Every year Inc. Magazine ranks the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. This year, 17 real estate companies made the top 500 cut, while 196 made the 5,000 list.
Companies who applied and were selected for the list are ranked based on revenue growth from 2013 to 2016.
While being featured is an accomplishment in itself worth celebrating, the success measured here might be one telling sign in a firm’s crystal-ball as evidenced by the big names who have graced the list and moved on via acquisition or public offering: LinkedIn, Zillow and Yelp were all Inc. 5000 honorees before they went public.
To be considered for the Inc. 5000, firms must be independent, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies; for profit; and had to have revenues in 2013 of at least $100,000 and revenues in 2016 of at least $2 million.
San Diego-based 100-percent commission brokerage Big Block Realty came in at no. 31 as the top-ranked company in the real estate category with a growth rate of 8,829 percent in 2016 and revenue of $28.9 million.
“What got us on Inc. 500 in the top 35 two years in a row is twofold: 1) Our culture and 2) we go above and beyond for our agents,” said Oliver Graf, president of Big Block Realty. “We have social events, agent concierge, training sessions and so much more to help them succeed and plug in on every level.
“Because we are taking such good care of our agents, the word of mouth is creating a buzz. Starting from where we started, being laughed at, being told it cannot be done, and all the door slams … to go from that to the Inc. 500 two years in a row is the ultimate grand prize for any entrepreneur.”
Real estate companies that followed Big Block include:
- S2 Capital, a real estate developer that acquires and renovates multifamily properties and turns them into investment platforms, 72
- Level Office, a provider of coworking office space to small businesses, entrepreneurs and corporate satellite offices, 94
- Nelson Brothers, a property management company that acquires and manages real estate assets, such as student housing and assisted living centers, that it considers opportunities for growth, 129
- MZ Capital Partners, operator of a real estate investment firm focusing on multi-family assets, 147
- The Garrett Companies, a developer and manager of multifamily apartment buildings, having completed 34 projects in 12 states to date, 210
- My Home Group Real Estate, a real estate services company with seven locations in Arizona providing clients and agents with technology that makes the real estate process more seamless, 240
- Verius Property Group, a buyer, developer, builder and manager of residential apartment complexes, 250
- Fathom Realty, a 100-percent commission virtual brokerage which operates across the South, Southwest and Atlantic seaboard regions, 286
- Worth Clark Realty, a St. Charles, Missouri-based 100-percent commission brokerage that assists clients with buying, selling, property valuations, leasing, tenant screening and property management in multiple cities, 296
In the advertising and marketing category, Adwerx, a provider of digital advertising services to over 40,000 customers in real estate, ranked high up on the 500 list at no. 173; along with Curaytor (no. 303), a 2017 Inman Innovator that integrates an Internet Data Exchange-enabled website, behavioral analytics, customer relationship and lead-management platforms, and an email marketing system into a single sign-on platform for real estate agent clients.
Digging deeper into the brokerage rankers, My Home Group Real Estate had a growth rate of 1,792 percent and sales volume of $1.1 billion. Led by former Keller Williams-trained agents, Mark Hutchins and Jereme Kleven, the company has 18 offices in Arizona, California and Washington.
New York City-based brokerage Triplemint, which closed a $4.5 million Series A funding round in February, came in at no. 325, behind Worth Clark.
Texas-based Fathom Realty CEO Josh Harley said he was happy to have made it into the Inc. 500 for the fourth year in a row. The company’s growth rate was 1,545 percent with revenue of $41.8 million.
Frisco, Texas-based JP & Associates Realtors, which recorded a growth rate of 773.5 percent in 2016, ranked at 586.
“We are honored to be included among America’s who’s who, privately held fastest growing companies,” said JP & Associates Realtors founder JP Piccinini. “While our company is still in the infant stages, we are very excited about the future and our continued growth across Texas, and the U.S. JP and Associates Realtors (JPAR) will continue to be recognized on this list for years to come.”
Meanwhile, New York-based high-end Auction house Concierge Auctions and brokerage Hawaii Life also made the list for the fourth time in a row a bit further down.
Straight after JPAR on the list at 587, with a growth rate of 769 percent, came The K Company Realty, based in Florida and Colorado.
Other real estate companies or those related to real estate on the list included Re/Max Titanium at 660, Caliber Real Estate at 687, Professional Realty Services International at 768, DLP Realty at 785 and Beer Home Team at 831.
Real Estate Expert Advisers came in at 904 and Lake Homes Realty at 927.