Most of the U.S.’s largest brokerages grew their businesses in 2013 at a pace exceeding the growth of the market as a whole, according to an annual analysis by Real Trends that also reveals which companies grew the fastest.

The Real Trends 500 report ranks the top 500 U.S. brokerages by transaction sides and sales volume, based on data supplied by brokerages to Real Trends (companies that do not provide data are excluded).

The nation’s top 20 brokerages by sales volume all reported double-digit growth in 2013, as their agents not only generated more “transaction sides” — each instance in which they represented either a buyer or seller in a home sale — but rising home prices boosted the value of those sales.

According to Fannie Mae, sales of existing homes were up 9.2 percent in 2013, while the median price of an existing home was up 11.3 percent, to $197,000.

Assuming those trends were distributed evenly in all housing markets — which they were not — real estate brokerages could expect growth in home sales and home prices to translate into a roughly 21 percent growth in 2013 sales volume.

Many of the nation’s largest brokers saw much bigger gains. HomeSmart International boosted sales volume by 50 percent; HomeServices of America grew sales volume by 49 percent; and Realty One Group ratcheted up sales volume by 47 percent. Other top gainers included Pacific Union International and Re/Max Results, both up 45 percent.

HomeServices of America, the nation’s second-biggest brokerage company, got a boost in the 2013 rankings through its acquisition of Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors. The Philadelphia-based brokerage, which was ranked sixth in the 2012 Real Trends 500 with $8 billion in sales volume, now does business as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach.

While all the big brokers saw big gains in sales volume, some did better than others. Fast-climbing companies in the Real Trends 500 rankings included Realty One Group (moving from 10th in 2012 sales volume to seventh), Ebby Halliday Real Estate (from 12th to ninth), Pacific Union International (from 18th to 13th), John L. Scott (19th to 14th), HomeSmart International (22nd to 15th), and Re/Max Results (from 23rd to 19th).

Top 20 brokerages by sales volume, 2013

Brokerage 2013 sales volume 2012 sales volume Percentage change 2012 rank
1. NRT LLC $151.1 billion $128.8 billion 17% 1
2. HomeServices of America Inc. $63.5 billion $42.6 billion 49% 2
3. The Long & Foster Companies Inc. $26.1 billion $22.5 billion 16% 3
4. Douglas Elliman $15.0 billion $12.4 billion 21% 4
5. Alain Pinel Realtors $10.5 billion $8.8 billion 19% 5
6. Hanna Holdings Inc. $9.1 billion $6.7 billion 36% 7
7. Realty One Group $7.2 billion $4.9 billion 47% 10
8. William Raveis Real Estate Inc. $7.1 billion $5.4 billion 31% 8
9. Ebby Halliday Real Estate Inc. $6.4 billion $4.8 billion 33% 12
10. First Team Real Estate $5.9 billion $4.8 billion 23% 11
11. Coldwell Banker United, Realtors $5.7 billion $5.0 billion 14% 9
12. Intero Real Estate Services Inc. $5.7 billion $4.6 billion 24% 13
13. Pacific Union International $5.5 billion $3.8 billion 45% 18
14. John L. Scott Real Estate $4.8 billion $3.8 billion 26% 19
15. HomeSmart International $4.8 billion $3.2 billion 50% 22
16. Coldwell Banker Bain|Seal $4.7 billion $3.9 billion 21% 16
17. Crye-Leike Realtors $4.7 billion $4.1 billion 15% 14
18. Houlihan Lawrence $4.7 billion $3.9 billion 21% 17
19. Re/Max Results (Eden Prairie, Minn.) $4.5 billion $3.1 billion 45% 23
20. @properties $4.5 billion $3.2 billion 41% 21

Source: Real Trends

Among top 20 brokerages by transaction sides, all but REALHome Services & Solutions Inc. were involved in more deals in 2013.

Top 20 brokerages by transaction sides, 2013

Brokerage 2013 transaction sides 2012 transaction sides
Percentage change 2012 rank
1. NRT LLC 320,026 289,614 11% 1
2. HomeServices of America Inc. 205,602 151,017 36% 2
3. The Long & Foster Companies Inc. 73,202 65,912 11% 3
4. Hanna Holdings Inc. 48,300 37,986 27% 4
5. Crye-Leike Realtors 27,491 25,520 8% 5
6. Realty ONE Group 25,101 22,770 10% 7
7. Coldwell Banker United, Realtors 25,022 22,114 13% 8
8. Real Estate One 24,406 18,564 32% 10
9. RealtyUSA 21,524 20,158 7% 9
10. Allen Tate Companies 20,083 15,932 26% 14
11. Ebby Halliday Real Estate Inc. 19,513 15,915 23% 15
12. HomeSmart International 19,382 18,559 4% 11
13. Re/Max Results (Eden Prairie, Minn.) 18,470 15,633 18% 16
14. Douglas Elliman Real Estate 16,923 12,976 30% 19
15. Keller Williams Realty (Dallas) 16,588 13,369 24% 18
16. William Raveis Real Estate Inc. 15,100 12,193 24% 22
17. REALHome Services and Solutions Inc. 15,038 16,656 -10% 13
18. West USA Realty Inc. 14,382 13,389 7% 17
19. Watson Realty Corp. 14,233 12,610 13% 20
20. John L. Scott Real Estate 14,009 11,833 18% 24

Source: Real Trends

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