Compass, Inc. (Compass International Holdings)

What does Compass International Holdings own?

Compass International Holdings owns the largest collection of US residential real estate brands, including the Compass owned-brokerage platform plus franchise networks Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Sotheby's International Realty, Corcoran, ERA, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, and Christie's International Real Estate.

Is Compass publicly traded?

Yes. Compass trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker COMP. The company went public through a traditional IPO in April 2021 and has operated as a public entity throughout its history as a listed company.

Who founded Compass?

Robert Reffkin and Ori Allon founded Compass in 2012 in New York City, initially as a real estate technology company. Reffkin, a former McKinsey and Goldman Sachs executive, has led the company as CEO throughout its history and now chairs the combined Compass International Holdings.

Where is Compass headquartered?

Compass is headquartered in New York City, where the company was founded. The combined entity absorbed Anywhere Real Estate's Madison, New Jersey operations, but corporate headquarters remains in New York under Reffkin's leadership.

How many agents does Compass serve?

The combined company serves approximately 340,000 real estate professionals and more than 2,000 franchise broker-owners across roughly 120 countries and territories, making it the largest residential real estate organization in the United States by agent count.

Who owns Compass?

Compass is a widely held public company with no controlling shareholder. Founder Robert Reffkin holds the largest individual position and serves as chairman and CEO. The Anywhere merger brought that company's shareholders into the register through the stock exchange.

Robert Reffkin and Ori Allon founded Compass in 2012 in New York City, initially as a real estate technology company called Urban Compass that aimed to apply software to the antiquated brokerage business. Reffkin, a former McKinsey consultant and Goldman Sachs executive, and Allon, an Israeli entrepreneur who had earlier sold a search technology company to Google, built a platform combining agent tools with a brokerage operation.

The company raised massive venture capital through the 2010s, backed by investors including SoftBank's Vision Fund, and expanded from New York into major US markets as a tech-enabled brokerage competing with established players. Compass's pitch to agents combined better technology, higher commission splits, and a brand positioned against the industry giants, and it grew into one of the largest US brokerages by agent count and transaction volume.

Compass went public on the NYSE in April 2021 through a traditional IPO, reaching a valuation above $7 billion at debut before the post-pandemic housing downturn depressed the stock through 2022 and 2023. The company navigated the downturn through cost discipline and market share gains, reporting record revenue of $6.96 billion and record adjusted EBITDA of $293 million in fiscal 2025.

The defining corporate move was the September 2025 announcement of the Anywhere acquisition, a $1.6 billion all-stock merger that combined Compass's technology platform with the industry's largest franchise network and brand portfolio. The deal closed January 9, 2026, after shareholder and regulatory approvals, and created Compass International Holdings as the operating structure for the combined business.

Compass publishes standard public company ESG disclosure, with its primary impacts concentrated in office energy use, agent and employee practices, and the indirect environmental footprint of the residential real estate transactions it facilitates.

The company's social posture centers on fair housing compliance, agent welfare across its large network, and diversity initiatives in an industry with documented representation gaps. Its technology platform includes features intended to reduce bias in property search and valuation, though fair housing remains a structural industry issue.

No major independent sustainability certifications apply to the business. Its governance follows NYSE requirements, and the company's clean regulatory record on environmental and social matters reflects the service nature of its operations rather than industrial exposure.

Compass has faced several controversies through its growth. Founder Reffkin's compensation structure and the company's governance drew scrutiny during the IPO period, and the aggressive agent recruiting that built the brokerage generated litigation from competitors alleging unfair competition and confidentiality breaches.

The Anywhere acquisition itself produced integration controversy, with some franchisees and industry observers questioning whether Compass's owned-brokerage model could coexist with the franchise network's independent agent culture. The deal also drew antitrust attention as a consolidation of the industry's largest players, though it cleared regulatory review.

Earlier controversies included a 2020 lawsuit over agent commissions and disclosure practices, various disputes with departing agents over book-of-business ownership, and the general scrutiny that accompanied the company's rapid market share gains. None have produced material regulatory sanctions.