What happens behind the scenes

As Ontario’s market cools, brokerage acquisitions appear to be accelerating. Yet behind every banner change and headline-making announcement lies a detailed web of paperwork and process that few ever see.

Several big-name transactions have played out over the last six months.

In June 2025, KIC Realty announced its acquisition of Red Rose Realty to expand its footprint to Ontario. December saw Bosley Real Estate’s acquisition of TrilliumWest, and the following month, the Risi family (formerly known as Royal Lepage Connect Realty) took all 17 of their offices and joined Remax.

Clear communication = easier transition

For Christan Bosley, broker of record of Bosley Real Estate, the opportunity to acquire TrilliumWest presented itself organically through its affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.

“[Our] leadership skills and attributes are very complementary…” says Bosley. “Of course, the acquisition would not have happened had we not been open to the idea of expanding to a geographic location that was a natural gap in our service areas as well.”

Working in the back end of the Bosley Real Estate/TrilliumWest acquisition are eight to 10 administrators who onboard agents who decided to join Bosley Real Estate during the acquisition – a choice they were freely given.

“Most acquisitions I have witnessed tend to flick a switch with a strong communication to the agents that they are now part of brokerage B,” Bosley says. “I don’t believe in operating this way.”

Instead, Bosley decided to run both brokerages side by side for a period of time to give agents a chance to get to know her as a leader and learn what Bosley Real Estate had to offer.

“I don’t believe in ever making a choice for people. We only want people who trust and believe in our offerings,” she says. “As a result, we lost a few reactive people off the hop, but only a very small percentage.”

‘We understand it can feel overwhelming’

For Ron McIntosh, president and co-founder of KIC Realty, the acquisition of Red Rose Realty agents to KIC Realty was very well organized.

“Red Rose prepped their agents well and were able to provide us with a lot of the details we needed to facilitate a smooth transfer,” says McIntosh.

Transferring and onboarding Realtors from one brokerage to another at such a large scale requires a close eye on many processes. 

As Bosley’s director of education and culture, Johanna Pigeon also acts as the brokerage’s main point of contact as their agent onboarding specialist.

“There are a lot of moving parts in the background and it takes time to become familiar with new internal platforms, as well as to remember who’s who and who does what,” Pigeon says. 

“We understand it can feel very overwhelming, so we break the process into manageable steps and provide guidance at each stage.”

Order of operations

Deciding whether to transfer agents through the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) first or onboard them internally is a matter of brokerage preference. Bosley does the latter, setting up Realtors in their system with log ins and advising their marketing team of agent needs in advance of the official transition to ensure there are no business interruptions

Following that, the brokerage gives RECO notice to transfer agents’ license from one brokerage to another.

With their RECO license transfer complete, administrators register their Realtors to their local boards and associations.

Checking off all the boxes

These processes are just the tip of the proverbial paperwork iceberg. While smaller acquisitions may only require a couple of staff to coordinate new transfers (for KIC Realty, that would be the agent services team and deals admin), larger acquisitions necessitate more hands on deck.

For Bosley, that meant looping in operations managers, in-house legal counsel, onsite branch support team, IT and others. With so many moving parts to ensure agents are set up properly, checklists are an absolute necessity.

“We have a pretty robust checklist for the whole onboarding team so we can make sure all tasks are completed,” says Pigeon, explaining that some lists have over 100 action items.

McIntosh confirms that KIC Realty also follows their own brokerage-specific checklist, adding that they also “adjust on a case-by-case basis to meet the individual needs of the agent or team coming on board.”

To ensure no agent falls through the cracks of such a complex system, Pigeon explains that Bosley tracks tasks within a centralized workflow and have weekly meetings to address questions and resolve concerns.

“We also communicate through internal channels and refine our processes to improve efficiency and create a smoother transition,” she says.

However, for agents who suddenly have to learn a host of new programs and faces, the transition process can be overwhelming. To circumvent that, Bosley Real Estate conducts sessions to introduce agents to the names and faces of those servicing their business in each department- managers, front desk staff, accounting administrators, etc.

“Agent can also book one-on-one sessions as they continue their onboarding journey if additional support is needed,” says Pigeon.

Don’t forget to listen

Both McIntosh and Pigeon emphasize the need for clear, honest communication from the get-go.

“I’d say having your team ready, creating a manageable workflow, keeping lines of communication open, listening to feedback, and adapting when and where needed are key,” says Pigeon. “Every experience is different for each agent and by knowing our team’s strengths, we’re able to support them in the ways they need most.”

McIntosh says be straight forward and consistent with the agents from the start.

“Communicate that they have a voice in the process,” says McIntosh, adding that KIC Realty is always open to future mergers and acquisitions.”

Bosley’s best advice: start early and be prepared.

“Have a strong plan [and] a dedicated team,” she says. “Develop strong relationships within RECO and your local boards. People want to help. Listen closely, always make notes, come from a place of curiosity and be prepared to change direction if required.”