8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): April8, 2020

EXP WORLD HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-38493	98-0681092
(State or other jurisdiction	(Commission	(IRS Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)

2219 Rimland Drive, Suite 301

Bellingham, WA 98226

 (Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (360) 685‑4206

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8‑K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[_] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[_] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a‑12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a‑12)

[_] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d‑2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d‑2(b))

[_] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e‑4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e‑4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share	EXPI	NASDAQ
(Title of Each Class)	(Trading Symbol)	(Name of each exchange on which registered)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b‑2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ((§240.12b‑2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company [_]

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [_]

Item 5.02Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On April 8, 2020, eXp World Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”, or “eXp”) initiated measures to address future challenges from the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”). These measures include cost reduction efforts, including, among other things, a temporary reduction in the base salaries for our named executive officers (“NEOs”).

On April 7, 2020, Glenn Sanford, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Company, Jason Gesing, Chief Executive Officer, eXp Realty LLC, and Jeff Whiteside, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, informed the Board of Directors of their intentions to voluntarily reduce their annual base salaries by 50% until further notice due to the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business. The temporary salary reductions are effective immediately. The cash compensation fees for each independent member of the Board of Directors will be reduced by 50% until further notice as well. The Board of Directors approved all temporary changes in director compensation.

Effective April 7, 2020, Alan Goldman stepped down from his position as Chief Accounting Officer of the Company in order to assume an executive role with VirBELA and to lead in the growth and marketability of our innovation and technology division.

Item 8.01.Other Events.

On April 8, 2020,  eXp Realty, LLC, our cloud-based real estate brokerage and wholly-owned subsidiary,  issued a press release announcing preliminary business highlights for the first quarter of 2020 and recent measures by the Company to address challenges from COVID-19. A copy of the Company’s April 8, 2020 press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01.Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)       Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release, issued April 8, 2020

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	eXp World Holdings, Inc.
	(Registrant)
Date: April 8, 2020	/s/ James Bramble
	James Bramble
	General Counsel

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

eXp Realty Releases Preliminary First-Quarter Business Highlights, Adapts to Near Future Real Estate Environment

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — April 8, 2020 — eXp Realty, the fastest-growing, global residential real estate company and a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPI), today announced preliminary first-quarter 2020 business highlights and measures to address challenges of the near future real estate environment.

First-quarter 2020 Preliminary Business Highlights (unaudited):

· The number of agents and brokers on the eXp Realty platform increased 59% to 28,449 at the end of the first quarter of 2020, compared to 17,929 a year ago.

· Residential transaction sides closed for the first quarter of 2020 increased 73% to more than 38,000, compared to 22,307 during the first quarter of 2019.

· Residential transaction volume closed for the first quarter of 2020 increased 93% to

· $11.2 billion, compared to $5.8 billion during the first quarter of 2019.

· eXp Realty ended the first quarter with a 70 agent Net Promoter Score, which measures agent satisfaction.

April 2020 looks to be on track for year-over-year growth in sales volume and transaction sides, but the company anticipates significantly reduced real estate transactions in future months due to government-mandated protocols and the resulting economic impacts of COVID-19.

eXp Realty’s cloud-based model gives the company a unique and better position than others in the real estate industry saddled with brick-and-mortar offices. The company’s remote-work approach has always enabled the company to quickly adjust to market dynamics, such as the current practice of minimizing person-to-person contact.

“This global health crisis is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes, and our hearts go out to everyone impacted around the world, especially our agents, staff, partners and their families,” said eXp Realty CEO Jason Gesing. “From day one, we have run a lean and agile business so that eXp would be sustainable for the future.

“During the past year we grew headcount to stay ahead of our historic growth curve. While business has gone well through the first quarter of this year, we need to be prepared for challenges that may lie ahead for the entire real estate industry in the near future.”

As a result of the slowing economy, eXp Realty has taken measures to reduce its expenses and realign its operations accordingly. To ensure eXp Realty is here for its agents and staff long into the future, the company has reallocated the following resources:

· The company has eliminated business travel for all staff.

· Non-essential, open positions have been put on hold.

· Contractors have been reduced significantly.

· We are seeing strong interest in VirBELA, an eXp World Holdings company, grow substantially and have shifted a number of eXp Realty staff to work on VirBELA who can make an immediate, positive impact. eXp World Holdings Chief Accounting Officer Alan Goldman will be taking on a new leadership role at VirBELA to help lead the team with the increased demand and opportunities.

· eXp Realty Founder Glenn Sanford, eXp Realty CEO Jason Gesing,  eXp World Holdings CFO Jeff Whiteside and Goldman have taken a significant salary reduction.

· eXp World Holdings independent board members cash compensation for board service has been reduced significantly.

· Headcount has been reduced approximately 15 percent across the company.

“Staff departures aren’t easy, but we are doing this with the utmost respect for each and every person. We are grateful for the contributions of those who are leaving us,” said Gesing. “However, we are confident about our business model and these changes are the right thing to do to put eXp on a stronger path to grow when business — and life — returns to normal.”

About eXp Realty

eXp Realty is an eXp World Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPI) company. eXp World Holdings also owns VirBELA.

eXp Realty, The Real Estate Cloud Brokerage, is the fastest-growing, global residential real estate company with more than 28,000 agents in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. As a subsidiary of a publicly traded company, eXp Realty uniquely offers real estate professionals within its ranks opportunities to earn eXp World Holdings stock for production and contributions to overall company growth.

VirBELA is an immersive technology platform for business, events and education. Its modern, cloud-based environment provides a virtual experience for workers, attendees, students and more to communicate, collaborate, meet and socialize. For more information, visit the company’s website at virbela.com.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.expworldholdings.com.

Media Relations Contact:

Cynthia Nowak

Vice president, marketing and communications, eXp World Holdings 360.419.5285 ext. 116

Investor Relations Contact:

Raymond “RJ” Jones

Executive Vice President, finance and growth, eXp World Holdings 360.761.4393

investors@expworldholdings.com