Lessinger’s departure comes less than a year after she assumed the role of president. It also comes after RE/MAX has struggled with financial results in recent quarters.
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RE/MAX President Amy Lessinger, who assumed her position less than one year ago, announced this month that she will be stepping down.
Amy Lessinger
Lessinger announced her resignation in a filing Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing gave no reason for Lessinger’s departure, saying only that she informed the company of her departure on Jan. 3 and that it becomes effective Jan. 17. The filing also notes that RE/MAX is conducting a search for a new president.
In a brief statement to Inman Wednesday afternoon, RE/MAX said it had accepted Lessinger’s resignation. The statement added that Erik Carlson, CEO of parent RE/MAX Holdings, will “assume her responsibilities until a successor is named.” The statement did not say why Lessinger was leaving or what she might do next.
News of the SEC filing was first reported by Real Estate News.
Lessinger became president of RE/MAX in February 2024 following the departure of Nick Bailey, who had served as both president and CEO. Though she did not hold the CEO title, Lessinger did report directly to Carlson.
Prior to becoming president of the franchisor, Lessinger held corporate roles at the company beginning in 2020 including vice president and senior vice president. According to her LinkedIn page, she began her career as a RE/MAX agent in 1996.
Lessinger presided over the company during a period of significant challenge. Broadly, the real estate industry faced tumult in 2024 thanks to antitrust litigation over agent commissions. RE/MAX settled its part in the commission suits in Sept. 2023, before Lessinger became president. But she was nevertheless at the helm when NAR announced its own settlement, which subsequently forced various rules changes on the industry.
In an April 2024 interview with Inman, Lessinger defended RE/MAX’s antitrust settlement, saying it was a “great decision.”
Additionally, RE/MAX also faced its own unique pressures that were unrelated to antitrust litigation. At the time of Bailey’s departure, RE/MAX had seen falling revenue for six straight quarters. The company was unable to reverse that trend in 2024 under Lessinger’s leadership, and as of October of last year had seen revenue fall for nine consecutive quarters.
Recent earnings reports have also revealed that the brand continues to lose U.S. agents.
In the same interview during which she defended RE/MAX’s antitrust settlement, Lessinger said that “stabilizing and growing U.S. agent count” was among her “top priorities” as president.
The departures of Lessinger and Bailey are not the only recent RE/MAX leadership shakeups. In June 2024, the company revealed that Chief Operating Officer Serene Smith had resigned.
Carlson is a relative newcomer to RE/MAX, having joined the company in Nov. 2023 after serving as the president and CEO of Dish Network.
Update: This story was updated after publication with additional context about Lessinger and RE/MAX, and with a statement from the company.