Renfrew Report… Where do your Seattle Real Estate Dollars Go?

Where Do Your Seattle Real Estate Dollars Go?

By Arron Renfrew, Asset Manager | Renfrew Team | AUM Real Estate

Compass is a fine real estate company. Their agents are professional, their technology is sophisticated, and they’ve built a meaningful presence in the Seattle market. This isn’t an argument against Compass or any national brokerage.

It’s an argument for awareness.

According to NWMLS production data I reviewed as a member, Compass closed approximately $279,282,720 in transaction volume in the NWMLS in 2025. That’s a substantial share of local market activity.

Using conservative, industry-standard assumptions, that volume likely produced around $14 million in gross commissions. After agents are paid, an estimated $2–3 million remains at the brokerage level.

Here’s the part most consumers never see:

Compass is headquartered in New York City.

That means a significant portion of the brokerage revenue generated by Seattle homes ultimately flows out of Washington State — supporting corporate operations, executive compensation, shareholders, and infrastructure that largely exist elsewhere.

There’s nothing wrong with that model. It’s how national companies operate.

But it raises an important question for buyers, sellers, and investors:

Where do you want your money to go?

When millions of dollars leave a local economy each year, those dollars are no longer circulating here. They’re not being reinvested into Washington businesses. They’re not supporting local leadership or long-term regional stability.

By contrast, locally owned real estate firms keep more capital in the communities where transactions occur — paying local staff, hiring local vendors, and reinvesting locally.

At AUM Real Estate, we are 100% locally owned and operated. There is no out-of-state parent company and no distant corporate headquarters. When clients work with AUM Real Estate and the Renfrew Team, more of their transaction dollars stay right here in Washington.

Compass is a fine company. Many national firms are.

The real difference isn’t capability — it’s economic impact.

Real estate is always local.
Where the profits go doesn’t have to be.

Arron Renfrew
Asset Manager | Renfrew Team
AUM Real Estate