REALTOR^® Magazine’s Top 100 Companies

The big players in residential real estate got there by consolidating, innovating--and operating like No. 1.

Innovation. A drive to excel. A passion to be the best. A willingness to dare. A love of the community.

Those are the qualities that come shining through in the residential real estate companies on REALTOR^® Magazine’s Top 100 Companies list, ranked by transaction sides closed in 1999.

Our survey reflects an industry in the glow of health: 1999 was a year in which U.S. home sales reached a fourth consecutive record high. In the midst of that spurt, the industry has consolidated--not into a few national companies, as some had predicted, but into regional powerhouses. Only one company, No. 1 NRT Inc., is truly national.

Why the concentration on the biggest? Bigger doesn’t always mean best, but the sheer volume of these companies makes them the ones to compete with. By their very size, they establish the trends and set the rules by which others have to play.

The survey yielded some interesting data not revealed in the list. First, there’s a youngish air to these high achievers. More than 60 percent were founded in the last 40 years, and 27 percent were founded in the last 20 years. Second, the Top 100 are on the high-tech cutting edge. All but two have Web sites, a quarter of the companies say they’re already managing real estate transactions online, and 27 percent say they’ll have an e-commerce platform running by the end of this year.

To get beyond the numbers and look at qualitative measures that set these giants apart, we’ve plumbed the list and profiled five companies that are growing through methods ranging from aggressive consolidation and diversification to public sale of stock. All five are evidence of how the industry’s top companies have made their mark.

Our methodology: In January we mailed questionnaires to approximately 200 real estate companies whose past record established them as companies of high performance. We followed up with phone calls and faxes to ensure the highest response rate possible. To help warrant the accuracy of the information, we required that all participating companies supply us with verification of key data from outside sources. Those that didn’t respond or comply weren’t considered for this report.
--Lucien Salvant, managing editor, special projects
Top 100 Companies

	Company	Location	Top Officer	1999 Transaction Sides Closed	1999 Sales Volume	No. of Offices	No. of Salespeople
1	NRT Inc.	Parsippany, N.J.	Bob Becker	362,368	$94.4 billion	725	32,705
2	Homeservices.com	Edina, Minn.	Ronald J. Peltier	93,593	$13.8 billion	160	6,350
3	Weichert,REALTORS®	Morris Plains, N.J.	James M. Weichert	77,100	$17.2 billion	200	7,300
4	Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.	Fairfax, Va.	P. Wesley Foster Jr.	64,189	$11.8 billion	139	6,105
5	Windermere Real Estate	Seattle	John W. Jacobi et al.	37,641	$10.2 billion	68	2,489
6	Prudential California/Americana/John Aaroe/REALTORS®	Del Mar, Calif.	Stephen C. Games	36,103	$10.1 billion	75	3,174
7	Prudential Fox & Roach, REALTORS®	Devon, Pa.	Larry Flick	34,528	$6.9 billion	65	3,600
8	Arvida Realty Services	Clearwater, Fla.	Richard W. Cope	34,526	$6.5 billion	95	2,959
9	Realty Executives of Phoenix	Phoenix	John Foltz	28,000	$4.3 billion	20	1,150
10	The DeWolfe Co. Inc.	Lexington, Mass.	Richard B. DeWolfe	25,654	$5.5 billion	101	2,200
11	Gundaker, REALTORS®	St. Louis	Gordon Gundaker	22,716	$3.2 billion	32	2,000
12	Crye-Leike Inc.	Memphis, Tenn	Harold Crye	21,486	$3 billion	46	2,200
13	John L. Scott Real Estate	Bellevue, Wash.	J. Lennox Scott	21,351	$4.7 billion	35	1,375
14	Realty One Inc.	Cleveland	Joseph T. Aveni	20,461	$3 billion	46	1,506
15	Ebby Halliday, REALTORS®	Dallas	Mary Frances Burleson	16,984	$3.1 billion	25	1,041
16	RE/MAX Greater Atlanta	Atlanta	Lee A. Finch	16,882	$3.3 billion	13	780
17	Allen Tate Co. Inc.	Charlotte, N.C.	Allen Tate Jr.	14,576	$2.9 billion	16	702
18	Real Estate One Inc.	Farmington Hills, Mich.	Richard Elsea	14,283	$2.4 billion	39	1,300
19	Watson Realty Corp.	Jacksonville, Fla.	William A. Watson Jr.	14,145	$1.7 billion	40	1,005
20	Smythe, Cramer Co.	Seven Hills, Ohio	Lucius B. McKelvey	13,544	$2.3 billion	34	892
21	HSM Residential Ltd (dba Henry S. Miller, REALTORS®)	Dallas	Heidi Holman	12,700	$2.4 billion	31	1,000
22	Richard Smith Co.	Bryan, Texas	Richard A. Smith	12,680	$1.7 billion	25	650
23	Howard Hanna Co.	Pittsburgh	Howard W. Hanna III	12,135	$1.7 billion	42	957
24	Coldwell Banker Success Realty	Scottsdale, Ariz.	Robert K. McCord	12,103	$2.3 billion	19	1,150
25	Prudential Calif. Realty and Prudential Nevada Realty	Walnut Creek, Calif.	A. David Cobo	11,622	$3.3 billion	42	1,539
26	Prudential Connecticut Realty	Rocky Hill, Conn.	Peter G. Helie	11,445	$2.9 billion	34	880
27	Fred Sands, REALTORS®	Los Angeles	Fred C. Sands	11,342	$5 billion	23	1,236
28	Northside Realty	Terry E. Morris	11,283	$2.1 billion	19	825
29	HER, REALTORS®	Columbus, Ohio	Harley Rouda Jr.	11,000	$1.5 billion	25	475
30	JRHBW Realty Inc. (dba RealtySouth)	Birmingham, Ala.	Robert E. Reed	10,274	$1.6 billion	18	750
31	RE/MAX Alliance	Arvada, Colo.	Charles S. Ochsner	10,153	$2 billion	12	460
32	Sibcy Cline Inc.	Cincinnati	Robert N. Sibcy	9,745	$1.6 billion	16	900
33	Century 21 Town & Country	Sterling Heights, Mich.	John R. Kersten	9,422	$1.6 billion	10	700
34	William Raveis Real Estate & Home Services Inc.	Shelton, Conn.	William M. Raveis Jr.	9,395	$2.5 billion	37	995
35	First Team Real Estate Inc.	Costa Mesa, Calif.	Cameron Merage	9,080	$2.7 billion	19	1,016
36	Howard Perry & Walston Realty Inc.	Raleigh, N.C.	Don Walston	8,666	$1.5 billion	14	600
37	William L. Lyon & Associates Inc.	Sacramento, Calif.	Michael P. Lyon	8,602	$1.6 billion	9	485
38	John Hall & Associates Inc.	Phoenix	James J. Sexton	8,550	$1.3 billion	5	700
39	Prudential Atlanta/Georgia Realty	Roswell, Ga.	Daniel T. Forsman	8,439	$1.5 billion	26	799
40	Harry Norman, REALTORS®	Atlanta	J. Lewis Glenn	8,421	$2.5 billion	16	800
41	Coldwell Banker Stevens, REALTORS®	Vienna, Va.	Thomas M. Stevens	8,109	$1.7 billion	26	1,245
42	Stovroff Realty	Williamsville, N.Y.	Merle L. Whitehead	8,014	$822.9 million	17	700
43	Fonville Morisey Realty Inc.	Raleigh, N.C.	John C. Morisey Jr.	7,992	$1.5 billion	11	480
44	Nothnagle, REALTORS®	Rochester, N.Y.	Philip R. Nothnagle	7,974	$778.4 million	17	512
45	Coldwell Banker Bain Associates	Bellevue, Wash.	William Riss	7,707	$2.6 billion	13	593
46	William E. Wood & Associates	Virginia Beach, Va.	Richard B. Thurmond	7,579	$1.1 billion	14	420
47	Koenig & Strey Inc.	Wilmette, Ill.	Thomas Koenig	7,280	$2.6 billion	11	571
48	Jack Gaughen, REALTORS®, ERA	Camp Hill, Pa.	James E. Grandon Jr.	7,104	$867.5 million	20	451
49	Alain Pinel, REALTORS®	Saratoga, Calif.	Carole Rodoni	7,099	$5 billion	23	825
50	Coldwell Banker Schweitzer Real Estate	Sterling Heights, Mich.	Paul R. Schweitzer	6,970	$1.3 billion	17	557
51	Prudential Gary Greene, REALTORS®	Houston	Marilyn Eiland	6,904	$951.8 million	20	900
52	King Thompson, REALTORS®	Dublin, Ohio	Patrick M. Grabill	6,685	$1.1 billion	17	543
53	The William T. Beazley Co.	New Haven, Conn.	Gregory Scott	6,454	$734.8 million	22	515
54	NP Dodge Co.	Omaha, Neb.	Mike Riedmann	6,292	$835.5 million	10	350
55	Prudential Preferred Properties N.M./Ariz.	Albuquerque, N.M.	Bill E. Hooten	6,273	$875.2 million	16	897
56	Prudential Preferred Realty	Pittsburgh	Ron Croushore	6,255	$952 million	22	550
57	Prudential Long Island	S. Huntington, N.Y.	Carll Burr III	6,084	$1.4 billion	37	955
58	T. Mansell & Associates Inc.	Midvale, Utah	L. Alma Mansell	5,948	$954 million	15	567
59	Hunt Real Estate Corp.	Williamsville, N.Y.	Peter F. Hunt	5,948	$573.2 million	13	480
60	Coldwell Banker Grempler Realty Inc.	Towson, Md.	Donald R. Grempler	5,857	$867.9 million	22	826
61	Greenridge Realty Inc.	Grand Rapids, Mich.	Thomas P. Paarlberg	5,659	$695.9 million	14	355
62	Northwood Realty Co./BH&G	Pittsburgh	Tex Weston	5,489	$583.9 million	29	645
63	Frontier Real Estate Inc./BH&G	Lakewood, Colo.	Stephen W. Waters	5,415	$901.1 million	8	767
64	Mel Foster Co. Inc	Davenport, Iowa	Rob Fick	5,359	$540.6 million	17	341
65	RE/MAX Partners	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.	Larry Revier	5,254	$767.4 million	5	235
66	Coldwell Banker Home Sales Services Group	Lancaster, Pa.	Douglas Rebert et al.	5,173	$631 million	11	340
67	Westdale BH&G	Grand Rapids, Mich.	Karin Westdale	5,076	$532.5 million	17	360
68	Coldwell Banker Schmidt, REALTORS®	Traverse City, Mich.	Ken. A. Schmidt	4,978	$601.3 million	16	340
69	Star One, REALTORS®	Cincinnati	George L. Meinhardt	4,974	$765 million	10	337
70	Home Real Estate	Lincoln, Neb.	Thomas G. Schleich	4,921	$525.2 million	6	310
71	Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group Inc.	Appleton, Wis.	Joyce Bytof	4,892	$530.5 million	12	230
72	Prudential Carruthers, REALTORS®	Fairfax, Va.	J. Thomas Carruthers	4,877	$934.8 million	23	437
73	Tomlinson Group of Cos.	Coeur d’Alene, Idaho	Robert H. Tomlinson	4,871	$512.5 million	7	298
74	Coldwell Banker Triad, REALTORS®	Winston-Salem, N.C.	Beverly H. Godfrey	4,822	$629.1 million	10	275
75	RE/MAX Suburban	Mount Prospect, Ill.	Robert J. Baker et al.	4,777	$950.6 million	7	224
76	Counselor Realty Inc.	Spring Lake Park, Minn.	Kenneth E. Kunzman	4,700	$746.2 million	8	298
77	Jack Conway & Co. Inc.	Norwell, Mass.	Jack Conway	4,427	$761.2 million	34	550
78	RE/MAX Plano, N. Dallas, Premier Properties	Plano, Texas	C. Don Dahlberg	4,403	$678.2 million	3	159
79	Houlihan Lawrence Inc.	Bronxville, N.Y.	Stephen R. Meyers	4,394	$1.7 billion	23	600
80	Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group Inc.	Portland, Ore.	Brian Allen	4,370	$989.2 million	16	350
81	RE/MAX Real Estate Services	Mission Viejo, Calif.	Gary Thomas	4,349	$1.4 billion	7	320
82	Realty Executives of Nevada	Las Vegas	Charles J. Moore	4,349	$720.4 million	4	230
83	Woods Bros. Realty Inc.	Lincoln, Neb.	Pace Woods	4,308	$478 million	8	270
84	The Corcoran Group Inc.	New York	Barbara Corcoran	4,200	$2 billion	12	500
85	Century 21 Judge Fite Co.	Dallas	Jim Fite	4,170	$413.9 million	9	302
86	RE/MAX Realty 100	Milwaukee	Jeffrey A. Benson et al.	4,088	$516.4 million	4	155
87	First Weber Group	Madison, Wis.	James R. Imhoff Jr.	4,083	$599 million	16	270
88	RE/MAX of Atlanta	Tucker, Ga.	Robert K. Sacre	3,997	$603 million	2	225
89	Century 21 Dabbs	Orland Park, Ill.	Karen Capriotti	3,988	$538 million	9	571
90	The Hasson Co., REALTORS®	Lake Oswego, Ore.	Michael J. Hasson	3,882	$948.1 million	5	175
91	Coldwell Banker Honig-Bell	Lockport, Ill.	Ed Prodehl	3,840	$529 million	14	362
92	Dilbeck Inc.	La Canada, Calif.	Mark Dilbeck	3,776	$1.1 billion	11	420
93	RE/MAX DFW Associates	Coppell, Texas	Mark Wolfe	3,741	$690 million	3	132
94	Ken Meade Realty Inc.	Sun City, Ariz.	Steven K. Meade	3,738	$425.2 million	4	350
95	Prudential Chamberlain- Stiehl, REALTORS®	Grand Blanc, Mich.	Daniel E. Stiehl	3,521	$601.9 million	14	260
96	Coldwell Banker Heritage, REALTORS®	Dayton, Ohio	Jack Fitzgerald	3,521	$438.6 million	9	230
97	Jenny Pruitt & Associates Inc.	Atlanta	Jenny Pruitt	3,507	$861 million	5	262
98	Perry & Butler Realty Inc.	Denver	Joe Jurshak	3,486	$641.8 million	10	302
99	RE/MAX of Eastern Jackson County	Independence, Mo.	T. David Rogers	3,460	$352.7 million	4	140
100	Coldwell Banker Hunter Realty	Beachwood, Ohio	Ed Dolinsky	3,439	$438.4 million	20	496