What Starks Realty Group does

Starks Realty Group (SRG) is a private, founder-led real estate brokerage founded in 2005 by Laurel Starks and headquartered at 9483 Haven Ave., Ste 100, Rancho Cucamonga, California. The firm operates exclusively in divorce real estate, serving divorcing homeowners and the family law attorneys who represent them in the Greater Inland Empire region of Southern California. SRG's core offering is a court-appointed, neutral listing representation service for marital real property, governed by a proprietary "Divorce Listing Process" that emphasizes neutrality, communication protocols, and conflict mitigation in lieu of the dual-agency model used by general brokerages. The firm operates a 4-person team (founder, listing associate, field services agent, and transaction coordinator) with no disclosed institutional backing or external investors.

SRG's product surface includes the core Divorce Real Estate Services, the Cost Advance Program (CAP) which advances up to $10,000 per client for repairs and staging reimbursed at closing at 0% interest, an Attorney Resources suite (MCLE training, document library, appraisal orders), and a Client Resources suite (financial calculators, learning center, property search). The underlying technology stack is the Wix website ecosystem, the KW.com Keller Williams listing platform, and the CA Regional MLS — no proprietary software, mobile app, or APIs are disclosed. Revenue is generated through standard real estate commissions on listings (sliding scale, no premium charged for the divorce specialization), CAP coordination fees ($500 where applicable), and Laurel Starks' expert witness and consulting work in family law cases (including Moore Marsden valuations).

The firm's go-to-market is 100% referral-based, anchored by family law attorney relationships and supported by content marketing (blog, learning center, SEO), the monthly MCLE program through the Ilumni Institute, and syndication to Zillow, Redfin, and international platforms. Adjacent strategic assets include the registered CDRE™ certification trademark, the Ilumni Institute (founded 2017), the CDRE national referral network of trained divorce real estate experts, and the published book The House Matters in Divorce. SRG reports operational metrics of 99% listing sell-through, listings selling 4X faster than the average house, and 400% more listings sold than the average agent per CA Regional MLS and NAR benchmarks.

Name

Starks Realty Group

Legal name

Starks Realty Group

Website

https://starksrealtygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Starks Realty Group is a private, founder-led real estate brokerage in Rancho Cucamonga, California, specializing exclusively in divorce real estate. It serves divorcing homeowners and family law attorneys in the Greater Inland Empire via court-appointed neutral listing services and the Cost Advance Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Divorce Real Estate Brokerage Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Seller Representation & Listing Services (BPAJAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA), Closing & Settlement Services (Settlement Agents) (BPAJAOAE)

Keywords

• Divorce real estate
• Court-appointed listing
• Real estate brokerage
• Property valuation services
• Expert witness testimony

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Cucamonga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Commission - Seller Representation: SRG earns standard real estate commissions on the sale of divorce-listed properties. The firm serves as the listing agent (seller's agent) exclusively and does not engage in dual agency. Fee structures are competitive and can be based on a sliding scale depending on case dynamics. No premium or additional fees are charged for divorce specialization.
2. Cost Advance Program Coordination Fee: SRG advances home improvement and staging costs (up to $10,000) for qualifying clients. A $500 flat coordination fee is charged when SRG coordinates contracted professionals, but no interest or other fees are applied. If clients use their own contractors or coordination is minimal, no fee applies.
3. Expert Witness and Consulting Services: Laurel Starks provides expert witness testimony, fair market valuations (including Moore Marsden calculations), and consulting in complex family law real estate cases. These professional services complement the listing business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Starks Realty Group is a real estate brokerage that provides court-appointed neutral listing representation and property sales services for homeowners going through divorce in California's Greater Inland Empire region. Services include specialized divorce listing process, sale sabotage escalation protocols, expert witness testimony, fair market valuations including Moore Marsden calculations, the Cost Advance Program (CAP) for pre-sale improvements, buyer and rental representation, and the CDRE certification training program for Realtors delivered through the Ilumni Institute.

Product overview

Starks Realty Group offers a unified service platform for divorce real estate, anchored by specialized listing and sales services for divorcing homeowners. The core product is their Divorce Real Estate Services, supplemented by the Cost Advance Program (CAP) for pre-sale property improvements, Attorney Resources for legal professionals, Client Resources including financial calculators and a learning center, and education/content products including The House Matters in Divorce book and the CDRE certification program through The Ilumni Institute. The company primarily operates as a service business rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ilumni Institute: National training organization for divorce real estate professionals founded by Laurel Starks, providing MCLE programs for family law attorneys.
• CDRE (Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert)
• Cost Advance Program (CAP)

Products and services

• Divorce Real Estate Listing Services
• Cost Advance Program (CAP)
• Expert Witness and Valuation Services
• Buyer Representation
• Rental Department Services
• CDRE Certification (Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert)
• The House Matters in Divorce (Book)

Quantifiable outcome

• Listings sell 4X faster than the average house
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ilumni InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founded by Laurel Starks in 2017 (launched 2018), the Ilumni Institute is the most comprehensive divorce real estate training program in the nation. It provides ongoing MCLE education for attorneys and is the host organization for SRG's monthly virtual MCLEs. It represents the primary knowledge and thought leadership engine for SRG's niche.
• Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE™) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationwide network of Certified Divorce Real Estate Experts trained under Laurel Starks' CDRE program. SRG refers clients to CDRE-certified Realtors outside the Greater Inland Empire service area, creating a national referral ecosystem.
• Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP®) LenderminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRG partners with a lender holding the CDLP designation to assist divorcing clients in obtaining mortgage loans and understanding their home-buying options after divorce. The lender is connected to clients before they begin their home search.
• Commercial AffiliateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRG co-lists vacant land and commercial properties with a commercial real estate affiliate partner for divorce cases involving non-residential assets.
• Cash Real Estate InvestorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRG has long-standing relationships with reputable cash investors who can purchase homes as-is, useful in cases where the property will not qualify for traditional financing, faces imminent foreclosure, or where time is of the essence.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kaplan Real Estate Education: Kaplan Real Estate Education is a major provider of real estate licensing, exam prep, and continuing education. Comparable to SRG/Ilumni Institute because both monetize the education and certification of real estate professionals, with Ilumni specializing in the divorce real estate vertical.
• @properties / Christie’s International Real Estate: @properties is a large privately held residential brokerage in the Midwest and East Coast, now affiliated with Christie's International Real Estate. Comparable to SRG as an independent, founder-driven residential brokerage with strong local brand and referral-driven culture.
• Side: Side is a technology platform that powers boutique real estate teams and independent brokerages, providing back-office infrastructure and branding. It is comparable to SRG because both operate a boutique, team-based brokerage model where individual agents/teams are the primary brand, with strong emphasis on differentiated service rather than headcount-driven scale.
• The CE Shop: The CE Shop is one of the largest real estate licensing and continuing education providers in the US. Comparable to SRG because the Ilumni Institute performs a similar function — delivering standardized real estate education and certification (CDRE) — though The CE Shop focuses on pre-licensing/CE while Ilumni focuses on specialty certification.
• Howard Hanna Real Estate: Howard Hanna is the largest privately held residential brokerage in the US, with strong regional density and specialty service lines. Comparable to SRG because both are founder/family-led private brokerages competing on service quality and agent productivity rather than on technology or national advertising spend.

Broad incumbents

• Compass: Compass is a large, tech-enabled residential brokerage operating nationwide with strong brand and agent tools. Comparable to SRG as a modern residential brokerage competing on agent productivity and brand, though Compass competes on technology and national scale versus SRG's category-specialization and referral depth.
• HomeSmart: HomeSmart is a large, technology-forward residential brokerage with low-fee models and broad geographic reach. Comparable to SRG as an alternative brokerage channel competing for agent mindshare, though HomeSmart competes on cost and technology rather than category specialization.
• eXp Realty: eXp Realty is a cloud-based, agent-centric residential brokerage with a low-overhead franchise model. Comparable to SRG as a brokerage where individual agents/teams are the operating unit and brand, with limited central headcount. eXp scales globally via virtual operations while SRG scales locally via referral relationships.
• Sotheby's International Realty: Sotheby's International Realty is a luxury and specialty-focused global real estate brokerage franchise. Comparable to SRG in that both compete on specialization and brand-driven referral pipelines rather than commodity brokerage services, though Sotheby's operates at far larger scale and serves a different (luxury) customer segment.
• Coldwell Banker: Coldwell Banker is a legacy global residential brokerage franchise with broad agent networks. Comparable to SRG as a competing residential brokerage channel, though Coldwell Banker competes on national brand recognition and scale rather than on a specialty niche like divorce real estate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StarksRealtyGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Starks Realty Group