Rubbing elbows with some of the world’s most familiar brands like McDonald’s and Subway, Re/Max, Century 21 Real Estate and Coldwell Banker Real Estate were named among the top 100 franchisors in the world in the 2015 edition of an annual ranking by Franchise Direct.
The franchise news service ranked Re/Max No. 12, Century 21 No. 31 and Coldwell Banker No. 52 using a variety of criteria, including the number of offices the system has both in and outside of its home country, the number of countries the brand has expanded to, the franchisor’s growth over the past year and its stability and financial growth.
All three are (or are a part of) publicly held firms. Re/Max went public in 2013 and brought in $44.0 million in net profits on $171.0 in revenue in 2014. Century 21 and Coldwell Banker share a parent in brokerage and franchise giant Realogy, which brought in a revenue of $5.3 billion and a net profit of $143 million last year.
The three franchisors also happen to have the largest global presence in real estate, but other real estate brands have their eyes set on the overseas horizon and may challenge the three behemoths in the future.
Real estate brands with largest global presence
| Brand | Number of countries & territories | Agents |
| Re/Max | Over 97 | Over 100,000 |
| Century 21 Real Estate | 78 | 101,000 |
| Coldwell Banker Real Estate | 43 | 86,000 |
| Keller Williams Realty | 12 | 107,000 |
| Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | 1 | More than 34,000 |
Sources: Re/Max, Realogy, Keller Williams Realty, BHHS
Keller Williams Realty, which launched its international push in 2012, now has more than 100,000 agents in 12 countries. And Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Warren Buffett’s real estate brand that burst on the scene in 2013, now has more than 34,000 agents in 47 U.S. states and plans to jumpstart its global life later this year.