Real estate agencies Altro Vastgoedgroep and Living Stone are entering into a strategic partnership

The two most recent Real Estate Companies of the Year, Altro Vastgoedgroep and Living Stone, are joining forces and will begin working closely together starting next year. Together, they intend to merge definitively into a single large and strong real estate group starting in 2027. This merger will propel Altro Vastgoedgroep-Living Stone into the top 3 of the largest Flemish real estate networks, with 23 offices under its own management and approximately 80 employees. “By consolidating, we will now be active throughout Flanders and Brussels, enabling us to continue growing and further distinguish ourselves as a one-stop-shop in residential real estate,” say Altro Real Estate Group CEO Dave Bracke and Kristel Gils, Managing Director at Living Stone.

Living Stone werd in 1993 in Leuven opgericht door Koen Hoste en Dimitri Delooz. Het kantoor specialiseerde zich in en rond Leuven in verkoop, verhuur met rentmeesterschap, nieuwbouw en als syndicus. In 2014 verliet Delooz de organisatie en kwam Kristel Gils erbij als managing partner. Living Stone ging zich voortaan enkel nog richten op de makelaardij en fusioneerde in 2021 met Pajota, dat 25 jaar lang geleid werd door Thomas Valkeniers. Later volgde nog een exclusief en strategisch partnership met Estero om de verhuur – en rentmeesterdiensten verder te professionaliseren. Ondertussen telt het vastgoedbedrijf elf kantoren in Vlaams-Brabant, Limburg, Brussel, Antwerpen en Oost-Vlaanderen en 44 werknemers.

Dave Bracke and Kris Dyselinck founded Altro Real Estate Group in Destelbergen at the end of 2017. Altro, which means “different” in Italian, brings together four business units, each with its own specialty: Altro Real Estate, Altro Projects, Altro Invest, and Altro Home. Altro Real Estate Group has grown steadily in recent years by opening new offices under its own management. The company now operates 12 offices it has established itself, and Valentin Vanryckeghem joined the team in 2023. Altro’s commitment to growth was recently demonstrated by the acquisition of Immo Vivo in Hemiksem and Edegem, giving Altro a foothold in Antwerp. As a result, Altro is now active in every province except Limburg and employs 40 people.

“De concurrentie in de sector is toegenomen en consolidatie werd de voorbije jaren steeds meer de norm om te groeien. Living Stone en Altro legden beiden een sterk groeitraject af. Alleen zijn we afzonderlijk te groot om klein te blijven, maar te klein om snel door te groeien. In plaats van elk afzonderlijk groter te worden via overnames of integraties, hebben we ingezien dat dit samen veel sneller en efficiënter kan. Daarom zijn we ook bijzonder blij dat we voortaan de krachten zullen bundelen. We delen hetzelfde DNA en hebben dezelfde klantgerichte visie. Door onze knowhow, netwerken en middelen te verenigen, ontstaat een sterke, toekomstgerichte organisatie die onze medewerkers beter kan ondersteunen op elk niveau: sales management, IT, marketing, HR, Finance en operationele efficiëntie. Voorts zijn wij er ook van overtuigd dat performante kleine en middelgrote kantoren en/of ambitieuze vastgoedmakelaars zonder voldoende financiële draagkracht in onze organisatie een mooie toekomst kunnen uitbouwen. Ons doel is niet noodzakelijk om de grootste vastgoedspeler te zijn op de markt maar wel één van de beste als het gaat om dienstverlening.” – Altro Vastgoedgroep-CEO Dave Bracke en Kristel Gils, Managing Director bij Living Stone

Partnership in 2026, merger in 2027

Specifically, Altro is acquiring a stake in Living Stone, and the two companies will enter into a strategic partnership starting next year. Much of this collaboration will take place behind the scenes, with the aim of aligning their internal operational structures through knowledge sharing and cross-pollination. Altro Real Estate Group and Living Stone will thus lay the groundwork to strengthen each other’s foothold in specific regions in the future. For consumers, nothing will change next year: both brands will continue to coexist under their own names. Customers will still be able to turn to their trusted Altro—or Living Stone—real estate agent.

In 2027, Altro Vastgoedgroep and Living Stone will merge to form a single large real estate agency network comprising 23 offices and approximately 80–85 employees, with a combined projected revenue of 13 million euros. This will place the new entity among the top three largest real estate agencies in Flanders, both in terms of the number of offices under its own management and revenue, positioning it as the major challenger to the established players.

“By joining forces, we will increase our market share, strengthen each other’s geographic presence, and expand our reach in Flanders and Brussels. Altro and Living Stone serve different regions with minimal overlap, which creates synergy without losing customers. We also complement each other strategically in terms of services: Altro excels in resale, projects and investment real estate. Living Stone has a solid reputation for selling new-build projects and existing properties. Additionally, our combined local market knowledge and expertise will benefit the client. The new structure will create job opportunities for both current employees and new experienced real estate agents.” - AltroReal Estate Group CEO Dave Bracke and Kristel Gils, Managing Director at Living Stone

Toward a high-quality network with 30 offices 

The new real estate group aims to continue growing steadily in the coming years through acquisitions and/or mergers with real estate agencies that share the same values and standards. In the meantime, discussions are already underway with several potential new agents and agencies. The goal is to expand the network in Flanders and Brussels to a total of approximately 30 company-owned offices and 120 employees, with regional networks of locally rooted real estate agents interconnected. The local branches will then be centrally managed in terms of IT, marketing, HR, etc. In this way, the new group is making the organization future-proof and aims to achieve its ambitious goals by 2030.

Our real estate news is making headlines! We’re pleased to share a selection of articles that highlight our vision, growth, and future plans:De Tijd,Trends,Made In, andBouw & Wonen.