If you’re looking for a real estate company to help you navigate the process of buying or selling a home, you have a lot of options — there are more than 100,000 firms in the U.S., according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). With so many choices, it can be tough to figure out which one is right for you.
While bigger isn’t necessarily better, size does speak volumes in the business of selling homes: Bigger companies tend to produce more transactions each year. Read on to learn more about the top-producing companies and biggest real estate brokerages in the U.S.
Top 10 largest real estate companies
Most real estate deals in the country are heavily concentrated among a handful firms that have an outsize presence in the market. These are the 10 largest real estate companies based on total sales volume according to RealTrends, a company that monitors agent activity.
1. Compass
- Headquarters: New York, NY
- Number of agents: More than 33,000
- Locations served: 96 markets
Compass has only been around since 2012, but the NYC–based company has certainly fast-tracked its growth in just over a decade. In 2024, its agents produced more than $231 billion in transaction volume out of more than 400 offices all across the country.
2. Anywhere Advisors
- Headquarters: Madison, NJ
- Number of agents: Around 179,200
- Locations served: More than 50 metro areas
You might not recognize the name Anywhere from local yard signs, but you’re likely familiar with the brokerage firms it owns and operates: Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Sotheby’s International, Corcoran and Better Homes and Gardens. The company’s vast network of agents produced nearly $184 billion in transactions in 2024.
3. eXp Realty
- Headquarters: Bellingham, WA
- Number of agents: Around 83,000
- Locations served: All 50 states
This firm refers to itself as a “cloud-based brokerage,” which basically means it doesn’t emphasize the need to operate as many physical office locations. Agents from eXp represented the largest number of transactions in 2024 — more than 350,000 — while producing the third-highest dollar volume, upwards of $152.6 billion.
4. HomeServices of America
- Headquarters: Eden Prairie, MN
- Number of agents: 37,700
- Locations served: 33 states
HomeServices includes an expansive network of local brokerage firms, many of which are affiliates of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. The company isn’t limited to major metro areas, either: For example, RealtySouth operates branches across the state of Alabama, while another firm, Woods Bros Realty, covers all of Nebraska. In total, HomeServices did more than $136.6 billion of business in 2024.
5. The Real Brokerage, Inc.
- Headquarters: Miami, FL
- Number of agents: Around 26,000
- Locations served: All 50 states
This tech-forward company founded in 2014 is growing fast, adding more than 10,000 new agents last year. Real agents in the U.S. (the company also operates in Canada) produced more than $42 billion in deals in 2024.
6. Douglas Elliman
- Headquarters: New York, NY
- Number of agents: 6,600
- Locations served: Luxury markets in 12+ states
Aspen, Malibu, Miami and more — Douglas Elliman deals in high-end properties and luxury markets. In addition to existing-home sales, the company also handles new-development properties from brands like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Auberge Resorts. In 2024, Elliman agents produced more than $36 billion of transactions.
7. Hanna Holdings
- Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA
- Number of agents: Around 15,000
- Locations served: 13 states
Hanna Holdings is the owner of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, which was founded in Pittsburgh in 1957 and remains family-owned to this day — though it now boasts more than 500 offices across the East Coast and Midwest. In 2024, Hanna agents were part of more than 92,000 transactions valued at over $33.7 billion.
8. Redfin
- Headquarters: Seattle, WA
- Number of agents: About 1,765 “lead agents”
- Locations served: About 100 markets
Redfin may be best known as a scroll-worthy listing portal, but this high-profile company also employs real estate agents who can help you buy or sell those properties. (It has a rentals business as well.) Even with far fewer agents than some of the biggest firms, Redfin still managed to do more than $29 billion in volume last year.
9. Side
- Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
- Number of agents: 500+ partner companies
- Locations served: 17 states
Agents don’t technically work for Side; they work with the platform in a partnership model. So while you probably won’t see “Side” listed on a yard sign, you will see the names of independent partners like Beyond Realty in Sarasota, Florida, or Clareo Real Estate in Marietta, Georgia. The company’s network produced close to $24 billion in transaction volume in 2024.
10. United Real Estate
- Headquarters: Dallas, TX
- Number of agents: Around 22,000
- Locations served: 35 states
Billing itself as the fastest-growing brokerage in the country, United Real Estate operates a family of realty companies including Benchmark, Leading Edge, Pearson Smith, Platinum and more. In 2024, the company’s agents were responsible for more than $20 billion in transactions.
Can I buy or sell a house without a real estate agent?
Do you absolutely have to have an agent to sell your house? Nope. What about if you’re trying to purchase a new one? Same answer. You do not need a real estate agent to buy or sell a home — however, just because you can go it alone doesn’t mean you should.
The housing market is very complex, with plenty of details and paperwork to manage, and you’ll need to be a smart negotiator no matter which side of the bargaining table you’re sitting on. It’s why the vast majority of people rely on an agent’s expertise to navigate the process: NAR data shows that 88 percent of buyers purchased a home with the help of an agent or broker, while 90 percent of sellers turned to an agent.
How to find an agent
Finding a real estate agent is pretty easy — but finding the right agent for you requires a bit more work. Ask friends and colleagues for recommendations, and do some research in your area to see which names keep popping up on new listings. Set up interviews with your top candidates, and ask each of them for perspectives on the current market in your area and their strategies for helping you buy or sell a home. You’re going to need to sign a contract with them, so do your research to make sure you feel good before you put your name on the dotted line.
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