Edina, MN — Parker Pemberton, Founder and CEO of Pemberton Real Estate, today announced a strategic merger with AJ Pettersen and the Advisory Realty Group, one of Minnesota’s highest-producing and most respected real estate teams.
The merger significantly expands Pemberton Real Estate’s scale and market presence, positioning the firm as one of the largest and fastest-growing independent residential brokerages in the region.
“AJ is one of the most respected leaders in our marketplace and someone I align with deeply in values, ethics, and leadership philosophy,” said Pemberton. “By coming together, we believe we can build something greater, something that truly puts agents first and raises the standard for our industry. We both agree we can go farther together.”
In 2025, Pettersen and the Advisory Realty Group closed nearly 600 transactions totaling more than $230 million in sales volume, ranking among the top five teams in Minnesota and top 75 teams nationally across all brokerages.
With this merger, Pemberton Real Estate is projected to surpass $1.2 billion in annual sales volume, with a growing roster of more than 275 agents across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.
“By completing this merger, our agents get more, more support, more systems, more leadership, and more opportunity to grow their businesses,” Pemberton said. “When agents win, clients and communities benefit.”
The announcement follows Pemberton Real Estate’s October 2025 decision to go fully independent, breaking away from eXp Realty after several years of rapid growth. The move was a deliberate strategic choice to remain founder-led and locally controlled at a time when much of the national brokerage landscape has trended toward consolidation.
“Over the past decade and especially in the last few years, many residential brokerages have grown through consolidation or centralized models, and I think we will be seeing a lot more of it” Pemberton said.
“I believe now more than ever our marketplace needs a strong independent brand that was grown right here in the Twin Cities. We have grown from a team model into a major market brokerage, and we believe we’re still on the ground level of our potential. We are changing the status quo in the brokerage landscape. Simply put…we are Main St, not Wall St.
Pettersen added, “Parker and I share a strong belief that agents thrive when leadership is accessible, decisions are made locally, and the focus stays on building sustainable businesses. This merger allows us to accelerate that vision and add even more value for our agents and consumers.”
Founded in Edina, Minnesota, Pemberton Real Estate is a top-producing brokerage in the Midwest Region, serving more than 3,000 clients across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin markets annually.