The real estate sector has been piping hot over the past couple of years, with many of us in the process of buying or selling a home. One of the most important steps, whether you’re planning to buy a home, or sell one, is to find a reliable, trustworthy real estate agent that works diligently to help you.
Both real estate transactions and moving are time-consuming and complicated endeavors, and you need all the help you can get. In addition to finding the right real estate agent for your needs, you should also prepare for the move by renting a self storage unit where you can temporarily keep your stuff while moving from your old place to a new one.
To help with your real estate agent search, we identified the country’s biggest and most reputable real estate companies that can offer you assistance and help throughout the home buying or home selling process:
1. Keller Williams Realty
- Established in 1983
- No. of agents: 180K
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Keller Williams combines real estate business with technology. Founded in 1983 by Gary Keller and Joe Williams, the real estate franchise operates with over 180,000 associates distributed in over 940 offices worldwide. In 2017, the company started to position itself as a technology company with its KW Labs, a division that builds and tests technology created by the company alongside its agents.
2. RE/MAX Real Estate
- Established in 1973
- No. of agents: 135K
RE/MAX, short for Real Estate Maximus, is a real estate franchise company headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and founded in 1973 by Dave Liniger and Gail Main. Currently, the company has about 100,000 agents distributed in 6,800 offices across 100 countries.Their iconic logo, a red, white, and blue hot air balloon, made its debut at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when a local agent thought about putting RE/MAX in the sky – and it was quickly adopted as the official logo. Fun fact – in 1998, company founder Dave Liniger even attempted the first manned balloon flight around the world, but the flight was ultimately canceled due to weather problems.
3. Coldwell Banker Real Estate
- Established in 1914
- No. of agents: 100K
Coldwell Banker is one of the oldest and most reputable real estate companies in the country – and also worldwide. The company was first established at the beginning of the 20th century, in San Francisco, by several associates, among which Colbert Coldwell. Benjamin Arthur Banker became a partner in 1914, and since then, the company has been known as Coldwell Banker. It now has about 3,000 offices in almost 50 countries and territories.
4. eXp Realty
- Established in 2009
- No. of agents: 80K
eXp Realty, part of the publicly traded company eXp World Holdings, is a fast-growing residential real estate company headquartered in Bellingham, WA. The company was founded in 2009 and has over 80,000 agents in the US and eight other countries to date. Although they’re less recognizable as a brand compared to other older, more established real estate companies, they saw tremendous growth in the 13 years they have been in business.
5. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
- Established in 1999
- No. of agents: 50K
Part of the Berkshire Hathaway group founded by Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices traces its roots to the 1999 acquisition of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company and its brokerage business HomeServices, by Berkshire Hathaway. Since then, the company has grown impressively through a succession of acquisitions of other real estate businesses. The global residential real estate network operates with over 50,000 agents located in 1,500 offices across 12 countries.
6. Sotheby’s International Realty
- Established in 1976
- No. of agents: 25K
Sotheby’s International Realty is a subsidiary of Sotheby’s fine art dealers, founded in 1976 and headquartered in Madison, New Jersey. The real estate company has about 1,000 offices worldwide, that are serviced by approx. 25,000 sales associates. Annual sales at Sotheby’s hover around $200 billion. The company operates as a franchise and focuses on brokering residential real estate.
7. Compass
- Established in 2012
- No. of agents: 25K
Founded in 2012 – which means it just celebrated its tenth anniversary – Compass specializes in luxury homes and upscale markets. Headquartered in New York City, this dynamic real estate company relies on 25,000 agents across 300 offices in the US. The company’s founders, Ori Allon and Robert Reffkin, are focusing on innovative technologies to expand their business.
8. Century 21
- Established in 1970
- No. of agents: 14K
Founded back in the 1970s, Century 21 Real Estate always had its eyes set on the future – hence the name. Headquartered in Madison, New Jersey, the real estate franchise company now comprises over 14,000 independently owned broker offices located in 86 countries and territories. The company attributes its success to its flexible business model that incorporates independent entrepreneurs.
9. Weichert, Realtors
- Established in 1996
- No. of agents: 13K
Weichert, Realtors, is currently headquartered in Morris Plains, New Jersey, but was originally founded in Chatham, NJ, in 1969. The residential and commercial real estate franchise remains a family business, led and operated by founder Jim Weichert and his son, James Weichert. The company operates with over 13,000 agents and provides a complete range of services for customers, helping them not only search for a house but also secure a mortgage and close the deal.
10. Electronic Realty Associates
- Established in 1971
- No. of agents: 10K
Electronic Realty Associates was founded in 1971 by Jim Jackson. Since its inception, the vision has been to utilize the latest technology in brokering real estate. If the latest technology in 1971 was the fax machine, the company uses today’s sophisticated online tools to help its over 10,000 employees and their customers buy and sell real estate as simple and straightforward as possible.
