Good morning, and welcome to the RE/MAX Holdings Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast. My name is Colby, and I'll be facilitating the audio portion of today's call. At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Joe Schwartz, Senior Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations. Mr. Schwartz?

Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to RE/MAX Holdings Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call. Please visit the Investor Relations section of www.remaxholdings.com for all earnings-related materials, including our standard earnings presentation and to access the live webcast and replay of the call today. Our prepared remarks and answers to your questions in today's call may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include those related to agent count, franchise sales and open offices, financial measures and outlook, brand expansion, competition, technology, housing and mortgage market conditions, capital allocation, credit facility, dividends, share repurchases, litigation settlements, strategic and operational plans and business models. Forward-looking statements represent management's current estimates. RE/MAX Holdings assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in the future. Forward-looking statements address matters that are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. These are discussed in our third quarter 2025 financial results press release and other SEC filings. Also, we will refer to certain non-GAAP measures in today's call. Please see the definitions and reconciliations of non-GAAP measures contained in our most recent quarterly financial results press release, which is available on our website. Joining me on our call today are Erik Carlson, our Chief Executive Officer; and Karri Callahan, our Chief Financial Officer. With that, I'd like to turn the call over to them. Erik?

Thank you, Joe, and thanks to everyone for joining us this morning. We're pleased that the momentum we've built in the first half of the year continued into the third quarter. Our total RE/MAX agent count reached another all-time high, fueled by steady global growth and our best third quarter U.S. agent count performance in 3 years. Based on feedback from the membership, we believe our mix of new ideas and products, along with our reinvigorated recent network events are enhancing our value proposition and generating great energy. At the same time, our constant focus on operational excellence, again, drove profitability and margin performance that exceeded our expectations. And while existing home sales have yet to show sustained signs of recovery, our networks continue to perform resiliently. From a macro perspective, the trends we saw in our RE/MAX National Housing Report earlier in the year continued in September as inventory increased 20% over September 2024, marking the 21st consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Additionally, new listings, which has slowed some over the summer, rebounded in September, growing 4.5% over August. We believe these sustained increases are constructive for housing and will help support increased transaction activity. However, affordability remains a challenge, particularly at the lower price points. Further downward movement in mortgage rates would be welcome news. From an industry perspective, this year has seen consolidation activity on both the large and small scale. Given existing industry dynamics, we believe the current state of change creates exciting opportunities for our company and networks. We continue to have a robust franchise sales and conversion pipeline and are building on the momentum of recent additions, including RE/MAX Hawaii, which catapulted RE/MAX to a #2 market share position in the state. This momentum is bolstered by our innovations and ongoing enhancements to our…

Thank you, Erik. Good morning, everyone. As Erik mentioned, we are pleased with our third quarter operational results and overall financial performance. Our third quarter profit came in at the high end of our expectations and our top line results were solid despite a housing market that continues to be slower than anticipated, highlighting the resilience of our financial model. Some of our notable quarterly financial highlights included total revenue of $73.3 million, adjusted EBITDA of $25.8 million adjusted EBITDA margin of 35.2%, an increase of 40 basis points over the third quarter of 2024 and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.37. Looking closer at revenue, excluding the marketing funds, revenue was $55.1 million, a decrease of 5.6% compared to the same period last year, driven by a decline in organic revenue of 5.4% and adverse foreign currency movements of 0.2%. The decline in organic growth was principally due to lower U.S. agent count and to a lesser degree, certain incentives related to modifications to the company's standard fee models, including our Aspire program. This decrease was partially offset by contributions from our marketing services, including our Lead Concierge and RE/MAX Media Network initiatives. As mentioned, margin performance improved, thanks to our focus on ongoing operational efficiencies. Third quarter selling, operating and administrative expenses decreased $3.5 million or 9.7% to $32.5 million. This reduction was primarily due to certain lower personnel and events expenses, partially offset by higher investments in technology in our flagship website and increased bad debt and legal fees. Despite the challenging broader macro and housing environment, our ongoing evaluation of every aspect of our business is paying off. The cash-generative nature of our business converted approximately 60% of adjusted EBITDA to adjusted free cash flow this quarter, and our total leverage ratio decreased to 3.41x as of…

We will now begin the question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from the line of Anthony Paolone with JPMorgan.

Just, Erik, I think you mentioned there were 2 programs. You talked about 7-figure contributions potentially. I think it was marketing and maybe it was Aspire. But I was wondering if maybe you can give a little bit more color around can we expect to see that level of incremental revenue in 2026? And maybe what would the margin perhaps look like? Or just a bit more detail on what that trajectory might be.

Yes. Certainly, Tony. Thanks for being on today. A couple of things we're talking about is, as you know, over the past 4, 6 quarters, we really have been talking about bringing more value to the network and helping them win more business, do it in less time and bring some profitability back to brokerages and help agents make a little bit more money. Part of that is our marketing efforts that we rolled out, I don't know, 8 or 10 weeks ago. And we're seeing really good engagement on our Marketing as a Service platform. So that's one of the platforms that we talked about being a 7-digit revenue opportunity. That certainly is continuing to grow. We're seeing great response engagement, usage. And I think the most important thing, Tony, is it's actually working, right? So when you think about the marketing and listing or an open house or just marketing in general, it's good to see that engagement and their returns. So we're seeing customers come to our site. We're seeing higher engagement with properties. We're seeing more customers wanting to click through and grab an agent. All these things are good to help our folks kind of win listings. And really, it's a spend that's happening kind of in the market but in a disaggregated way. And so what we've done is created a platform through process technology and AI to help that spend, one, to lower the cost for agents, but also to be more effective in the marketplace. So we think that's a big opportunity, not only in the U.S. and Canada, where it's deployed today, but also internationally, and we're working on several markets in the fourth quarter to start that rollout to help monetize that international opportunity that you all have so politely pointed out to me many times in the past. In addition, we have the RE/MAX Media network. We've spoken about a bit in the past and part of, obviously, Marketing as a Service has helped driving traffic to the website. I will tell you that we're building the plumbing. We've got good infrastructure in place. I think closer to the end of the year, you'll see kind of a new approach for us on dot-com and [ dot-ca ] but advertisers are liking what they're seeing. We have work to do, but they're seeing good engagement with their products. We're seeing good engagement from consumers when they have an ad kind of on a site that helps our brand, helps their experience. So we're working through kind of the foundational aspects of the program, but that definitely is -- it's a 7-digit figure in 2025 and will continue to grow in 2026 and beyond.

Yes. Tony, 1 thing that I would add in addition to everything that Erik said from a strategic perspective because we are really excited about the engagement that we're seeing from a Marketing as a Service perspective. The margin profile from just a financial standpoint, it does look a little bit different than our core business. So kind of looking in that kind of high single-digit, low double-digit margin contribution perspective. But with all of that said, we just think there's tremendous opportunity in terms of driving the top line from that perspective, just given the engagement we've seen from the network and the overall performance with consumers who have interacted with the product over the last couple of months.

Tony, on the [ RMN ] side, the margin profile will be different too. It will be higher than our normal margin profile.

Okay. And then just 1 other one. Just on M&A in the sector in general. Can you give us any thoughts on where you stand there? And also whether or not that has any implications on just -- you mentioned your recruitment rate and whether you're seeing people move around as a result of M&A in the space.

Yes, great question. Look at -- I think last time, we talked about us building momentum within our network and really being focused kind of our strategy and our value proposition. We're seeing great enthusiasm from the network right now. In my opening remarks, we talked about a little bit the -- some of the events, the last 5, 6 events since the last time we spoke, have been kind of categorized from the network as best as best [ event ] ever, which is really encouraging, meaning the way we're showing up the tools, the services, the engagement we're providing is resonating with the network. That, along with some of the programs, whether it's a Marketing as a Service or some of the new economic models, whether that's Aspire, Ascend or Appreciate, they're resonating. And so we're seeing good engagement levels there, and we're seeing good recruitment rates through the Aspire program. With all that being said, there will be continued consolidation in the market. Obviously, since the last time we spoke, there was a big announcement. We think that, that just brings additional opportunity for us and could help accelerate our strategy. But obviously, we're open for business. We are seeing a lot of inbound requests meaning, hey, something is happening over at RE/MAX. What is that? I want to talk more about that. Maybe I've got a contract up maybe on independent feeling pressure. But we are definitely seeing a lot more inbound activity here, which is very encouraged for our franchise sales and our network to capitalize on maybe some of the market conditions but also just the opportunity on what we've built to join kind of this momentum that we've got on the market right now.

Your next question comes from the line of Nick McAndrew with Zelman.

Erik, maybe 1 for you to start. I think just with Aspire, Ascend and Appreciate now live, could you maybe just walk through what type of agent you're trying to attract with kind of each of those models? And maybe just how franchisees are thinking about those optional models in practice? I mean, are most rolling them out selectively for recruiting and for the existing agent base they already have? Or maybe if you could just add any color there, that would be helpful.

Yes. Sure thing, Nick. Thanks for the question. A couple of things. One is, as I just mentioned, I think that the models and just the idea that there's choice is resonating with the network. Obviously, brokerages and agents, independent operators, and they have to make the best decision for themselves. I think on the last call, we talked about a little on Aspire, about 2/3 of the folks have joined or participating. I think the important thing that we're seeing -- and by the way, it's still a little bit new. But there are some positive green shoots, meaning Aspire has not -- it has not taken away from any of the existing recruitment that we are doing organically for kind of highly professional, productive, more tenured agents. And so Aspire generally has been seen as kind of incremental. The other great thing that we're seeing is Aspire is definitely coming with higher retention rates than what we previously saw. So I think the idea that we've coupled education, kind of a formalized program and learning technology in order to become a productive professional agent and take some burden off the broker is really helping with that retention rate for agents. We're hoping here in the next 2 quarters that we'll see that productivity follow. We've got a tried and true partnership with the Buffini Group on 100 days to Greatness. And so if those averages play out, we certainly think that will have additional productive agents kind of in that network within that 12-month time frame. Appreciate is a little bit different. Appreciate is really about retirement. So obviously, we've got a real estate agents enjoy retirement through this profession. We want to make sure that there is a place where they can stay at an affordable rate…

Got it. Yes, that makes a lot of sense. And I guess just a follow-up. I think just given all of the investment in digital tools and marketing capabilities this year, whether it's Lead Concierge or the new Marketing as a Service platform, do you have any sense for just whether you're seeing any tangible uptick in productivity of agents or offices that are more actively engaged with these platforms versus those that aren't?

Look, I think it's a long sales cycle. Some days, you wish you were kind of like a consumer goods company and just selling a bar soap, but that's not the case. So what I said before, Nick, and I think is helpful is like we're seeing additional engagement on listings, right? And so when you see that type of activity, that will lend itself to, I think, our team winning more business, and that will help improve productivity. So when you roll out programs like these, like increased marketing or Lead Concierge, with our sales cycle, it takes a while to actually see the results. But when you set out and you say, hey, these are a few things that I'd like to see initially to make sure that the program has kickedstarted in the right way. We're seeing all those green shoots, and we're seeing it actually exceed our expectations. So we're really optimistic on the work that we've done, which is very purposeful investments. One, not only to help our agents and our brokers but also to start to tell a different story about revenue diversification for our enterprise. And so we're really happy with the progress we've made, and we're excited about the reaction from the network and the usage of the tools.

Your next question comes from the line of Matthew Erdner with Jones Trading.

I'd like to kind of shift gears and talk about Motto a little bit. You guys touched on some of the initiatives that you're doing there. But I'd kind of like to get your guys' sense a little more in depth of kind of the changes you're making there and get an idea of the profitability. And if it's not profitable, kind of that outlook towards profitability?

Yes, great question. I think I led you down a path with my opening remarks that we talk more about it in February, but let me give you a little bit of color right now. One is we've -- over the past 6 to 10 weeks since Vic arrived, we've really taken a new view of the mortgage opportunity. So that includes not only Motto, and our processing group, which we think that there's opportunities there to do a little bit about what we've done in real estate, quite honestly, and change the model to be a little bit less fixed and more variable. We've got to be in a position to help our network and our LOs really find business and capitalize on business, which not only helps the profitability of their business, but the value of owning a Motto franchise and our value proposition, quite frankly. So it's a little early, Matt, to actually kind of go through some of the specifics. But what I would tell you is we've got a new outlook, not only in the franchise business, but just capitalizing on the mortgage opportunity in general, based on the number of transactions, connections, with both consumers, agents, brokers and the footprint that we have, both kind of in the U.S., Canada, et cetera. So we're really excited about some of the the items that we're working on right now, but it's just a bit early to talk through the strategy with you all.

Got it. Yes. I appreciate that. And then kind of as a follow-up to that. How do you guys plan on leveraging that agent network that you guys do have, given that you guys are up there pretty much every year in terms of transaction size so the opportunity there is pretty large.

Yes. I mean, I think you're seeing us lean in, in a variety of different places. So whether that's providing services like the Marketing as a Service platform, which not only kind of improves agent execution on marketing at a lower price point, but also helps us to obviously improve the monetization event through either the agent or the consumer. The RE/MAX Media Network is a perfect example, Lead Concierge as an example. And obviously, some of the high-level hints that I provided to you on mortgage are also examples. So you're just seeing us lean into our business and really think about what else can happen through the agent or the consumer transaction. And I think that the other item we're really working on is what happens post close. I come from a place where we were dead set focused on the consumer experience. And we are focused here on the customer experience for brokers, agents and that end buyer seller to improve that, not only before the transaction and when they're shopping or researching a particular property or an agent or a brokerage, but also during the transaction to make it as easy as possible to do business with us and our network and then also to make sure that we're nurturing those folks post close in a value-added way. So not just an e-mail once a month, but making sure that it's meaningful to help them with their home buying and home ownership experience.

Got it. That's very helpful.

Your next question comes from the line of Tommy McJoynt with KBW.

The first one is just around -- you guys called out the organic revenue impact as taking some impact from the modifications to the standard fee model. Are you guys able to put some magnitude around that number? And then should we think about that as sort of run rating or does it lap after a year? How should we think about that?

So great question. I think, as Erik said, we're really excited about the Aspire program. It's really driving the benefits that we had hoped for in terms of increased recruitment rates for newer agents. And also, we're seeing churn decline in that cohort as well. And we knew kind of from the very beginning that there would be a little bit of an upfront investment as those agents came on board, got trained up and then started to produce transactions. And so we do think it is a little bit of a short-term investment cycle because as those agents continue to get ingrained in our tools and services, start leveraging Marketing as a Service, really lean into our education and become the trusted professional that is the hallmark of the RE/MAX brand, we think that, that will dissipate over time. It was just a little bit of a near-term headwind as they're onboarded. So Erik mentioned it's about 1,500 agents. And so that's kind of the quantification, but we think it is near term in nature, and we absolutely think it's -- it was a prudent choice because, as Erik said, we're really trying to partner with our franchisees, help them build their businesses and help us really kind of create that flywheel for agents to participate in the other tools and services that we're offering holistically from a brand perspective.

Okay. And then in the sort of capital allocation priorities, returning capital through buybacks has been on the list but for the lower end for a while now. I guess, is anything different now that would make you guys more interested in buying back shares now? Should we expect to see some buybacks by year-end? Any more commentary around that?

Yes, it's a great question. I think the biggest thing from our perspective right now, that was great to see this quarter is -- we've done a very good job from a deleverage perspective. Our TLR is now below that 3.5x level. So we do have some more flexibility. So from a capital allocation perspective, we're continuing to allocate or evaluate all of those options where we think that we're going to allocate capital to the areas where we get the highest returns. So there's a lot of things going on right now from a strategic perspective, in terms of the additional value and services and initiatives that are ongoing. But obviously, now with that deleverage, we'd like to get down a little lower, but below that 3.5x and given where we're trading, we think that returning capital is a great use of capital and more to come.

Thank you. So with no further questions in queue, I'd like to turn the conference back over to Joe Schwartz for any closing comments.

Thank you, operator. That concludes today's call. Thank you all for joining us today.

This concludes today's conference call. You may now disconnect.