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 was founded in Leuven in 1993 by Koen Hoste and Dimitri Delooz. The firm specialized in sales, property management, projects building management services in and around Leuven. In 2014, Delooz left the organization and Kristel Gils joined as managing partner. From then on, Living Stone focused exclusively on real estate brokerage and merged in 2021 with Pajota, which had been led by Thomas Valkeniers for 25 years. This was followed by an exclusive and strategic partnership with Estero to further professionalize its rental and property management services. Today, the real estate company has eleven offices in Flemish Brabant, Limburg, Brussels, Antwerp, and East Flanders, and employs 44 people.

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.

“Competition in the sector has intensified, and consolidation has increasingly become the norm for growth in recent years. Living Stone and Altro have both experienced strong growth. However, individually, we are too large to remain small, yet too small to grow rapidly. Instead of each of us expanding separately through acquisitions or integrations, we have realized that we can achieve this much faster and more efficiently together. That is why we are particularly pleased that we will be joining forces from now on. We share the same DNA and have the same customer-centric vision. By combining our know-how, networks, and resources, we create a strong, forward-looking organization that can better support our employees at every level: sales management, IT, marketing, HR, finance, and operational efficiency. Furthermore, we are also convinced that high-performing small and medium-sized firms and/or ambitious real estate agents without sufficient financial resources can build a bright future within our organization. Our goal is not necessarily to be the largest real estate player in the market, but rather one of the best when it comes to service.” – Altro Real Estate Group CEO Dave Bracke and Kristel Gils, Managing Director at 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.