Howard Hanna has affiliated with Alabama’s largest brokerage and kept its brands and leaders in place. On October 28, 2026, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services announced a partnership with ARC Realty and Capstone Realty. Both Alabama brokerages joined forces in 2022. The combined organization reports 875 agents across 12 offices and roughly $2.8 billion in 2025 sales volume on about 6,000 transactions. Howard Hanna is the largest independently owned and operated brokerage in the United States, with operations in 19 states.
ARC has built a relationship-driven brand in Central Alabama for more than a decade. Capstone built an agent-first business in North Alabama. Both firms say they will keep local leadership and team cultures while gaining Howard Hanna’s technology, marketing, referral network, and mortgage, title, and insurance services.
Congratulations are earned
Beau Bevis and ARC Realty deserve recognition for a decade of building a brand around being “A Relationship Company.” That positioning is why ARC is worth affiliating with. Local brands with real relationships still command value.
Darrin Hasley and Capstone Realty built the region’s top residential brokerage in North Alabama. The agent-first culture described in the release holds up if the agent count holds.
Hoby Hanna IV and his family have made a disciplined choice. Entering a market by investing in local leadership and expertise, rather than importing a new brand. Keeping the people who built the business in place is how you retain the agents who generate the revenue.
A brand and a platform
Scale creates value only when agents and consumers find value in the platform. Howard Hanna’s economics depend on moving 875 agents onto its proprietary tools, referral network, and integrated financial services without losing productivity. The release speaks to proprietary technology, digital tools, and integrated mortgage, title, and insurance services. Each one is a margin lever, and each depends on adoption.
The Money Back Guarantee, Buy Before You Sell, and HannaList are programs worth watching. These programs have yielded remarkable results across the Hanna markets. For first time home buyers currently renting, they offer a “buy before your lease ends,” program called Apartment Dwellers Trade In Program
For agents at ARC and Capstone, the trade is clear. They gain resources and a national network. They have an opportunity to explore new technology choices and the leadership that they know and trust remains in place.
Strategic Recommendation for the Broker Owner
For independent brokerages across the Southeast: Treat this as a pattern. Brokerages are paying for local brand continuity and leadership retention, and they are willing to build on what independents already have.
WAV Group provides M&A advisory services supporting brokerages with valuations, buyside representation and sales representation. We were not engaged in this trade. Please reach out if you would like to have a confidential conversation.
Other Howard Hanna acquisitions we have covered:
https://www.wavgroup.com/2026/07/31/howard-hanna-portside-the-blueprint-not-the-buyout/
https://www.wavgroup.com/2025/08/27/howard-hanna-grows-again-with-acquisition-of-coastal-properties/
