CRN

What CRN does

CRN (Clasmo) is a real estate franchise brand headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, founded in 2009 and operating exclusively across the six prefectures of the Kansai region (Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama). The company recruits small-to-medium real estate brokerage operators as franchisees, providing them the CLASMO brand, headquarters-routed customer lead referrals, operational technology, and supplementary revenue streams through bundled ancillary services. In 2023, CRN became a member of Housecom Group, a strategic operating company that runs more than 200 directly managed rental brokerage stores nationwide; CRN's franchisees gain access to Housecom's operational playbook, benchmark seminars, and bulk purchasing power through this affiliation.

The company's core technology stack centers on the Clasmo Partner System (CPS), a cloud-based property converter and listing management platform that handles property data entry, maintenance, and multi-portal syndication to external sites such as SUUMO and At Home. The clasmoBB add-on automates synchronization of CPS property data with those external portals. CRN also operates clasmo.jp, its own consumer-facing real estate search portal, on a pay-per-response basis (2,000 JPY per property inquiry, 1,000 JPY per concierge inquiry, excluding tax). The Clasmo Business Pack layers in pre-negotiated partnerships with insurance, moving, utility, renovation/reform vendors, and professional advisors (lawyers, social insurance labor attorneys, certified public accountants), enabling franchisees to generate supplementary commissions. Clasmo College provides franchisee training.

CRN's revenue model combines (i) one-time and recurring franchise fees from franchisees, (ii) usage-based response fees from clasmo.jp, (iii) margins or referral fees from Clasmo Business Pack vendor arrangements, and (iv) signboard/cost pass-through. Franchisees themselves earn brokerage commissions on rental and sales transactions. Go-to-market relies on a mix of mass media (TV and radio), digital advertising, the clasmo.jp portal for organic consumer traffic, and a LINE official account, with the contact form segmented by current operator status (real estate operating, non-real-estate operating, independent start-up) and limited to prospects in the Kansai region.

Name

CRN

Legal name

クラスモ (Clasmo)

Website

https://clasmo.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CRN (Clasmo) operates a real estate franchise brand headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, recruiting small-to-medium brokerage operators in the Kansai region and equipping them with the CLASMO brand, the Clasmo Partner System (CPS) listing platform, the clasmo.jp consumer portal, and a bundled Business Pack of ancillary services. Since 2023, CRN has operated as a member of Housecom Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Brokerage Commissions (Rental and Sales): The primary revenue stream for franchisees comes from rental and sales brokerage commissions charged to tenants, buyers, landlords, and sellers. The CLASMO brand enables both rental and sales transaction capabilities.
2. Clasmo Business Pack Supplementary Revenue: Headquarters negotiates bulk deals with third-party service providers (insurance, moving services, utility setup, reform services, etc.) on behalf of franchisees, who then earn markups or referral fees on these ancillary products sold to customers. This addresses the challenge of commission discounting competition.
3. Clasmo Portal Site Response Fees: clasmo.jp operates on a pay-per-lead model: property inquiry responses billed at 2,000 JPY per inquiry (excluding tax), concierge inquiry responses at 1,000 JPY per inquiry (excluding tax). Listing itself is free with no volume caps.
4. Franchise Fees: One-time franchise fee paid upon contract signing, plus signboard/construction costs borne by the franchisee. Annual franchise fees may apply upon renewal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CRN operates the Clasmo (クラスモ) real estate franchise brand, recruiting and supporting small-to-medium real estate brokers in Japan's Kansai region (Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama) for both rental and sales brokerage. The company provides franchisees with brand power, lead referrals, the Clasmo Partner System (CPS) for property listing management, the clasmo.jp portal site for consumer-facing property search, and the Clasmo Business Pack for ancillary revenue services.

Product overview

Clasmo is a real estate franchise brand offering rental and sales brokerage services, primarily focused on the Kansai region of Japan. The core product offering is the Clasmo Partner System (CPS), a property management and listing distribution system that franchisees use to manage property listings and synchronize them across multiple real estate portal sites. This is supported by the company-operated Clasmo Portal Site (clasmo.jp) for customer-facing property searches. The add-on service layer includes Clasmo Business Pack for bundled ancillary products and professional support, and Clasmo College for franchise training programs. Additionally, clasmoBB provides automatic synchronization capabilities that integrate with CPS to streamline property data entry and maintenance workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Brand awareness exceeds 60% in the Kansai region (self-reported survey by CRN)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ハウスコムグループ (Housecom Group / Hausuko Mu Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, CRN became a member of the Housecom Group, which operates more than 200 directly managed real estate rental brokerage stores nationwide. This parent relationship enables CRN to leverage Housecom's accumulated operational expertise, provide franchisees with benchmark seminars, and offer collective purchasing power through the Clasmo Business Pack. Housecom's proven playbook and brand scale strengthen CRN's franchise value proposition.
• シーアールエヌ (C.R.N)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC.R.N is credited as the founding partner for one of CRN's franchisee founders — specifically, the founder of 住宅宝庫 encountered the C.R.N founder when discussing collective advertising strategies among real estate operators. C.R.N's encouragement led to the formation of the franchise arrangement that created CLASMO.
• Professional Services Partners (Legal, Accounting, HR Advisory — 士業)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCRN's Clasmo Business Pack includes pre-negotiated advisory partnerships with lawyers (弁護士), social insurance labor attorneys (社会保険労務士), and certified public accountants (公認会計士). These professionals serve as dedicated consulting contacts for franchisees on legal compliance, employment regulations, accounting, and contract dispute matters — services that would be cost-prohibitive for individual small brokers to secure independently.
• Clasmo Business Pack Vendors (Ancillary Service Providers)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCRN headquarters enters into business partnership agreements with third-party vendors including insurance providers, moving companies, utility setup services, and renovation/reform contractors. Franchises access these vendors through the Business Pack at bulk-negotiated rates, then resell or recommend services to their end customers, generating supplementary revenue.
• Real Estate Education Institutions (不動産教育機関)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrior to joining Housecom Group, CRN had partnerships with real estate education institutions to provide training content to franchisees. After Housecom Group membership, training offerings expanded to include Housecom's proprietary brokerage training programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Leopalace21 Corporation: Large Japanese rental housing provider and brokerage operator with both directly managed stores and corporate-owned properties. Comparable as a nationwide scale player competing for tenant mindshare in the same rental brokerage category as CRN's franchisees.
• LIFULL Co., Ltd. (HOME'S): Operator of one of Japan's largest real estate portal sites (LIFULL HOME'S). Comparable to CRN's clasmo.jp portal as a property search platform monetizing listing visibility, though at national scale and across all brokerage brands.
• At Home Co., Ltd. Japanese real estate portal operator and franchise network (AtHome). Comparable to CRN both as a property search portal destination for franchisee listings and as a parallel franchise model for independent brokers.
• Housecom Co., Ltd. (ハウスコム, parent): Parent company of CRN and a major national rental brokerage chain with 200+ directly managed stores. Comparable as the source of CRN's operational playbook and benchmark training, and as a directly-managed competitor to CRN's franchisees in overlapping geographies.

Direct peers

• Century 21 Japan: Global real estate franchise brand operating in Japan, focused primarily on sales brokerage through affiliated offices. Comparable to CRN as a franchise model delivering brand, training, and lead-generation infrastructure to independent operators.
• ERA Japan (ERA LIXIL): Japanese arm of the global ERA real estate franchise network. Comparable to CRN as a Japanese franchise offering brand affiliation, training, and operational systems to member brokers in the rental and sales brokerage space.
• Apaman Shop (Apaman Network Co., Ltd.): Japan's largest real estate franchise network with a multi-brand portfolio (Apaman Shop, etc.). Closest comparable to CRN as a Japanese rental-and-sales brokerage franchise operating through affiliated local operators under a unified brand and technology platform.
• A-Unix (Able / Able Inc.): Large Japanese rental brokerage franchise operator with a dense store network. Directly comparable to CRN's rental-focused franchisee base and Kansai-area positioning, competing for the same pool of small-to-medium broker prospects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clasmo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CRN