Best Real Estate Companies to Work For

The best real estate companies to work for exhibit a strong company culture, robust support systems, and sufficient opportunities for continuing education. These key elements not only result in greater job satisfaction but can also contribute to your long-term success as a real estate agent. Discover some of the top real estate companies as you begin your career.

Criteria for evaluating real estate companies

Company size, sales and track record, commission and fee schedule, training, administrative support, and company culture are important to consider. For example, larger companies may provide stronger brand recognition. However, that recognition also comes higher fees and more rigid commission splits. While smaller firms may lack brand recognition, they may also provide greater opportunities for career advancement, which is helpful for experienced agents looking to expand their roles. 

As a real estate agent, you work as an independent contractor through a brokerage firm or company that oversees your transactions and determines how much commission you earn on sales and what fees you pay. Depending on the brokerage, agents may also gain access to marketing materials, training, and employee benefits. The level of training and support, earnings, and employee benefits vary based on the real estate company. That’s why it’s helpful for real estate sales agents to have a set of criteria in mind when choosing a real estate company to work for.

Popular real estate companies to work for 

Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Century 21, and Coldwell Banker are among the top options in the industry. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll find no shortage of real estate companies from national franchise chains to niche boutique-style firms. In fact, according to data from the US Census Bureau data, more than 343,000 real estate brokerage firms operate in the United States [1]. 

Depending on your career goals, expertise, and location, consider one of these top-rated real estate companies in the US. 

Keller Williams

Keller Williams (KW) is the world’s largest real estate technology franchise by agent count. In 2023, KW included more than 1,100 offices and 191,000 agents [2]. KW agents specialize in residential, commercial, luxury homes, and land sales. 

Commission: Agents start with a 70/30 commission split, keeping 70 percent, while 30 percent goes to the brokerage office [3]. Agents pay a 6 percent franchise fee on each transaction up to $3,000 [3]. Once agents reach their office cap, they move to a 100 percent split for the rest of their anniversary year [3]. 

Market presence: According to the 2022 RealTrends Report, 128 KW brokerages earn over $1 billion in sales, with 42 exceeding $2 billion [4]. Additionally, KW handled 811,076 transactions in 2022, with a total sales volume of $342.5 billion. KW had the most franchise affiliates in the top 500 rankings (191) [4]. 

Employee benefits: KW's profit-sharing program allows agents to contribute a portion of their monthly commission. When the market center turns a profit, the company distributes a portion of those profits to “sponsors,” designated by agents as those who influenced their decision to join. In 2024, KW surpassed $2 billion in total profit share to North American associates [5]. 

Other employee benefits include:

• Keller Williams Health Providers Program 

• Retirement plan

• Paid time off (PTO)

• On-site gym

Employee support: Keller Williams University (KWU) features professional development opportunities, including on-demand learning, live training events, and coaching programs. 

The Keller Successful Career Opportunities in Real Estate (KSCORE) program helps individuals earn their real estate license. 

Awards: Accolades include its induction in the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 Hall of Fame and recognition as the number one estate franchise brand by T3 Sixty. 

RE/MAX

As of 2024, RE/MAX employed 140,000 agents in more than 9,000 offices in over 110 countries [6]. RE/MAX agents specialize in residential, commercial, land sales, and luxury properties.

Commission: As a RE/MAX agent, you can choose a 95/5 commission split if you prefer to pay a monthly Desk Fee or choose its RAPP commission plan without the monthly fee [7]. If you choose the RAPP, you'll start out with a 60/40 split, where you'll keep 60 percent of your commissions, and 40 percent goes to the office [7]. Once you hit your cap for the year, you'll receive a 95/5 split. Each year, you have the opportunity to advance to a 70/30 or 80/20 commission split, depending on your previous year's gross commissions [7].

Market presence: The 2024 RealTrends Verified Best Brokerages rankings reveal RE/MAX agents average 11.8 transactions and $5 million in average sales volume [8]. 

Awards: Notable achievements include RE/MAX’s status as the top-ranked brand in 2024 RealTrends Verified + Tom Ferry The Thousand. 

Employee benefits: RE/MAX agents primarily enjoy benefits from the brand power that RE/MAX brings. Other benefits include:

• Educational assistance

• Employee stock purchase plan

• PTO/vacation time

Employee support: The MAX/TECH platform includes artificial intelligence (AI) driven smart customer relationship management (CRM) that helps agents build a personal website, innovate marketing campaigns, manage leads, and collaborate with agents.

RE/MAX University (RU) offers training resources ranging from webinars to in-person learning opportunities, making this one of the best real estate companies for new agents. 

Century 21

Century 21 operates as a franchisor, with approximately 12,000 independently owned and operated broker offices in 84 countries and provinces and 142,000 sales agents worldwide [9]. 

Century 21 agents specialize in residential, commercial, rental, and luxury properties. Century 21 also offers property management and leasing.

Commission: Century 21 offers a commission split structure ranging from 50/50 to 90/10, which is set by each individual office [10]. The split depends on the agent's production, experience, and office agreement, which provides flexibility and incentivizes higher production.

Market presence: Century 21 has 18 brokerages ranked in the top 500 RealTrends Top Real Estate Brokerages by Volume in 2024 [11]. 

Awards: Century 21 Affiliated was the top Century 21 franchise globally for the ninth consecutive year. In 2022, the franchise opened new offices and merged with Century 21 Award in Southern California, expanding into 80 offices across five states with 1,700 agents [12].

Employee benefits: Employee benefits vary based on employment status, location, and franchise policies. Some locations offer benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. 

Employee support: Century 21 University provides agents with educational resources that include:

• Over 200 on-demand courses

• Instructor-led courses 

• In-person networking (The One21 Experience)

Century 21 helps deepen client engagement through advanced lead generation systems, CRM platforms, and AI-driven marketing. 

Coldwell Banker

Coldwell Banker has over 52,000 affiliated sales agents operating in 600 offices [13]. Coldwell Banker agents specialize in residential, commercial, rental properties, and land sales. 

Commission: Coldwell Banker offers a commission split structure that varies depending on the office you work for, and may range from 50/50 to 80/20, depending on the agent's experience, level of production, and office agreement [14,15]. This flexible model helps newer agents start with support while rewarding high producers with higher commission retention.

Market presence: In 2023, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC added 80 domestic-affiliated companies, generating $282 million in Gross Commission Income (GCI), including $72.7 million in the fourth quarter [16]. According to Coldwell Banker's 2023 financial data, the company achieved $234 billion in total sales volume and completed 481,548 transaction sides in the US [17]. 

Employee benefits: Coldwell Banker agents benefit from the company’s brand awareness and global reputation.

Coldwell Banker provides benefits that include: 

• PTO and paid vacation time

• Health insurance 

• 401k retirement plan through membership in the SPARK program 

In some areas, agents can apply for a tuition reimbursement program for full reimbursement of the cost of licensing courses. 

Employee support: Agents can access the eMarketing platform, featuring personal marketing tools, listing tools, lead tools, and automated report tracking for managing and assessing web traffic for agents’ listings. 

Coldwell Banker University (CBU) offers courses, including Achieve Maximum Productivity, aiming to boost agents' sales and business development capabilities, and Outlist|Outlast, focusing on competitive strategies for listing and selling properties. 

Company support comes in various forms, including:

• Coaching programs

• Panels and sessions

•  In-person networking events (Gen Blue)

Redfin

Redfin’s proprietary algorithm analyzes real-time real estate data to generate more precise valuations, making it a tech-forward real estate company to work for. Virtual tours, an advanced online offer platform, and a user-friendly website and app are at the core of the buying and selling process. 

Agents rent or sell residential, luxury, and land properties. 

Commission: Redfin agents receive a base salary along with bonuses for each transaction closed, providing agents with financial stability through a guaranteed salary while allowing them to earn additional income based on performance. 

Redfin agents earn commissions based on the source of the sale, providing higher earning potential and incentives to generate leads. Agents earn up to 75 percent on transactions from their clients and up to 40 percent on Redfin-generated leads, with increased earnings for multiple deals with the same Redfin client [18]. 

Market presence: In the 2024 RealTrends 500 rankings, based on 2023 data, Redfin ranked seventh among US brokerages, closing 46,549 transactions totaling over $27 billion in sales volume [19]. According to the same report, Redfin's agents demonstrated high productivity levels, averaging over 27 deals per agent in 2023, over three times the average of agents at other top 10 brokerages [19].

More than 900 Redfin agents made the RealTrends "America’s Best Real Estate Professionals" list, placing them among the top 1.5 percent of over 1.5 million agents nationwide [20].

Employee benefits: Redfin hires agents as employees, offering a base salary, transaction bonuses, comprehensive benefits, and on-the-job support. Redfin covers agents’ phone service, training, mileage, Multiple Listing Service (MLS) dues, continuing education, listing materials, license renewal, and association fees. 

 Redfin agents can participate in employee-sponsored benefit programs that include:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans

• PTO and paid vacation

• 401k retirement plan

• Employee stock purchase plan

Employee support: Redfin Agent Tools combines CRM, transaction management, and personal assistant features to help agents submit offers, manage transactions, and create marketing materials.

Redfin’s Career Accelerator Program provides new agents with their salary, health benefits, a $1,500 signing bonus, and training. 

Resources for finding real estate jobs

When searching for real estate jobs, seek out job boards and websites, networking and local resources, professional networking sites, and recruitment agencies. 

Some job board sites helpful for prospective sales agents include: 

• LinkedIn 

• Indeed 

• Monster Jobs

• National Association of Realtors (NAR) Career Center 

• Brokerage-specific websites 

• iHire RealEstate 

Before applying for jobs, craft a strong resume tailored to the real estate sector using templates specific to real estate jobs. Include relevant keywords from the job description to pass AI and applicant tracking software (ATS) screenings. Other resume-building tips include: 

• Highlight your qualifications and recent achievements (referral rates or market expertise).

• Add experiences that quantify your success (number of sales closed or sales goals exceeded).

• List relevant education and certifications (real estate licenses and specialized training).

• Include a skills section that combines technical proficiencies (CRM tools) with workplace skills (client relations or market strategy).

When arranging interviews, research the real estate company and prepare to discuss how your skills align with their goals. Practice answering questions, such as how you’d handle challenging clients or market properties effectively. Show enthusiasm, professionalism, and knowledge of the industry. Attend local networking events to get connected.

Develop your skills for a real estate career on Coursera

Devote time to developing and building key skills you’ll need as a sales agent or other real estate professional when getting your start in real estate and seeking employment with the best real estate companies to work for. To develop your skills for a career in real estate, consider enrolling in an online course. 

Online courses are a convenient and efficient way to learn foundational skills you’ll need to succeed in real estate. If you’re a new agent or interested in becoming an agent, consider enrolling in Keller Williams Real Estate Agent Professional Certificate, where you’ll have the chance to explore the essential principles of real estate necessary for a successful career.