Redfin and Compass, disruptive barbarians at the gate from the tech industry, are now among the top 10 largest real estate brokerages in America, according to a comprehensive new poll of real estate companies obtained by Inman.
Redfin, the Seattle-based brokerage with $22.5 billion in sales last year, was named the fourth largest real estate brokerage nationwide, and Compass, which earned $14 billion in sales, came in at no. 9, according to the inaugural Swanepoel Mega 1000 list, which debuts in full next week and will attempt to unseat Real Trends as the industry’s most definitive and comprehensive ranking.
“In any business, and especially a rapidly changing and evolving one, such as the residential real estate brokerage, information is the cornerstone of decision making,” said Stefan Swanepoel, chairman and CEO of T3 Sixty, the real estate consulting and analytics firm that also publishes the Swanepoel Trends Report and Swanepoel Power 200. “It is important to gauge to what degree companies being funded are gaining traction, how successful new business models are and which recent acquisitions may have changed the competitor landscape.”
NRT, among more than a dozen business units of parent company Realogy, earned the top spot, amassing $178 billion in sales last year. HomeServices of America, the Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, followed in second place, and Douglas Elliman Real Estate rounded out the top three with $26 billion in sales, according to the new ranking of 1,000 brokerages, which debuts May 8.
Weichert Realtors, Hanna Holdings, Realty One Group, Pacific Union International and Alain Pinel Realtors all landed in the top 10.
The report, which T3 Sixty has shared exclusively with Inman, actually includes three separate lists — the Brokerage List, the Franchisor List and the Holding Company List, each of which attempts to fairly group and compare the top 20 companies in each category.
The Swanepoel Mega 1000 debuting next week on May 8 will rank the 1,000 largest brokerage companies in America. It aims to be more inclusive — by including companies like Weichert that previously declined to participate in such rankings — and more comprehensive than both the the REAL Trends 500 and RIS Media Power Broker Report.
“Due to the fact that the other lists exclude data from brokerages that decline to participate in their surveys, it has become imperative for T3 Sixty to create a new inclusive list that has more complete data so when we advise our consulting clients as well as write about trends we do so with the most accurate information possible,” Swanepoel said, noting that his staff put more than 1,100 hours into data gathering, research and analyzation.
As for the nation’s top franchisors, Re/Max and Keller Williams are neck-and-neck, according to the Swanepoel Mega 1000 list, with Keller Williams landing the top spot with $303 billion in sales and 1,041,948 transaction sides. Re/Max, long considered the largest franchisor by sales — fell to second place with $271 billion in sales and 1,036,000 in transaction sides.
“Our game has got us to no. 1, and our game has got us expanding where other people have contracted,” Keller Williams CEO John Davis told Inman in January, before fourth quarter results were released for the two real estate giants.
Coldwell Banker, Berkshire Hathaway and Century 21 round out the top five franchisors.
The list also ranks the nation’s top holding companies, so it’s no surprise to see Realogy at the top of the list, with its subsidiary NRT topping the brokerage list. Realogy boasts a number of other properties populating the brokerage and franchisee list, including Coldwell Banker, Century 21 ERA, Sotheby’s International and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
Realogy’s $507.76 billion in sales volume puts it more than $200 billion ahead of second place Keller Williams. Re/Max and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices close out the top tier, with fifth place Windermere Real Estate Services more than $160 billion behind Berkshire Hathaway’s $197 billion in sales.
See the top 20 in each category below, and visit www.mega1000.com for more information. The full list of 1,000 brokerages, searchable by sales volume, transaction count and agent count will be available at www.mega1000.com next Tuesday, May 8.
The Brokerage List
Note that certain brokerages including Weichert Realtors, Redfin and Terra Holdings either did not submit or did not submit exact figures for all measures. In these cases, additional data and analysis was used to calculate statistics.
The Franchise List
Note that certain franchisors including Windermere, Weichert, EXIT and within the Realogy Franchise Group either did not submit or did not submit exact figures for all measures. In these cases, additional data and analysis was used to calculate statistics.
The Holding Companies List
Note that certain holding companies including Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Windermere, Weichert, Redfin and EXIT Realty either did not submit or did not submit exact figures for all measures. In these cases, additional data and analysis was used to calculate statistics.
