eXp Realty Buys NextHome, Entering the Franchise Business

eXp Realty has acquired NextHome, marking the company's entry into the franchise business, RealEstateNews.com reports.

The deal pairs one of the residential industry's most aggressive growth stories with a franchise brand that has built its identity around local ownership and consumer-facing marketing. eXp, which operates a cloud-based brokerage model with agents across multiple countries, has until now grown primarily by recruiting agents directly rather than by selling franchises.

NextHome has operated as a franchise network, licensing its brand to independently owned brokerages. That structure gives eXp a ready-made franchise operation alongside its existing agent-centric platform.

RealEstateNews.com, which first reported the acquisition, did not disclose the purchase price or the deal's expected closing timeline.

The acquisition signals a strategic broadening for eXp. Rather than relying solely on adding agents to its cloud-based platform, the company now holds two distinct routes to growth: direct recruitment and franchise licensing. Buyers and sellers are unlikely to notice immediate changes; the more consequential question is whether NextHome's franchisees stay under new ownership and how eXp positions the brand against its flagship platform in the quarters ahead.