Keller Williams Realty, @Properties, Realty One Group, Movoto.com, and FarmAndLand.com are on Inc. magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., which includes 69 companies in the real estate category.
Companies on the Inc. 500/5000 list are ranked by overall revenue growth in the three-year period between 2008-11. In order to qualify, companies had to have generated revenue by March 31, 2008; have generated at least $100,000 in revenue in 2008, and at least $2 million in revenue in 2011; and be privately held, for profit, based in the U.S., and independent (not a subsidiary or division of another company), according to Inc., a publication for entrepreneurs and business owners.
The median growth rate among the 5,000 companies was 97 percent with aggregate revenue of $299 billion. The companies on the list reported creating more than 400,000 jobs between 2008 and 2011.
"Fast growth at any time is a big achievement; fast growth during the past few years is just short of miraculous," said Inc. magazine’s editor, Jane Berentson, in a statement.
"The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of-miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times," Berentson said.
Among companies in the real estate category, appraisal and asset management firms topped Inc.’s list.
Marietta, Ga.-based appraisal management company Valuation Management Group topped the list of companies in the real estate category for the second year in a row, with a 6,267 percent jump in revenue growth, to $34.3 million in 2011, up from $25.4 million the year before. The company had 62 employees at the end of 2011, up from three at the end of 2008. It ranked at No. 29 in the overall list of 5,000 companies.
Arlington, Va.-based Innotion Enterprises, which provides technology, management and marketing services to asset managers for real estate owned (REO) properties, ranked second among real estate companies, moving up from the No. 5 spot last year. The company saw a 3,500 percent jump in revenue from 2008, to $35.8 million in 2011. The company grew from 10 employees in 2008 to 43 in 2011. Innotion Enterprises replaced Oklahoma City-based Pointe Vista Development, which did not make the Inc. 5000 list this year, in the No. 2 spot.
Another appraisal management firm, Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Landmark Network, was third in the real estate category. The company’s revenue grew 2,751 percent from 2008, to $4.3 million in 2011. The company grew from two employees in 2008 to 36 in 2011. Landmark Network replaced Golden Valley, Minn.-based property management firm Renters Warehouse in the No. 3 spot, bumping the latter down to No. 19 in the real estate category.
Ranking fourth among real estate companies this year was asset management and default services company Matt Martin Real Estate Management, also based in Arlington, Va. The company’s revenue grew 2,669 percent from 2008, to $31.4 million in 2011. The company grew from 50 employees in 2008 to 110 in 2011. Atlanta-based PalmerHouse Properties, which previously held the No. 4 spot, is now ranked at No. 7.
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Loan Resolution, which provides home retention, short sale and REO asset management, and property management services, ranked fifth among companies in the real estate category. That company’s revenue jumped 2,540 percent from 2008, to $10.6 million in 2011. The company had 207 employees in 2011, up from 19 in 2008.
Several real estate brokerages were included among the fastest-growing companies, including The Force Realty, McGeough Lamacchia Realty, Asset Realty Group, Prudential Americana Group Realtors, @properties, Rapid Realty, Maximum One Realty Greater Atlanta, Keller Williams Capital Properties, Realty One Group, and ERA Sunrise Realty. The latter four were also on last year’s Inc. 5000 list.
Keller Williams Realty, a franchisor that provides services to brokerages, also made the list, thanks to 28 percent growth over the last three years.
Henderson, Nev.-based Realty One Group has been on the list for four years straight and expanded into franchising earlier this month. This may be the brokerage’s last appearance on the list, however, since the company has announced its intention to go public sometime this year.
Seattle-based property search and valuation site Zillow ranked 20th among the fastest-growing private real estate companies last year, but has since gone public and is therefore not on the list this year.
Following is a list of the 69 real estate category companies:
| RANK | COMPANY NAME | 3-YEAR % GROWTH | 2011 REVENUE | STATE |
| 29 | Valuation Management Group | 6267% | $34.3 million | GA |
| 80 | Innotion Enterprises | 3500% | $35.8 million | VA |
| 108 | Landmark Network | 2751% | $4.3 million | CA |
| 116 | Matt Martin Real Estate Management | 2669% | $31.4 million | VA |
| 126 | Loan Resolution | 2540% | $10.6 million | AZ |
| 189 | Marketplace Homes | 1853% | $8.1 million | MI |
| 201 | PalmerHouse Properties | 1807% | $4 million | GA |
| 228 | Real Property Management | 1591% | $28.3 million | UT |
| 273 | ACT Appraisal | 1317% | $4 million | IL |
| 286 | Cal-American Homes | 1277% | $2.4 million | CA |
| 319 | US Appraisal Group | 1177% | $4 million | IL |
| 362 | Jacksonville Wealth Builders | 1026% | $5.9 million | FL |
| 407 | Iconic Development | 924% | $14 million | IL |
| 556 | MEM Property Management | 672% | $2.5 million | NJ |
| 565 | The CRE Group | 655% | $2.6 million | CA |
| 701 | FarmAndLand.com | 503% | $2.7 million | CA |
| 710 | Property Solutions International | 496% | $19.6 million | UT |
| 759 | The Force Realty | 459% | $3.6 million | WA |
| 787 | Renters Warehouse | 434% | $5.2 million | MN |
| 902 | Gorilla Capital | 368% | $40.2 million | OR |
| 936 | Accurate Group | 345% | $30.3 million | OH |
| 942 | Fairplay Financial | 343% | $6.5 million | WA |
| 946 | McGeough Lamacchia Realty | 341% | $2.7 million | MA |
| 962 | Key Property Solutions | 335% | $20.7 million | GA |
| 1024 | NathanTabor.com | 309% | $2.8 million | NC |
| 1124 | Maximum One Realty Greater Atlanta | 281% | $5.9 million | GA |
| 1308 | Movoto.com | 236% | $4.3 million | CA |
| 1318 | Keller Williams Capital Properties | 235% | $14.2 million | DC |
| 1320 | Memphis Invest | 235% | $30.4 million | TN |
| 1377 | Kinder Reese | 222% | $2 million | TX |
| 1415 | The Menkiti Group | 213% | $8.4 million | DC |
| 1617 | Bean Group | 182% | $12.5 million | NH |
| 1680 | ISGN | 172% | $92.8 million | FL |
| 1758 | Meridian Pacific Properties | 162% | $5.2 million | CA |
| 1834 | Tim O’Brien Homes | 152% | $21 million | WI |
| 1966 | eMortgage Logic | 137% | $59.6 million | TX |
| 2025 | Asset Plus Companies | 132% | $12.4 million | TX |
| 2202 | Guardian Commercial Realty | 116% | $3.1 million | CA |
| 2275 | Urban Lending Solutions | 111% | $104.2 million | PA |
| 2304 | Realty ONE Group | 109% | $78.3 million | NV |
| 2358 | Empire Properties | 105% | $27.7 million | NC |
| 2430 | Total Mortgage Services | 100% | $9.6 million | CT |
| 2451 | Conservice | 99% | $29.8 million | UT |
| 2602 | Asset Realty Group | 92% | $3.5 million | WA |
| 2608 | American Eagle Mortgage | 92% | $10.3 million | OH |
| 2730 | Nationwide Title Clearing | 85% | $17 million | FL |
| 2876 | FirstClose | 79% | $6.1 million | TX |
| 2935 | Pro Teck Valuation Services | 75% | $44.7 million | MA |
| 3186 | ERA Sunrise Realty | 65% | $7.6 million | GA |
| 3212 | Stream Realty Partners | 64% | $43.1 million | TX |
| 3238 | Chicago Apartment Finders | 62% | $8.5 million | IL |
| 3323 | Broad Street Realty | 59% | $11.3 million | MD |
| 3389 | Best Facility Services | 57% | $5.7 million | TX |
| 3415 | Mainstreet | 56% | $11.4 million | IN |
| 3436 | The Mount Vernon Company | 55% | $23.2 million | MA |
| 3526 | Occidental Management | 53% | $5.4 million | KS |
| 3726 | Millman – National Land Services | 45% | $9.3 million | OH |
| 3930 | HomeSmart | 38% | $67.7 million | AZ |
| 4023 | reQuire Release Tracking | 36% | $5 million | VA |
| 4068 | Prudential Americana Group Realtors | 34% | $11.9 million | NV |
| 4076 | CityParking | 34% | $3.6 million | VA |
| 4111 | Temporary Housing Directory | 33% | $42.8 million | TX |
| 4138 | @Properties | 32% | $60 million | IL |
| 4190 | Rapid Realty | 30% | $10.9 million | NY |
| 4279 | Keller Williams Realty | 28% | $137.5 million | TX |
| 4297 | McKee Asset Management | 28% | $6.5 million | CA |
| 4455 | ODUrent.com | 23% | $2 million | VA |
| 4858 | Housing Helpers | 10% | $4.3 million | CO |
| 4894 | RealCapitalMarkets.com | 9% | $5.3 million | CA |
Source: Inc.
Though not included in the real estate category, other real estate-related companies were included among the overall list of 5,000. Among these was BoomTown, a Charleston, S.C.-based real estate marketing software company, which ranked at No. 96 in the overall list of 5,000 and No. 8 in the software category. The company’s revenue grew 3,085 percent between 2008 and 2011, to $4.6 million, up from $2.2 million in 2010. The company grew from three employees in 2008 to 38 employees in 2011.
Additionally, the Charfen Institute, which offers education and training services for real estate professionals and small-business owners, was ranked No. 187 on the overall list of 5,000 and No. 5 in the education category. The company’s revenue grew 1,857 percent between 2008 and 2011, to $10.4 million. The company grew from three employees in 2008 to 149 employees in 2011.
San Francisco-based self-service marketing company VerticalResponse, which acquired real estate social media marketing firm Roost late last year, made the overall list of 5,000 for the seventh year in a row. The company was ranked No. 2,802 on the overall list and No. 248 in the advertising and marketing category. The company’s revenue grew 82 percent between 2008 and 2011, to $24.1 million. The company grew from 72 employees in 2008 to 129 employees in 2011.