United Real Estate Expands Into One of the South's Fastest-Growing Coastal Housing Markets

Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast communities continue to attract residents, investors and second-home buyers

DALLAS, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fueled by sustained population growth, strong housing demand and continued economic development along the Gulf Coast, United Real Estate has launched VPR | United, serving residents of coastal communities from Mobile, Alabama to iconic destinations, such as Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Destin, Florida.

The expansion is being led by Virtual Properties Realty, a United Real Estate company and Atlanta's largest residential brokerage by homes sold in 2025, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

An influx of new residents is accelerating population growth, creating durable demand for housing in the region. The Fort Walton Beach-Destin-Crestview MSA experienced a 26% population growth 2020-2024, according to the Florida Office of Economic & Demographic Research. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley MSA grew from 182,000 residents in 2010 to more than 260,000 today.

"We're excited to expand into a region where population growth, economic investment and housing demand are creating meaningful opportunities for consumers and real estate professionals alike," said Rick Haase, President of United Real Estate. "Our goal is to equip agents with the technology, support and local leadership they need to serve these communities at the highest level while helping more people achieve their real estate goals along the Gulf Coast."

"Consumers deserve a real estate experience backed by innovation, strong local leadership and a long-term commitment to helping people navigate major financial decisions with confidence," said Jamie Mertz, Principal Broker of VPR | United. "We're bringing powerful technology, practical support and a service mindset designed to improve buying and selling outcomes and create stable careers for agents. We see tremendous long-term opportunity across our coastal communities, and we're excited to invest in this region for years to come."

The new service area builds on United Real Estate's recent Gulf Coast growth, including previous affiliations with Allison James Estates & Homes in Port Charlotte, Florida, Premiere Plus Realty in Naples, Florida and complements the company's other existing locations in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

About United Real Estate
United Real Estate (United) – a division of United Real Estate Group – was founded with the purpose of offering solutions to real estate brokers and agents in the rapidly changing real estate brokerage industry. United provides the latest training, marketing and technology tools to agents and brokers under a flat-fee, transaction-based agent compensation model. By leveraging the company's proprietary cloud-based Bullseye™ Agent & Broker Productivity Platform, United delivers a more profitable outcome for agents and brokers. United Real Estate operates in 37 states with 170 offices and more than 22,600 agents. The company produced over 74,000 transactions and $30.3 billion in sales volume in 2025. For more information, visit our official newsroom and access the full press release, multimedia assets and our latest news at the official United Newsroom.

About United Real Estate Group
United Real Estate Group (UREG) operates United Real Estate and United Country Real Estate, addressing the unique market needs of suburban, major metropolitan, urban and rural markets. Utilizing the cloud-based and recently AI-enabled Bullseye™ Agent & Broker Productivity Platform, UREG offers the latest training, marketing and technology tools, producing a significant competitive advantage. The platform realizes over a decade-long investment in data and brokerage technology services and is powered by a 2.6 million listings data warehouse, generating over 3 million monthly visitors and 30,000+ leads per year. Together, the United Real Estate Group supports more than 600 offices and 24,500 real estate and auction professionals across four continents. United Real Estate Group produced 91,700 transactions and $37.0 billion in sales volume in 2025. Through its in-house advertising agency, UREG offers differentiating marketing support and collateral for specialized lifestyle property websites as well as access to a 800,000+ opt-in buyer database. For more information about United Real Estate or United Country Real Estate, please visit UnitedRealEstate.com or UnitedCountry.com.

To learn more about United Real Estate, brokerage succession planning, brokerage valuation and sale or franchising opportunities, visit GrowWithUnited.com. Agents interested in learning about career opportunities with United Real Estate can visit JoinUnitedRealEstate.com.

Media Contact:

April Gonzalez
Media & Investor Relations
[email protected]
504-237-3500

SOURCE United Real Estate