Keller Williams Realty

What Keller Williams Realty does

Keller Williams Realty, LLC is a privately held real estate franchise company headquartered in Austin, Texas, founded in 1983 by Gary Keller. It operates the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count, with 130,000+ affiliated agents and brokerages, and is ranked #1 in the United States in both units and sales volume. The company serves two primary customer sets: residential, luxury, land, and commercial property buyers and sellers on the consumer side, and independent real estate agents and brokerage owners on the franchise side. Vertically organized sub-brands include KW Luxury, KW Land, KW Commercial, KW Worldwide, and Keller Home Loans, supported by the kw.com website (available in 30+ languages), iOS and Android mobile apps, and the Thrive KW agent recruitment platform. International operations are run through Keller Williams Worldwide (KWW), with master franchises in South Africa and Egypt and stated expansion ambitions across Africa, Central/South America, Central/Eastern Europe, and Asia; KWW reported $20.9B in 2025 sales volume across 84,500 units, up 21.4% year-over-year. The business model is licensing/royalty-based: independently owned offices pay franchise fees and royalties to operate under the Keller Williams brand, with the franchisor monetizing through technology access, training, marketing services, mortgage origination (Keller Home Loans), and event/media. The April 2026 acquisition of Michael Lewis Marketing Suite brought brand, design, and print services in-house, deepening franchisor control of the agent stack, while the April 2026 appointment of a first Chief Revenue Officer signals a move toward centralized revenue orchestration across the franchise ecosystem.

Name

Keller Williams Realty

Legal name

Keller Williams Realty, LLC

Website

https://kw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Keller Williams Realty is the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count, with 130,000+ affiliated agents and brokerages operating under a licensing model from its Austin, Texas headquarters. It serves residential, luxury, land, and commercial property buyers and sellers, and supplies agents with technology, training, marketing, and mortgage services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Brokerage Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB), Real Estate Buyer Representation (FSAEAJAG), Retail Residential Mortgage Brokers (Purchase & Refinance) (FSALABAA), Retail Brokerage (BPAJABAB)

Keywords

• Real estate franchise
• Residential brokerage
• Property search platform
• Luxury real estate
• Commercial real estate

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Domestic franchise operations: Franchise model with independently owned and operated offices operating under the Keller Williams brand. Each office pays franchise fees and adheres to brand standards.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Keller Williams Realty is a real estate franchise company that licenses its brand, technology, and operating systems to independently owned brokerage offices, enabling 130,000+ affiliated agents to deliver residential, luxury, land, and commercial property brokerage services to consumers. The company generates revenue through franchise fees and royalties paid by market centers, supported by ancillary services such as in-house mortgage lending (Keller Home Loans) and agent marketing services (Michael Lewis Marketing Suite).

Product overview

Keller Williams Realty operates a platform-plus-module architecture with KW.com as the core real estate search and agent discovery platform. The company offers specialized sub-brands for different property types: KW Luxury for high-value properties, KW Land for land listings, KW Commercial for commercial real estate, and KW Worldwide for international markets. Supporting modules include Keller Home Loans for mortgage services, a mobile app for on-demand property insights, agent recruitment (Thrive KW), event management (KW Events), charitable initiatives (KW Cares), next-generation agent support (KW Next Gen), and branded merchandise (KW Red Label). In April 2026, KW acquired Michael Lewis Marketing Suite to bring marketing services in-house.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KW Luxury: Luxury real estate services and property listings
• KW Land
• KW Commercial
• KW Worldwide
• Keller Home Loans

Products and services

• Keller Williams Franchise Operations Core franchise offering licensing the Keller Williams brand, technology, and operating systems to independently owned and operated brokerage offices across the U.S. and international markets, enabling 130,000+ affiliated agents to deliver real estate brokerage services.
• Keller Home Loans Mortgage origination and home loan services platform providing financing solutions for residential property buyers, offering faster loan approval and stronger purchase offers through integration with KW agents.
• KW Luxury Specialized platform and service for luxury residential real estate properties, targeting high-value transactions and high-net-worth clients.
• KW Land Dedicated platform for land and acreage real estate listings, serving buyers and sellers of undeveloped, agricultural, or development land.
• KW Commercial Commercial real estate platform and service for office, retail, industrial, and multifamily property transactions.
• KW Worldwide International real estate platform covering markets outside the U.S. and Canada, supporting global property searches, agent connections, and master franchise operations in regions including Africa, Central/South America, Central/Eastern Europe, and Asia.
• Michael Lewis Marketing Suite (MLMS) Marketing Services In-house marketing services platform providing brand strategy, graphic design, print solutions, and consulting to KW-affiliated real estate agents and brokerages, with plans to deploy solutions across the franchise network by end of Q3 2026.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Michael Lewis Marketing Suite (MLMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026MLMS is a marketing services partner founded in 2013 supporting over 130,000 KW-affiliated real estate agents and brokerages. Provides brand strategy, graphic design, print solutions, and consulting. Delivered more than 800 custom designs for the franchise. Acquisition brings MLMS fully in-house as part of Keller Williams core marketing platform.
• RED and ANCHOR Development & ManagementflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 February 2026Strategic partnership awarded master franchise in Egypt. RED becomes the first franchise office in Egypt in Q1 2026. Egypt marks KW's second master franchise in Africa following South Africa. Partnership positioned as transformational step for Egyptian real estate market.
• South Africa (Master Franchise)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst master franchise in Africa, preceding Egypt expansion. KW positioning Africa as key growth market.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Redfin: Redfin is a technology-led residential brokerage with a discount commission model and direct consumer portal. It represents an emerging competitive threat on both the consumer and agent side, particularly as transaction volumes shift online.
• Compass: Compass is a technology-driven residential brokerage that has invested heavily in agent tools, marketing, and platform capabilities. It is an emerging competitor targeting high-producing agents who might otherwise join or remain at Keller Williams.

Direct peers

• RE/MAX: RE/MAX is one of the largest global residential real estate franchise networks, operating a similar agent-centric franchise model. It is the closest direct comparable to Keller Williams in terms of agent recruitment, brand-led franchising, and international footprint.
• eXp Realty: eXp Realty is a cloud-based, agent-centric brokerage that has rapidly scaled a global agent network with a low-overhead franchise-like model. It directly competes with Keller Williams for agent recruitment and retention using a differentiated tech-forward operating model.
• Coldwell Banker: Coldwell Banker is a major traditional residential real estate franchise with deep brand recognition and franchise operations across the U.S. and internationally. It competes directly with Keller Williams for agents and franchisees in residential brokerage.
• Sotheby's International Realty: Sotheby's International Realty is a luxury-focused real estate franchise network. It directly competes with KW Luxury in the high-end residential segment, where Keller Williams has built a meaningful but more diversified presence.
• Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate: Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a franchised residential brokerage network with a recognized consumer brand. It competes with Keller Williams for franchisees and agents, particularly in mid-market and suburban geographies.
• Century 21 Real Estate: Century 21 operates a global franchise model for residential real estate brokerage with similar agent recruitment and brand-led economics. It is a direct competitor in traditional residential brokerage franchising.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a major U.S. residential real estate franchise network competing directly for agents and listings, with a parent (HomeServices of America) that has also been involved in commission-related litigation affecting the industry.

Broad incumbents

• HomeServices of America: HomeServices of America is the parent of multiple residential brokerage brands (including Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices) and operates at scale across the U.S. It is a broad incumbent competing with Keller Williams through multi-brand franchise and owned-brokerage operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kwri
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kellerwilliams
• Facebookfacebook.com/KellerWilliamsRealty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keller-williams-realty-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/kellerwilliamsrealty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keller Williams Realty