Open Real Estate gains momentum as independent brokerages sign on

For Donny Samson, the CEO and principal broker of Virginia-based RealTrends Verified Samson Properties, the decision to have his firm join Open Real Estate as one of the first participating brokerages was a no-brainer. “I have been pretty outspoken over the last year or two about consumers having the ability to see all the options,” Samson said. “In the [D.C.-Maryland-Virginia] market, there are a lot of listings that are not fully visible to the public and that has been a frustrating process for them. I’ve just been so passionate about making every listing available for everybody to see, as it is the best for sellers and buyers, that I think that caught the attention of the founders.” Samson said AGNT CEO and 2026 HousingWire Vanguard award winner Leo Pareja, who he considers a friend in the industry, reached out to discuss Open Real Estate and that before Pareja was done explaining the idea, he was ready to sign on. “I don’t want to be in a world where three years from now sellers are going to have to list with seven agents in order for their listings to get in front of buyers,” Samson said. Getting in at the ground level Launched on Monday by AGNT, (the parent company of eXp Rea...