Horizon Realty Group

What Horizon Realty Group does

Horizon Realty Group is a residential real estate brokerage founded in July 2022 by Kyle Zelmer in Niles, Michigan, and operated as a sole-practitioner firm with Kyle Zelmer serving as Managing Broker. In May 2025, the firm merged with Century 21 Affiliated, joining the national franchise network while retaining its local identity and sole managing-broker structure. The brokerage serves residential home buyers and sellers across Southwest Michigan, with service coverage spanning Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties and named communities including Niles, Buchanan, St. Joseph, and Dowagiac. Service offerings include buyer representation, seller representation, land parcel transactions, comparative market analysis (CMA), and educational content covering the buying and selling process.

The firm operates on a transaction-fee revenue model, earning commissions on residential property sales as both buyer's agent and listing agent at rates that follow standard industry practice and are not publicly disclosed. As a Century 21 Affiliated franchisee, Horizon Realty Group shares revenue with the franchisor per the franchise agreement and gains access to MLS infrastructure (MichRic), MoxiWorks-powered website technology, brand recognition, and franchise-level marketing resources. The underlying technology stack is provided entirely by third-party platforms rather than built in-house: MoxiWorks powers the website and CMA application, with consumer-facing integrations including Google Analytics, Google Maps, Walk Score, INRIX Drive Time, Matterport, and VR 360 for virtual property tours. Lead generation is sales-led, driven by personal branding, content marketing (blog, neighborhood news), social media (Facebook, X, Pinterest), email newsletters, and community involvement through Kyle Zelmer's roles in local organizations.

Horizon Realty Group is effectively a single-broker operation supported by a 12-person headcount that includes franchise-shared administrative and operational roles. The firm's go-to-market approach is relationship-driven, leveraging Zelmer's deep personal roots in Southwest Michigan, an unusually broad credential stack (ABR, AHWD, C2EX, MRP, NAR, PSA, RENE designations), and community leadership positions including school board president, chamber VP, and District Two Director for the SW Michigan Association of Realtors. Recognition includes 2024 Realtor of the Year from the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors, multiple Best of the Best recognitions from Leader Publications (2019, 2020, 2021, 2024), and 2022 Young Professional of the Year from the Buchanan Chamber of Commerce. The business is bootstrapped with no external funding and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Horizon Realty Group

Legal name

Horizon Realty Group

Website

https://moveyourhorizon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Horizon Realty Group is a residential real estate brokerage founded in 2022 in Niles, Michigan, serving buyers and sellers across Southwest Michigan. Operating under the Century 21 Affiliated franchise since May 2025, the firm earns commissions on residential sales, land parcels, and buyer representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Brokerage (Buy/Sell) (FSAEAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Closing Coordination & Transaction Management (Broker/Agent Support) (BPAJAOAH), Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Residential real estate
• Buyer representation
• Seller representation
• Real estate brokerage
• Land sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Niles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Commission - Buyer Representation: The firm earns commissions on residential property purchases by representing buyers. Commission rates are not publicly disclosed; standard industry practice applies (typically a percentage of the purchase price, split between listing and buyer's agents).
2. Real Estate Commission - Seller Representation: The firm earns commissions on residential property listings and sales by representing sellers, including marketing, negotiation, and transaction management services. Commission structure is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
3. Franchise Affiliation Revenue Sharing (Century 21 Affiliated): Horizon Realty Group operates as a franchisee under the Century 21 Affiliated brand. Revenue is shared with the franchisor per the franchise agreement terms, which are not publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Horizon Realty Group is a Century 21 Affiliated franchise residential real estate brokerage providing full-service buyer representation, seller representation, and land parcel sales for clients in Southwest Michigan, including Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. Services cover property search, comparative market analysis, negotiation, and transaction management from offer through closing, supported by a MoxiWorks-powered website and MLS exposure.

Product overview

Horizon Realty Group is a real estate brokerage founded by Kyle Zelmer in July 2022, serving Southwest Michigan including Niles, Buchanan, and surrounding communities. The brokerage merged with Century 21 Affiliated in May 2025, operating as part of the Century 21 franchise network. The company offers a comprehensive suite of real estate services including residential property sales, land parcels, property search functionality with Search by Location and Drive Time features, Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) tools, mortgage calculators, buying and selling guidance, and a neighborhood news blog. The brokerage is powered by the MoxiWorks real estate technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Buyer Representation Services
• Seller Representation Services
• Land Parcels Sales

Quantifiable outcome

• Named Realtor of the Year 2024 by the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Century 21 AffiliatedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2025Horizon Realty Group merged with Century 21 Affiliated in May 2025, operating as a franchisee of the Century 21 brand. The affiliation provides the brokerage with brand recognition, access to the Century 21 MLS network, technology platforms (including MoxiWorks-powered website infrastructure), marketing resources, and franchise-level lead generation. Kyle Zelmer continues to serve as the managing broker under the Century 21 Affiliated banner.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Compass: Tech-enabled national residential brokerage with a luxury-leaning focus. Relevant comparable for Horizon's higher-end listings ($830K–$885K closed transactions) and as a benchmark for premium-brokerage positioning.
• Century 21 Affiliated: The parent franchise network that Horizon merged into in May 2025. Operates a large multi-state brokerage platform with shared brand, technology, and lead-generation infrastructure — directly comparable because Horizon now executes the same franchise model at the local level.

Direct peers

• RE/MAX: Global residential real estate franchise with a heavy agent-franchise model similar to Century 21. Comparable because franchisees operate with similar commission economics, brand-driven lead flow, and local-market autonomy in markets like Southwest Michigan.
• Coldwell Banker: Major residential brokerage franchise with a comparable agent/franchise structure, brand-recognition lead model, and full-service buyer/seller representation — competing for the same local-market listings and buyer clients in Michigan.
• Keller Williams Realty: Largest residential real estate franchise in the U.S. with a comparable agent-centric, market-center model. Competes for the same Southwest Michigan buyer and seller pool with similar commission-based economics and technology investments.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices: National residential brokerage franchise with comparable brand-driven, full-service buyer/seller representation model. Active in Michigan and competing for the same mid- and high-end listing inventory Horizon services.
• Howard Hanna Real Estate: Largest privately held regional brokerage in the Midwest/Pennsylvania footprint, with strong Michigan presence. Comparable because it competes in many of the same secondary Midwestern markets with full-service buyer/seller representation.

Emerging players

• Redfin: Tech-enabled residential brokerage with a discount commission model and direct consumer portal. Relevant comparable as the leading digital-disruption threat to traditional commission-based brokerages like Horizon.
• eXp Realty: Cloud-based residential brokerage with low-overhead agent economics. Comparable as an alternative model competing for the same Michigan agents and listings, and a structural threat to traditional franchise commission economics.

Regional players

• @properties / Christie’s International Real Estate: Large Midwest-rooted brokerage with expansion into luxury via the Christie's brand. Comparable as a regional player operating full-service residential brokerage in similar secondary Midwestern markets with comparable commission economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kyle.zelmer
• Xx.com/kyle_zelmer
• Pinterestpinterest.com/kyle_zelmer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moveyourhorizon

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Horizon Realty Group