Lamacchia Realty acquires family brokerage of NAR President Kevin Sears

Lamacchia Realty is expanding its presence in the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts. On Monday, the independent brokerage announced that it had acquired Springfield, Massachusetts-based Sears Real Estate.

Founded in 1971 by Paul Sears, Sears Real Estate is owned and operated by the family of current National Association of Realtors president Kevin Sears. Since Paul’s retirement, a second generation of Sears, including Kevin and Brian Sears, along with Dan Rodriguez, has served as the brokers of Sears Real Estate, with Brian Sears serving as managing broker.

“I’m so excited to be finally entering the Springfield market by joining forces with Sears Real Estate and making them a part of Lamacchia Realty,” Anthony Lamacchia, the broker-owner of Lamacchia Realty, said in a statement. “Not only am I super excited to be working with Brian and Kevin Sears, but also Dan Rodriguez, and James Cichetti along with all the Realtors at Sears Real Estate. I’m really happy to have had lunch with Brian and both of his parents in Palm Beach two years ago simply to catch up and visit with one another.”

Anthony Lamacchia

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Lamacchia said the possibility of a merger has been a topic of discussion between himself and Sears family since 2015. According to the press release, tentative plans for the merger were put into place over a year ago, but the timeline was moved up after Kevin Sears surprisingly assumed the role of NAR president in January, over a year prior to when he was expected to enter the post.

“Having first met Anthony in 2010, while I was president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, I realized how much we had in common,” Kevin Sears said. “We both shared a passion for our families, our clients, being involved in our communities, understanding the importance of having a solid business plan and advocating for both our industry and the clients we serve. Plus, we both recognized the important role that Realtors play in helping people achieve the American Dream.”

Paul Sears died in March, just ahead of the official announcement of the merger.

Kevin Sears, President of National Association of Realtors.

“It is an absolute honor and is comforting to me that Paul Sears was aware of this planned acquisition and that he approved of it,” Lamacchia said. “I take the legacy that Paul Sears started in 1971 very seriously and I plan to carry it on so that he’s looking down proud of not only his family, but also of me in the years to come.”

According to the release, the Sears Real Estate name and branding will be used along with the Lamacchia Realty branding for at least a year during the branding transition, as the companies feel the names is so well known in the area. The firm has already begun a new marketing campaign promotion Lamacchia Realty in the area with television advertisements, billboards along the Mass Pike and other major roadways, postcards, newspaper ads and social media posts.

In addition to Kevin Sears, Brian Sears, Rodriguez and Cichetti, 14 other agents will be joining Lamacchia Realty, including  Katie Sears Tivnan, Amber Bach, Tony Bohn, Mike Carabetta, Carolyn Dancy, Jeff Dubiel, Chris Geoffrion, Hunter Iglesias, Eric Jorgensen, Eileen Lessard Williams, James Roberts Manning, Mary Sainato, and Melissa Schechterle.

The acquisition of Sears Real Estate marks Lamacchia Realty’s fourth acquisition in Massachusetts in the past nine months. Prior acquisitions included those of Foley Real Estate, Right Choice Real Estate and Keystone Property Group.

Based in Waltham, Mass., Lamacchia Realty was ranked at No. 166 nationwide in the 2024 RealTrends Verified sales volume rankings, after its agents closed $1.78 billion in sales volume in 2023.