Real Estate Solutions

What Real Estate Solutions does

Real Estate Solutions is a full-service real estate brokerage headquartered in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, founded in 2014 by broker/owner Tom Richie. The firm serves individual consumers, investors, and business clients across Barron, Washburn, Sawyer and Rusk counties in Northwest Wisconsin, covering residential homes, waterfront and recreational properties, lots and land, commercial properties, and rental/lease assets. Its product offering combines traditional buyer and seller representation with self-service digital tools, including an IDX Broker-powered advanced property search, mortgage calculator, home valuation report generator, and Northwest Wisconsin market reports hosted on soldbyres.com.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for a regional U.S. brokerage: the IDX Broker platform ingests property listings from the Northwestern Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service (NWW MLS) and distributes them to the public site. There are no proprietary software products, AI/ML features, or third-party platform integrations disclosed beyond standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) and content marketing via a news and tips blog. The firm supports approximately 16 agents plus a small office staff; founding partner Ray Van Gilder holds NAR Realtor Emeritus status (40+ years of continuous membership), and Tom Richie also serves as director of the WITC Police Academy.

The business model is transaction-fee-based, earning traditional buyer- and seller-side real estate commissions on each closed deal across the firm's residential, commercial, waterfront and land categories, plus rental and storage lease fees as a secondary stream. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, anchored by agents who live in the communities they serve and participate in local civic organizations. The firm claims the #1 position in closed MLS transactions across its four-county footprint continuously from 2014 to 2025 according to MLS Broker Reports, and is the Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce Community Partner of the Year.

Name

Real Estate Solutions

Legal name

Real Estate Solutions

Website

https://soldbyres.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Real Estate Solutions is a Rice Lake, Wisconsin-based full-service real estate brokerage serving residential, commercial, waterfront, and land property clients across Barron, Washburn, Sawyer and Rusk counties in Northwest Wisconsin, using a team of approximately 16 local agents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Buyer Representation (FSAEAJAG), Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG), Residential Investment Property Brokerage (SFR/Small Multifamily) (BPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Residential real estate brokerage
• Commercial property sales
• Waterfront property listings
• Real estate agent services
• Property lease services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rice Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Sales Commissions: Traditional real estate brokerage fees collected from buyers and sellers during property transactions. Agents represent clients in residential, commercial, waterfront properties, and land sales across Northwest Wisconsin markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Real Estate Solutions is a full-service real estate brokerage based in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, providing agent representation for buying and selling residential homes, waterfront properties, lots and land, and commercial real estate across Northwest Wisconsin. The firm also handles rental and lease services for apartments, storage units, and commercial properties, supported by an IDX Broker-powered property search platform tied to the Northwestern Wisconsin MLS.

Product overview

Real Estate Solutions is a full-service real estate brokerage offering a unified platform of residential, commercial, and land property services. The core offering includes residential and waterfront property sales, commercial listings, lots and land sales, and rental/lease services. Supporting tools include an advanced property search platform, mortgage calculator, home valuation report generator, and market reports. The company operates as a single integrated brokerage rather than a modular platform with separate products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Real Estate Services Full-service residential property buying and selling assistance for homes in Northwest Wisconsin, including listing search and agent representation for individual home buyers and sellers.
• Waterfront Properties Services Specialized listing and sales services for waterfront properties including lake homes, cabins, and waterfront estates in Northwest Wisconsin for individual buyers and recreational property investors.
• Lots and Land Services Vacant land and lot listings for development, construction, or recreational use throughout Northwest Wisconsin for individual buyers and developers.
• Commercial Properties Services Commercial real estate listings, sales, and lease services for business properties including retail, office, and industrial properties for business owners and investors.
• Rental Properties and Lease Services Apartment rentals, storage unit rentals, commercial properties for lease, and online rental application services for individual tenants and commercial lessees in the Rice Lake area.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RE/MAX: Global real estate franchise with multiple regional affiliates in Wisconsin. Competes for the same buyer and seller pool with a similar agent-driven, commission-based model; key incumbent that RES's local agents could defect to or from.
• Century 21 Real Estate: National brokerage franchise with rural and small-market reach in Wisconsin. Comparable on residential and land brokerage services in secondary markets similar to RES's Northwest Wisconsin footprint.
• Keller Williams Realty: Largest US real estate franchise by agent count, with a strong Wisconsin footprint. Competes on agent culture, training, and technology; relevant comparable for benchmarking RES's agent productivity and growth ambitions.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices: National brokerage network with affiliated Midwest franchises including Wisconsin. Overlaps on residential and luxury/lakefront segments, providing the premium-branded alternative to RES's community-first positioning.
• Coldwell Banker Real Estate Network: National franchise brokerage with affiliated independent agents across Wisconsin. Competes in the same residential and lake-property segments as RES but operates at scale via franchised local offices, making it the most likely national incumbent to contest RES's territory.

Emerging players

• EXIT Realty Midwest: Growing franchise brokerage in the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin. Competes for the same independent-agent pool and small-market residential listings, but at a smaller scale than RES's four-county dominance.
• Redfin: Tech-enabled brokerage using a salaried plus bonus agent model and direct-to-consumer digital platform. While it has limited rural penetration today, its consumer brand could pull seller leads away from traditional brokerages like RES over time.
• eXp Realty: Cloud-based brokerage with an attractive agent equity and commission structure. Comparable as a recruitment threat - its financial model specifically targets agents like those at RES by offering higher splits and ownership opportunities.
• HomeSmart Real Estate: Tech-leaning brokerage expanding nationally with a value-based commission model. Relevant emerging comparable for understanding the threat of higher commission splits and digital-first consumer experience entering RES's market.

Regional players

• Edina Realty: Long-established Minnesota-headquartered brokerage with a substantial Wisconsin presence, particularly in western and northern counties. Closest direct competitor to RES in the rural Wisconsin market given overlapping service mix (residential, land, waterfront) and similar community-anchored GTM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SoldbyRES
• Instagraminstagram.com/soldbyres
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/real-estate-solutions-rice-lake

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Real Estate Solutions