According to HousingWire, Glenn Sanford has stepped down as CEO of AGNT, the parent company of eXp Realty and NextHome. Leo Pareja, who was serving as CEO of eXp Realty, will now take over as CEO of AGNT. Sanford announced this transition at eXp Con 2026 in Salt Lake City and will remain with the company as chairman of the board and in an advisory capacity.
Sanford explained that this move felt natural and that he wouldn't have made the decision without confidence in the leadership team now in place. He emphasized that for the first time in the company's history, AGNT has the team needed to move forward without his direct involvement, though he remains committed to the organization.
Pareja described the transition as a natural progression for both himself and Sanford, noting that they've worked closely together and share similar philosophies about serving productive agents. He mentioned that their DNA is quite similar, as both rose through the ranks as top-producing team leaders. Pareja said the change doesn't fundamentally alter the company's mission, other than giving him a new email address.
Looking ahead, Pareja emphasized that his focus will be on supporting agents through AGNT's digital transformation. He outlined his vision of removing friction from the real estate process and equipping agents with the tools and market context they'll need in a competitive environment characterized by modest home sales volumes and challenging interest rates.
Sanford reflected on his entrepreneurial journey, which began in 2002 as an agent before he founded eXp in Washington in 2009. He shared how his experiences building teams and launching a brokerage that nearly failed during the crisis of 2008 shaped his vision for creating the kind of brokerage he wished had existed when he started his career.
What I am seeing locally in the Bay Area and East Bay is that leadership transitions at major real estate platforms matter because they signal what direction the industry is heading. When you have someone like Pareja taking the helm with his agent-first mentality, it tells me that brokerages are staying focused on equipping their people with better tools rather than chasing flashy trends. That kind of stability and agent-centered thinking is exactly what our market needs right now.
