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As one of the most innovative industries in the U.S., it seems there are a ton of new real estate companies popping up every year.
But not all real estate companies are created equally.
Last week, Fortune and Great Place to Work released a list of the 35 Best Workplaces in Real Estate in 2022. Several familiar, big names topped the list including Zillow, Opendoor, Anywhere and Pacaso. But some smaller, less familiar names also made the list like Property Force, Hall Group and Keeping Current Matters, all of which have less than 70 employees.
Want to know what companies to consider when making the next move in your career? Get to know these top 15-ranked companies highlighted below and evaluated by Great Place to Work’s proprietary methodology. The company analyzed survey responses to a 62-question survey from over 23,000 employees who work at Great Place to Work-Certified companies in real estate. It also normalized survey data so that companies of different sizes could be compared equally.
To become Great Place to Work-Certified, companies must complete an employee survey and corporate questionnaire process.
Without further ado, here are the top companies to work for in real estate today:
1. Camden Property Trust
Founding date: 1982
Number of U.S. employees: 1,676
Headquarters location: Houston
This Houston-based property management and development company operates in the multifamily space. Camden owns and operates 170 properties across 15 different U.S. markets. In 2022, the company joined the S&P 500 index. It’s been named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the last 15 consecutive years.
2. Zillow Group
Founding date: 2005
Number of U.S. employees: 6,527
Headquarters location: Seattle
Zillow, which has essentially become ubiquitous with “real estate search portal” in today’s lexicon, has become a giant in the industry since its founding just 17 years ago. According to Great Place to Work’s survey, many Zillow employees cited people, benefits, time and culture as reasons they like working for the company.
3. Opendoor Technologies Inc.
Founding date: 2014
Number of U.S. employees: Unavailable
Headquarters location: San Francisco
It’s only been around for about eight years, but since storming into the iBuyer space, Opendoor has solidified its status as a market leader. Since its inception, Opendoor has served over 160,000 customers across more than 50 U.S. markets. Employees at Opendoor said that the culture, the people and their teams made working at the iBuyer a great experience.
4. Pacaso
Founding date: 2020
Number of U.S. employees: 246
Headquarters location: San Francisco
Pacaso is just a baby in the industry but has already created a big name for itself through its co-ownership model of luxury homes. Employee survey responses from Pacaso reveal a company whose members know they can rely on one another to see work tasks through to the finish — 99 percent of employees said that people who work there are willing to give extra to get the job done, 99 percent said people at the company care about one another and 99 percent said they can count on others in the company to cooperate.
5. Transwestern
Founding date: 1978
Number of U.S. employees: 2,017
Headquarters location: Houston
Transwestern is a private commercial, investment and development real estate company with hundreds of locations that employees operate across the U.S. Nearly 20 percent of the company’s employees have worked there for 6-10 years.
6. OJO Labs
Founding date: 2015
Number of U.S. employees: 260
Headquarters location: Austin
OJO Labs is a real estate tech company that helps match buyers and sellers with tools to facilitate a more seamless real estate transaction. Employees reported high satisfaction with OJO’s management in Great Place to Work’s survey, with 98 percent saying management is approachable and 98 percent stating that management is honest and ethical in its business practices.
7. BH Management Services LLC
Founding date: 1993
Number of U.S. employees: 2,589
Headquarters location: Des Moines
BH Management is a multifamily owner-operator that manages over 1,000 units. Over the years, the company has developed its own in-house processes for property management, equities and investments, construction services and architecture and design.
8. Granite Properties
Founding date: 1991
Number of U.S. employees: 172
Headquarters location: Plano, Texas
This privately held commercial investment and management company has offices all across the South. The company’s survey results reflect a satisfied workforce, with 100 percent stating they’d like to work for the company for a long time and 100 percent stating they’re proud to tell other people they work for Granite Properties.
9. PropertyForce
Founding date: 2006
Number of U.S. employees: 64
Headquarters location: Hallandale Beach, Florida
PropertyForce helps real estate investors buy off-market properties to then generate rental income, or generate a quicker form of equity, by conducting renovations. Virtually all employees surveyed reported that the company is a great place to work and that management is approachable and easy to talk with.
10. Mynd Property Management
Founding date: 2016
Number of U.S. employees: 276
Headquarters location: Oakland, California
Mynd is relatively new to the investment space and helps investors purchase single-family properties as investments remotely. Ninety-six percent of employees reported that people care about each other at the company and that management trusts employees to do a good job.
11. The Garrett Companies
Founding date: 2014
Number of U.S. employees: 159
Headquarters location: Greenwood, Indiana
This multifamily development, construction and management company has thus far completed over 50 projects across 17 different states in the U.S. Nearly all employees report satisfaction at The Garrett Companies, with 99 percent stating they feel a sense of pride in what the company accomplishes.
12. Venterra Realty
Founding date: 2001
Number of U.S. employees: 543
Headquarters location: Houston
Venterra Realty is an owner-manager of about 20,000 apartment units across 16 different cities. The company currently manages about $4 billion in multifamily assets. Employees cited love, family, team, culture and values as some of the top reasons why they like working for Venterra.
13. Divvy Homes
Founding date: 2017
Number of U.S. employees: 182
Headquarters location: San Francisco
Divvy Homes helps consumers build home equity by renting a home while saving up for its down payment every month. Customers can buy their homes from Divvy when they’re ready — or not if they so choose. Ninety-eight percent of Divvy employees say they feel welcome at the company and 98 percent say they’re proud to work for Divvy.
14. The Morgan Group
Founding date: 1959
Number of U.S. employees: 420
Headquarters location: Houston
With a founding date of 1959, The Morgan Group is easily one of the oldest companies to make Fortune’s list of top 35 real estate workplaces. The multifamily acquisitions and development company has built or acquired over $3 billion in multifamily assets over the years and currently has a portfolio that spans Texas, California, Arizona, Colorado and Florida. In comparison to other workplaces, 94 percent of employees say that The Morgan Group is a great place to work.
15. Lev
Founding date: 2019
Number of U.S. employees: 81
Headquarters location: New York City
Lev is a commercial real estate financing platform that helps investors tap into capital from top financial institutions across the globe. Given results from Great Place to Work’s survey, employees are extremely satisfied with the company with 100 percent reporting that the management is ethical and honest and 100 percent also stating the company’s management shows a sincere interest in employees as people — not just money-making workers.
View the entire list of 35 Best Workplaces in Real Estate here on Fortune’s website.
