Railey Realty

What Railey Realty does

Railey Realty is a privately held residential and vacation-home brokerage founded in 1974 and headquartered in McHenry, Maryland, operating primarily in Garrett County and the Deep Creek Lake resort market with an extension into North Central West Virginia. The firm provides traditional full-service buyer and seller representation through a roster of 45+ licensed agents averaging 20 years of experience, organized around a single corporate entity (Railey Realty, Inc) co-owned by Jimmy Railey Jr. and Jon Bell. Its stated market position is dominant in its niche: in 2020 it represented 77% of all lakefront transactions at Deep Creek Lake, and it self-describes as outselling local competition nearly threefold.

The core product surface is a BRIGHT MLS-integrated property search platform (powered by Union Street Media) supporting filtering by property type, amenities, water access (lakefront, lake access, lake area), price, and geography, with map search and email alerts for registered users. Around this platform the firm layers ancillary services including buyer/seller representation, TVRU license assistance, 1031 exchange support, vacation home financing guidance, a local service-provider directory, and a market-report tool covering Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. An affiliated sub-brand, Railey Vacations, manages short-term rental properties at 17.5-20% of gross rents, providing a recurring-revenue complement to the brokerage commission model.

Revenue is generated from real estate brokerage commissions on buy-side and sell-side transactions (negotiated, not publicly disclosed) plus property management fees on vacation rentals. Distribution is field-led: agents provide free property tours seven days a week, supplemented by a multi-channel marketing footprint across website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter), an email newsletter (Resort Report), and Issuu-hosted seasonal property catalogs. The firm reports no external institutional investment, no subsidiaries beyond the Railey Vacations affiliation, and no M&A, restructuring, or leadership-change events in the available data.

Name

Railey Realty

Legal name

Railey Realty, Inc

Website

https://railey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Railey Realty is a privately held, 50-year-old residential and vacation-home brokerage serving the Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County, Maryland market with 45+ agents, BRIGHT MLS-integrated search, and an affiliated vacation rental management arm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Brokerage (Buy/Sell) (FSAEAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Investment Property Brokerage (SFR/Small Multifamily) (BPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Real estate brokerage
• Vacation rentals
• Residential sales
• Property management
• Lake properties

Headquarters

HQ city

Mchenry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Commission: Traditional real estate brokerage commissions on property buy-side and sell-side transactions. Agents represent buyers and sellers for all property types including homes, condos, townhomes, lots, land, commercial, and large acreage properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Railey Realty is a residential real estate brokerage serving the Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County, Maryland market, listing, marketing, and closing sales of lake-area homes and properties. The firm also operates a vacation rental arm, Railey Vacations, which markets and manages short-term rental homes in the same region. Together, the brokerage and rental division form an integrated lake-property sales and hospitality offering anchored in a single local market.

Product overview

Railey Realty is a real estate brokerage specializing in Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County, Maryland, offering a comprehensive property search platform and full-service buyer and seller representation. The core offering is an MLS-based property listing search engine with advanced filtering for lakefront, lake access, lake area, Wisp Resort area, log homes, townhomes, condos, lots/land, commercial, luxury, and large acreage properties. The platform integrates with BRIGHT MLS for real estate data. Railey Realty also provides affiliated vacation rental management through Railey Vacations, local service provider referrals, market analysis tools, and buyer/seller services including financing guidance, TVRU license assistance, and 1031 exchange support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential real estate brokerage Listing, marketing, and brokerage services for buyers and sellers of homes and properties in the Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County, Maryland market, delivered through a staff of 45+ agents.
• Railey Vacations (vacation rental management)

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% market share of lakefront transactions (2020)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BRIGHT MLScoreTechnology or IntegrationBRIGHT Internet Data Exchange program participant. Real estate listing data is exchanged through the BRIGHT MLS system, a voluntary cooperative exchange of property listing data between licensed real estate brokerage firms.
• Railey VacationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVacation rental property management affiliate (Railey Vacations at deepcreek.com). Manages vacation rental properties for homeowners with 17.5-20% management fee. Handles marketing, bookings, guest services, and property maintenance for vacation rental homes.
• Deep Creek Lake Service Providers NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurated network of 50+ local service providers recommended to clients including inspectors, lenders, contractors, landscapers, property managers, marinas, and utility companies. Referrals help clients with post-closing support and property maintenance.
• Local Mortgage LendersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended local lenders specializing in vacation home financing including Mlend, BB&T Home Mortgage, Clear Mountain Bank, First United Bank & Trust, and Tidewater Mortgage. Local lenders familiar with Deep Creek market are recommended over internet lenders.
• Local Title CompaniesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended title and settlement companies including Deep Creek Title, Craig Ingram & Company, and J. Gregory Law Firm for closing services in Maryland.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Evolve Vacation Rental: Tech-enabled vacation rental manager with a lighter-touch, lower-fee model competing with traditional local rental managers like Railey Vacations in resort markets.
• Redfin: Tech-enabled residential brokerage pressuring traditional commission-based models. Comparable to Railey as a residential real estate brokerage serving buyers and sellers, but with a national digital platform and lower-cost structure.

Broad incumbents

• RE/MAX: Global franchise brokerage with extensive presence in vacation and resort markets. Comparable business model as a transaction-based residential brokerage, though operating at much greater scale than Railey.
• Sotheby's International Realty: Luxury-focused global brokerage with deep presence in lakefront and vacation home segments. Comparable to Railey in catering to high-net-worth vacation-home buyers, but with an international brand and luxury positioning.
• Century 21: Global franchise brokerage with broad vacation and resort market coverage. Comparable to Railey as a residential real estate intermediary serving buyers and sellers, but with much wider geographic reach.
• Keller Williams Realty: Largest US real estate franchise by agent count, with agents in resort and vacation home markets. Comparable as a residential brokerage model, but with national infrastructure and tech investments.
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices: Large national real estate franchise with vacation and resort market penetration. Comparable to Railey as a residential brokerage serving second-home buyers, but with brand reach across multiple geographies.
• Coldwell Banker: National franchise brokerage with strong vacation and luxury home divisions competing in resort markets. Comparable to Railey in offering residential brokerage services but with national scale rather than local specialization.

Direct peers

• Vacasa: Largest US vacation rental management company, directly comparable to Railey Vacations (deepcreek.com) in managing short-term rentals on a fee basis. Strongly comparable on the recurring-rental-revenue side of Railey's business.
• Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Real Estate: Direct local competitor at Deep Creek Lake, offering both vacation rental management and real estate brokerage services in the same Garrett County market. Operates the same combined brokerage-plus-rental model that Railey uses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/raileyrealty
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RaileyRealtyMcHenry
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeepCreekLakeRealEstate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/raileyrealty
• Instagraminstagram.com/raileyrealty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Railey Realty