a high level, but who recognize that the next step requires more discipline, such as understanding performance, ownership planning, and long-term durability. They are our ideal customers.”
From Disney and IBM to real estate
Garofalo’s background is one of the differentiators that RLTYco touts. Prior to moving into real estate strategy, he held high-level marketing positions at Disney and IBM.
“I could talk for hours about my Disney experiences,” she said. “But what I think about most is the business structure.”
Garofalo said he learned at Disney that brand integrity and operational accuracy are inseparable. Every decision and process is built to protect long-term value.
“At IBM, I was able to see how organizations evolve through major technological change,” she said. “Leadership alignment, structural discipline, these are not abstract concepts. They are fundamental to how we scale.”
Real estate is entering a similar phase, she said. The industry is more complex and institutional.
“My background has trained me to think in that environment,” Garofalo said. “I’m applying institutional thinking to an industry that has historically operated more informally.”
Companies that engage RLTYconsulting will receive complimentary financial services through RLTYco as part of the partnership, with Garofalo’s team responsible for the strategic roadmap and branding, and RLTYco managing the back-end logistics.
Garofalo brings his experience with Stribling & Associates and CORE to work with brokerage leaders on brand positioning, sales funnel development, market share growth, and acquisition planning. The consulting division also covers due diligence, general management strategy, and operational efficiency.
“They’re too busy performing to focus on expansion.”
Garofalo’s existing in-house consulting client roster includes The Agency’s Mauricio Umansky, Ricky Carruth, and Jason Haber. She pointed to a common pattern among high performers at that level.
“They’re really, really busy with what they’re doing, so their focus isn’t on thinking about how to get to scale. They’re too busy executing,” she said. “Ricky and Mauricio are two of the highest performers in the industry. They eat, sleep and breathe what they do.
“But that’s true for most of my clients, whether I’ve worked with Lennar, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Compass, or individual brands,” Garofalo continued. “Everyone at a high level has the same challenge: they’re too busy performing to focus on expansion.”
Mr. Elwell, who has served as regional manager, broker of record and field agent throughout New England, said his mission has always been to advocate for brokers and help them expand.
“Daniel and I speak the language of real estate because we have lived in the world of real estate,” he said. “By combining our operational expertise with RLTYco’s infrastructure, we are bridging the gap between brokerage business models, brokerage firms’ daily realities, and the long-term growth goals of both.”
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