RE/MAX
Short for “Real Estate Maximums,” RE/MAX has been in operation since 1973. In its 40 years of existence, the company has grown to encompass more than 100,000 sales agents, working in franchise-owned, operated offices in more than 85 countries and territories. As one of the most widely recognized names in real estate, RE/MAX receives 48 million hits to its websites on an annual basis. More importantly, RE/MAX is regarded as one of the country’s most productive real estate sales forces. In a survey by Real Trends 500, a leading resource for residential real estate rankings, RE/MAX claimed the top 18 positions. It also dominated the top 50 list, snagging 44 spots.
Century 21
A real estate powerhouse in its own right — and one of the industry’s most recognized brands — Century 21 boasts a global operation throughout Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. There are approximately 7,000 independently owned, operated broker offices, with 100,000 associates spread out over 73 countries globally. Century 21 has established itself as a leader in e-marketing and recently emerged as one of the most respected brands in the industry for the 14th year in a row, according to global market research firm Millward Brown. The firm achieved a 96% brand awareness score among consumers, and was bestowed its “Likelihood to Recommend and Future Consideration” stamp of approval. Ever since it added enhanced functionality to its website, Century21.com has outpaced growth rates compared to Realtor®, Zillow and Trulia between April 2011-2012, according to Comscore.
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
Ranked as the number one agency in the U.S. by agent count with approximately 80,000 sales associates, Keller Williams Realty, Inc. is a real estate force with which to be reckoned. In 2012, Keller Williams achieved profitability in 91% of its nationwide offices. Recently, the company opened franchises in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Southern Africa. It is planning further expansion into Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Turkey. J.D. Power and Associates most recently handpicked Keller Williams for the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction” distinction among home buyers and sellers. Furthermore, Keller Williams took the ninth spot in the Top 150 Work Places as the single national real estate company that made the list.
Coldwell Banker
Founded in San Francisco more than a century ago in 1906, Coldwell Banker has a rich history of providing dependable real estate services to its clients. The company has a worldwide associate sales force totaling 82,000, with 3,100 offices in 50 countries and territories. Coldwell Banker is known for providing top rated services, which begins with its agent training. In its annual Training Top 125 poll, Training magazine listed the organization in third place alongside Verizon, Jiffy Lube, Farmers Insurance and CHG Healthcare Services. Similarly, Coldwell Banker was named as one of the top 10 companies committed to workforce learning development via Chief Learning Officer magazine’s 2013 LearningElite poll.
ERA Real Estate
ERA, which stands for Electronic Realty Associates, is operated by Realogy, the parent company of Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Sotheby’s International Realty. Founded in 1971, ERA was motivated to champion a then-novel technology, the facsimile, to bring real estate services to heightened functionality. Since its beginnings 42 years ago, ERA has grown to bolster 32,000 sales agents around the world, in 2,400 independently owned and operated franchises.
ERA has offices in 46 states, and 36 countries and territories around the globe. In 2012, the organization expanded into Turkey. Electronic Realty Associates maintains its promise of delivering effective industry innovations, this time through its website, ERA.com. In 2012, the site received honors from the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) and Inman News. Through a recent partnership in 2013 with Homes.com, ERA will offer enhanced social media functionality, extensive community data reporting, and real time broadcasts of property listings.
