2026 GameChanger: Lamacchia Realty defies market slump with 68% growth

While higher interest rates pushed thousands of real estate agents out of the business, Anthony Lamacchia saw opportunity.

Lamacchia Realty — based in Worcester, Massachusetts — posted 68% growth by transaction sides percentage from 2021 through 2025, according to RealTrends Verified’s annual GameChangers rankings.

That success follows an 84% growth period from 2020 to 2024, positioning the firm as high growth brokerage across a turbulent half-decade for housing.

The 68% jump earned Lamacchia Realty the No. 68 spot by transaction sides among all brokerage firms nationwide in this year’s rankings.

“I took advantage of the down market,” said Lamacchia, broker-owner and CEO of Lamacchia Realty and Lamacchia Companies. “I knew other companies were going to be suffering given the high-interest rate environment, and I knew Realtors were going to be leaving the business, so I went out and just worked really hard to acquire other companies, and fortunately we’ve been very successful at it.”

The firm recorded $3.27 billion across 5,944 transactions in 2025, securing No. 79 by sales volume nationally on RealTrends Verified’s broader brokerage rankings.

Lamacchia Realty has grown into a regional residential brokerage serving New England and Florida — expanding through acquisitions and office openings across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and the Sunshine State.

Recent acquisitions incude Rosewood Realty in Massachusetts and The Briotti Group in Connecticut.

Acquisition blitz drives expansion

Lamacchia Realty has purchased 14 brokerages across the last three years.

“We’ve focused mainly on companies that have been in business a long time, because the ones that have been in business a long time have the agents that have been in business a long time, and those agents who tend to skew a bit older demographically, they have the listings,” Lamacchia said.

When the market tightens, veterans outperform because they possess the contacts and leads that sustain volume, he added.

Sellers call them directly to list homes — a dynamic that insulated Lamacchia’s acquisition targets from the worst of recent market instability.

The financial upside for acquired owners has been notable.

“A lot of these owners that we bought out, they’re making more money now than they were before we got involved, because we were able to go in and inject the company with our power,” Lamacchia said “We also share with the owners for a certain amount of years after we do the buyout.”

Lamacchia said he also deliberately targeted companies with deep roots in their communities — reasoning that longevity in business correlates directly with agent stability and listing inventory.

Affordability and first-time buyers

Lamacchia did not sugarcoat the broader market’s trajectory — pointing to the consequences of skyrocketing prices showing up in demographic data.

“It’s not good for consumers to have to wait until 40 years old to buy a home on average, and it’s because prices have gotten out of whack in this country,” he said. “Things have gotten too expensive. We saw an improvement in that last year.

“We saw rates come down a point, and then it got worse again in the last 60 days, due to the Iranian crisis, and I hope the president solves it sooner than later.”

To help agents adapt to changing buyer profiles, Lamacchia and other experts recently launch their Certified Real Estate Consultant course — including video training, planning tools and a five-step consultation system designed to increase referrals, trust and long-term business growth.

“[Artificial intelligence] will help operationally, and it will help with information, but it’s not going to take away the client relationship,” Lamacchia said. “It’s why I wanted to get this [consultant course ] out there. I’m trying to get agents to promote more than, ‘Hey, I’m a Realtor, and I’m here to help you buy and sell.’ They should be there to help people do a lot more than just buy or sell.”

Those who become trusted household advisors — involved in maintenance conversations, home equity planning and long-term financial strategy — build relationships that withstand market cycles and technological disruption, he added.

Advice for peers; no shortcuts

Asked what advice he would offer other brokerage leaders navigating a turbulent housing environment, Lamacchia kept his answer direct.

“You’ve got to work,” he said. “You’re not going to find a shortcut. You have to put the work in, and you need to have the relationships. Make the relationships, and don’t be afraid to take chances.”

While other brokerages cut costs and retreated, Lamacchia Realty expanded — and GameChangers rankings confirm the strategy worked.

Whether the firm can sustain that momentum through another interest rate cycle remains an open question. But if the past five years are any indicator, Lamacchia is unlikely to wait for conditions to improve on their own.

He will go out and acquire the answer.