Verti CRE closes $100M in year one with in-house AI platform

By AI, Created 5:12 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Verti Commercial Real Estate says it closed $100 million in multifamily transactions in its first year of independent operation and built a proprietary AI platform, Verti Intelligence, to run its brokerage. The Columbus-based firm is using the system to expand across the Midwest and recruit advisors with a tool it says improves prospecting precision.

Why it matters: - Verti Commercial Real Estate is positioning itself as a Midwest brokerage built around proprietary technology, not a traditional marketing-led launch. - The firm says Verti Intelligence improves prospecting efficiency and helps identify sellers earlier in the transaction cycle. - The platform is also central to Verti CRE’s recruiting pitch as the firm looks to deepen its regional footprint.

What happened: - Verti CRE, based in Columbus, Ohio, says it closed $100 million in multifamily transactions in its first year of independent operation. - Chris Homan and Alexa Lowe founded Verti Commercial Real Estate after building their careers at Huber Equity Group, where they worked on more than $240 million in Midwest and Sunbelt transactions. - Verti launched Verti Intelligence, a proprietary AI platform developed in-house and built from a decade of dealmaking and cold calling. - Verti CRE operates in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan, with a focus on investment sales.

The details: - Verti says Verti Intelligence relies minimally on third-party AI and does not use generative AI. - The platform is designed to produce algorithmic outputs backed by live market data. - Core features include the Exit Pressure Index, automated underwrites, investor match scoring, customizable offering memorandums and personalized outreach generation. - The Exit Pressure Index is a proprietary scoring engine that flags multifamily owners approaching a transaction decision before they list or contact another broker. - Before Verti Intelligence, the firm says its outreach model converted about 0.5% of contacts into transaction-ready conversations. - After deployment, that figure rose to 2.5%, a five-fold lift in conversion. - Homan said the system was built after more than 150,000 cold calls annually for a decade. - Alexa Lowe said the platform is the operating system the firm’s advisors use every day.

Between the lines: - Verti’s messaging reflects a broader tension in commercial real estate, where many firms are labeling existing tools as AI while Verti is marketing a fully in-house system. - The company is using that distinction to differentiate itself from larger brokerages and technology vendors. - Kody Mershon’s rise from cold caller to Head of AI and Intelligent Systems underscores Verti’s internal talent-development model. - Verti says Mershon joined in early 2025, learned the Direct-to-Seller System, then automated parts of it into Verti Intelligence. - The firm’s leadership is framing operational know-how as a technology advantage rather than outsourcing software development. - Verti CRE has also been recognized as Columbus Business First’s #1 Best Places to Work 2025 Micro company, and Lowe received the 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. - The founding team says its combined transactional history exceeds $1 billion.

What’s next: - Homan says Verti CRE plans to deepen its Midwest footprint and expand its advisor team. - The company is presenting Verti Intelligence as a primary recruitment asset for future hires. - Verti says the platform will continue to anchor daily brokerage operations as the firm scales.

The bottom line: - Verti CRE is betting that proprietary AI built by brokers, for brokers will help it grow faster than a conventional brokerage model.