Overview
- RE/MAX announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that co‑founder Gail Liniger had died at age 81 and the company issued statements mourning her loss.
- Liniger helped found RE/MAX in Denver in 1973 and, with her husband Dave, built the brand into a global network that now includes more than 145,000 agents in over 120 countries.
- The Linigers pioneered a maximum‑commission franchise model paired with centralized support services that reshaped brokerage economics and encouraged agent entrepreneurship.
- Gail Liniger served as CEO beginning in 1991, stepped back from day‑to‑day duties in 2018, retired from the RE/MAX Holdings board in 2023, and her death was reported days after The Real Brokerage completed its acquisition of RE/MAX.
- Her near‑fatal 1983 seaplane crash and remarkable recovery became a defining story of resilience, and her long record of philanthropy and industry honors helped entrench RE/MAX’s culture as it moves into new ownership.