What CREA Real Estate does

CREA Real Estate LLC is a privately held, founder-operated real estate brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, providing integrated real estate services to individuals, families, investors, and businesses across the Rocky Mountain region. The firm operates as a Private Client Services model, working through specialized teams to deliver brokerage, lease representation, property management, development management, and investment advisory services spanning residential, commercial, healthcare, retail, office, industrial, multi-family, and outdoor/land property types. The company generates revenue primarily through transaction commissions on completed real estate deals, supplemented by professional services fees for development consulting, property management, and investment advisory engagements; pricing is negotiated on a per-transaction basis and not publicly disclosed.

Founded in 2012 with roots tracing back to Michael D. Ackerman's 1992 founding of Alpine West Homes, CREA has built a portfolio of completed redevelopment projects including the Thrive! Healthcare Building in Denver (acquired for $1.45M, grown to $8.85M value) and the National Park Village retail center in Estes Park ($5M, property value doubled within 10 months). The firm operates without proprietary technology platforms or AI systems, relying instead on direct broker engagement, professional association memberships (NAR, CAR, ICSC, CCIM, RLI, BARA, DMCAR), and relationships with institutional partners such as Wells Fargo and platform providers like CoStar and LoopNet. Its GTM motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, with a 1-10 person team that emphasizes fiduciary representation and personalized service over scaled distribution channels.

Name

CREA Real Estate

Legal name

CREA Real Estate LLC

Website

https://creaproperties.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CREA Real Estate is a privately held Boulder, Colorado brokerage and advisory firm providing integrated residential, commercial, healthcare, and land real estate services to individuals, investors, and businesses across the Rocky Mountain region through a small founder-led team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Brokerage Services

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)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA), Commercial Real Estate Asset Management (BPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Residential real estate brokerage
• Commercial property services
• Property management services
• Real estate development advisory
• Investment property sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Brokerage: Traditional real estate brokerage services including buying, selling, and leasing of residential and commercial properties. Revenue generated through commissions on completed transactions.
2. Development Management: Development consulting and project management services for clients throughout acquisition, finance, development, leasing, operation and sale of properties.
3. Property Management: Property management services including tenant screening, lease negotiation, rent collection, financial management, vendor coordination, and 24/7 emergency maintenance coverage.
4. Investment Advisory: Investment program design balancing net operating income, value appreciation, and client value maximization. Includes tenant representation and lease negotiation services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CREA Real Estate is a Private Client Services Firm providing integrated real estate services to individuals, families, investors, and businesses. Core offerings include real estate brokerage, lease representation, property management, owner's representation during finance and development, and consulting across residential, commercial, retail, healthcare, office, industrial, multi-family, land, and mixed-use property types in the Rocky Mountain region.

Product overview

CREA Real Estate is a Private Client Services Firm providing integrated real estate services through multiple interconnected service offerings. The core portfolio includes Real Estate Brokerage and Lease Representation as the primary transactional services, supported by Property Management and Investment Services. Specialized divisions address specific property types: Residential Projects handles family homes, vacation properties, and custom development; Outdoor Properties Group focuses on mountain, ranch, and land properties; Retail Property Services covers retail development and leasing; Healthcare Property Services manages medical office and healthcare facilities; and Office, Industrial, and Multi-Family Housing services address commercial segments. Development Management and Land Brokerage provide advisory and transactional support across all property types. The firm serves individuals, families, investors, businesses, nonprofits, and government entities throughout the US.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Brokerage Core brokerage services for buying and selling residential and commercial properties, providing fiduciary representation and market intelligence to clients.
• Lease Representation

Quantifiable outcome

• Thrive! Healthcare Building doubled in value from $1.45M to $8.85M within approximately 2 years (2011-2013)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Keller WilliamsminorOthersMichael Ackerman served concurrently as Managing Director, KW Commercial Real Estate, from startup through the first few years of its growth. KWCRE was designed to regulate, train, provide compliance and manage commercial real estate assignments and transactions of over 5,000 Agents Keller Williams in the Rocky Mountain region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate: Vail Valley-based Colorado brokerage specializing in luxury mountain, ranch, and resort properties. Comparable given overlap with CREA's Outdoor Properties Group in serving high-net-worth buyers of land, estates, and recreation properties in Colorado.
• Colorado Landmark Realtors: Long-standing Boulder County real estate firm offering residential sales, commercial, and property management. Comparable as a similarly sized local brokerage competing for the same Boulder buyer/seller pool with overlapping service offerings.
• WK Real Estate: Boulder-based boutique residential and commercial brokerage serving the Colorado Front Range. Highly comparable to CREA given shared Boulder footprint, integrated brokerage/property management model, and similar high-touch private client service positioning.

Emerging players

• Compass: Tech-enabled national real estate brokerage expanding aggressively in luxury markets including Boulder/Denver. Comparable as a competitor for both listings and agent talent, with a fundamentally different technology-led GTM model threatening traditional brokerages like CREA.
• Redfin: Tech-enabled residential brokerage and portal operating in Denver metro. Comparable as a competitor for residential listing share and buyer leads, and a structural disruptor to commission economics relevant to CREA's residential book.

Broad incumbents

• Coldwell Banker Realty: National residential real estate franchise with deep Boulder/Denver market presence. Comparable as a competitor for residential listings and luxury transactions in the same Colorado geography.
• Marcus & Millichap: National commercial real estate investment sales brokerage. Comparable to the commercial investment advisory side of CREA's business, particularly for multifamily, retail, and mixed-use investment property transactions in Colorado.
• RE/MAX of Boulder: Established national franchise brokerage with strong Boulder/Colorado presence. Comparable as a competitor for the same local listings and buyers, though broader in scale and geographic scope than CREA's boutique model.
• Newmark Group: Full-service commercial real estate advisory and brokerage firm. Comparable to CREA's commercial development, leasing, and investment advisory services for office, healthcare, retail, and mixed-use assets at a much larger institutional scale.

Regional players

• LIV Sotheby's International Realty: Colorado-focused luxury brokerage affiliated with Sotheby's International Realty network. Comparable as a competitor in Colorado luxury residential and estate segments, particularly against CREA's high-end residential projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/crearealestatellc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crea-real-estate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 CREA Real Estate