Howard Hanna expands into northern New England with Portside

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services has entered northern New England through a strategic partnership with Portside Real Estate Group, a Maine-based independent brokerage, the companies announced Thursday.

The deal gives Howard Hanna an immediate footprint in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and extends its coverage to 18 states and more than 500 offices. Portside, founded and led by Dava Davin, operates 12 offices with more than 225 agents. RealTrends Verified data shows that Portside Real Estate Group closed 2,090 transaction sides valued at $1.33 billion in sales volume in 2025, earning it the No. 239 rank in the nation for sales volume in the 2026 RealTrends Verified Rankings. 

Through the partnership, Portside will retain its brand and local leadership while gaining access to Howard Hanna’s technology, marketing, national and global referral network and consumer programs such as Buy Before You Sell and the 100% Money Back Guarantee. For housing professionals, the structure mirrors other “powered by” or affiliate-style models that aim to combine national scale with local decision-making at a time of heightened cost pressures and consolidation in brokerage.

“We are committed to thoughtful, disciplined growth by partnering with market leaders who share our entrepreneurial, relationship-driven approach,” Howard Hanna CEO Hoby Hanna said in a statement. “Portside has built an extraordinary company with dominant market share. This alliance proves that by joining forces, independent, family-owned brokerages can deliver the national scale and institutional resources that benefit both agents and the clients they serve, while preserving the agility and local decision-making that define independent companies.”

The companies said a key competitive lever in the expansion is Howard Hanna’s ability to offer healthcare and 401(k) options to independent contractor agents — a benefit that has become a recruiting tool as brokerages look for ways to stand out without significantly raising splits or adding fixed costs.

“Portside is getting stronger,” said Davin, founder and CEO of Portside. “We’ve built something really special together, and I am so proud of the culture, the relationships and the sense of purpose that defines Portside. Partnering with Howard Hanna lets us protect everything that makes us unique while opening doors we couldn’t open on our own.”

Both companies are affiliates of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. 

This article was written by Brooklee Han and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation, then reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.