15 Top Real Estate Franchises in Australia
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Are you planning to enter the Real Estate Business?
If you are, then you are at the right place.
In this blog, we list the Top 15 Real Estate Franchises in Australia, along with their cost, analysis and everything else you need to know before you join them.
Keep in mind that if you understand the property market, these franchises are indeed one of Australia’s most profitable franchises.
Before we jump to the list, here is an overview of the Australian property market.
The Australian property market was estimated to be worth $9.7 trillion in 2021. (Source: Property Update)
In 2022, the Australian residential market saw annual rent growth of 12% – the fastest growth in 14 years. (Source: Guardian)
As a whole, the average property price grew 0.5% per year from 1890 to 1990. Yes! For hundred years, the rates had been pretty steady.
But from 1990 onwards, the rates have seen unprecedented growth.
This fast growth rate has been stirring speculation about an economic bubble in Australia. (Source: Wikipedia)
Trends in the Australian property market vary depending on regional areas and major cities.
Sydney and Melbourne lead in the residential property market value with house prices.
A house in Sydney could reach up to a million dollars compared to half that price in Adelaide. (Source: Statistica)
In mortgage lending, the big four banks dominate the lending market.
The value of outstanding mortgage debt peaked at over $2 trillion in 2021, showing strong demand for residential property for ownership and investment purposes. (Source: Statistica)
This is even though Australian houses are priced among the highest in the world.
Per the Demographia International housing affordability report, 2022, Sydney ranked highest after Hong Kong as the least affordable city in the world. Melbourne secured 5th position in the same category. (Source: CNBC)
Also, the property franchise segment supports other franchise areas like:
With this brief overview of the Australian property market values, let’s jump to the list of Australia’s top ten real estate franchises.
Ray White
Number of Franchises | 1000+ |
Headquarters | Sydney |
Founded in | 1902 |
Net Worth | $46 billion (Source: CampdenFB) |
Ray White is Australia’s major real estate group which has dealt in properties worth more than $46 billion.
Founded in 1902 in the small town of Crows Nest, Ray White has grown to become a company with more than $46 billion net worth. (Sources: RayWhite, CampdenFB)
It is one of the top companies based out of Sydney.
Even 100 years after its founding, Ray White remains a family-owned business.
In an uncanny resemblance with today’s tech giants that began from a garage, Ray White also had humble beginnings in a railway siding in a small town.
Ray White now deals in all kinds of property, including commercial, rural, hotels, and marine properties in Australia. (Sources: RayWhite)
The company has also grown out of Australia and presently operates across New Zealand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, China, the Middle East, and Atlanta, USA.
For its prospective franchisees, Ray White offers the following: (Source: Ray White)
- Comprehensive training
- Complete software systems
- Marketing campaigns
- Up-to-the-minute support systems
Harcourts
|
Number of Franchises |
900+ |
|
Headquarters |
Brisbane |
|
Founded in |
1888 |
|
Revenue |
$8 billion (Source: Zoominfo) |
Harcourts real estate company was established in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1888.
Today Harcourts is one of the leading companies based out of Brisbane.
The company grew out of Wellington in 1985 through franchising operations and currently operates in many countries, including Australia, Fiji, South Africa, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Canada, and the US (California, Oregon).
Being one of the most successful property managers in the country, Harcourts has an extensive team of professionals in finance, marketing, technology, training, franchise development, and value-added service.
Harcourts deals in all kinds of property, including residential, commercial, rural, and urban property management.
The company claims to have sold $50 billion worth of property in the last year (2021). (Source: Harcourts)
For its prospective franchisees, Harcourts offers the following support: (Source: Harcourts)
- Group buying power
- Standardised staff training
- Advanced business tools
- Harcourts Academy – licensed RTO training, recognised for
- industry excellence
LJ Hooker
Number of Franchises | 480+ |
Headquarters | Sydney |
Founded in | 1928 |
Company’s Valuation | The company claims to manage 110,000 properties worth AUD$78 billion for investors (Source: LJHooker) |
3rd on the list, LJ Hooker is also one of the largest real estate groups in Australia with more than 730 franchises across Australia.
LJ Hooker was founded in 1928 by Sir Leslie Joseph Hooker.
Leslie Joseph Hooker was knighted in 1973 for his commerce service. He was a renowned philanthropist and entrepreneur. (Source: Australian Government Website)
LJ Hooker was sold in 1989 to a private company but was returned to the same family after twenty years in 2009.
The company provides comprehensive real estate services across the Australian continent, including buying, selling, and leasing real estate for commercial and investment purposes.
For its franchisees, LJ Hooker offers the following:
- Support for data-driven decisions
- In-person, online, and on-demand personalized training
- Industry-first technology and digital innovation
- Brand campaign based on lead generation strategy
Raine & Horne
Number of Franchises | 300+ |
Headquarters | Sydney |
Founded in | 1883 |
Revenue | While the company’s actual net worth is unknown, as per its official claim, the company sells more than $10 billion+ worth of property each year. (Source: LinkedIn) |
Raine and Horne is an Australian real estate franchise group based out of Sydney.
The group was founded in 1883 by two co-founders, Tom Raine and Joseph Horne.
Despite growing into multiple offices, Raine & Horne remained a Sydney-only company until 1970.
The group grew out of Sydney after 1976 when the company finally decided to start its franchising operation. ( Source: Raine & Horne)
Despite the mass expansion to 300+ offices in the country, the group remains a family-owned business.
Currently, the company is being looked after by the 4th generation of the group’s founders. (Source: Raine & Horne)
Elders Real Estate
Elders Real Estate is part of Elders Limited company, which is an Australian agribusiness.
Founded in 1839, Elders Limited later expanded into many subsidiary businesses in 1976. The subsidiary businesses of Elders Limited include (Source: Elders Real Estate, Wikipedia)
- Rural products
- Agency services
- Real estate services
- Financial services
- Feed and processing services
- Elders home loan
Elders real estate has now expanded to more than 300 offices spread throughout the country.
Their property dealings include residential and rural sales, commercial property, and lifestyles and holiday rentals.
The company claims to have the best experts in water trading, clearing sales, and property management. (Source: Elders Real Estate)
Professionals Real Estate Australia
Number of Franchises | 225 |
Headquarters | Woolloongabba, Brisbane |
Founded in | 1976 |
Franchising Fee | $331 million (Source: Zoominfo) |
Professionals Real Estate Australia has a unique story hidden behind its name.
It was co-founded by six independent real estate agents in Woolloongabba, Brisbane.
The company upon founding was registered as a not-for-profit marketing group. The founders had designed it to be an organization that did not limit their independence with the constraints of a typical franchise.
Their business model thus allows all fees to go back to members through group-led marketing, training, and support.
It then allows agents to keep their competitive and local independence while still enjoying the marketing support of the Professionals brand.
McGrath Estate Agents
Number of Franchises | 112 |
Headquarters | Pyrmont, NSW |
Founded in | 1988 |
Revenue | $122 million in 2020 (Source: Wikipedia) |
Founded in 1988, McGrath Estate Agents is an Australian residential real estate provider.
The company went public in 2015 and was listed on ASX. (Source: Wikipedia)
McGrath Estate claims to be Australia’s most successful real estates groups. (Source: McGrath)
The company offers services in residential property sales, property management, residential project marketing, mortgage broking, auction services, and career training.
One Agency Real Estate Group
Founded in 2008, One Agency has spread to over 200 offices in Australia.
Like Professionals real estate Australia, One Agency offers its agents and full-service offices to maintain 100% of their commission and lower overheads.
The company was awarded BRW Fast 100 Award in 2016 as one of Australia’s fastest-growing businesses.
The brand offers agents independent branching rights with the support of their brand. They offer their brand-name services with an annual gross commission income of $500,000 and a monthly fee of $487,460. (Source: One Agency)
The company operates in both Australia and New Zealand.
Century 21 Australia
Number of Franchises | 300 |
Headquarters | Sydney |
Founded in | 1994 |
Revenue | $23 million (Source: Zoominfo) |
Originally an American brand, Agency 21 was founded in 1971 in California.
They branched out to the rest of the world by opening their first franchise in Canada in 1976.
The company opened its office in Australia in 1994 and now claims to have become one of the fastest-growing real estate networks in the Australian region. (Source: Agency 21)
The real estate giant has a massive global presence with close to 14,000 independently owned and operated franchises in 86 countries and territories worldwide. (Source: Wikipedia)
Methven Professionals
Number of Franchises | 450 |
Headquarters | Melbourne |
Founded in | 1962 |
Revenue | $24 million (Source: Zoominfo) |
Founded in 1962 in Moolboorbark in the suburbs of Melbourne, Methven Professionals is a leading real estate agency in the Victoria region with offices throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The company started its franchising operation in 1976 and based its expansion on two prime criteria: training for professional development and independence of the franchises. (Source: Methven)
The company boasts a unique record of winning the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) Large Agency of the Year Award three times in a row. (Source: Methven)
Buxton
Number of Franchises | 25 |
Headquarters | Melbourne |
Founded in | 1861 |
Net Worth | $2.6 billion (Source: AFR) |
Buxton is one of Australia’s oldest real estate operators.
Founded in 1861, the company has expanded into a network of companies, including Buxton Group (founded 1968) and MAB (founded 1995), and Projects by Real Estate, among others.
Buxton claims to be the most recommended and awarded company in Victoria.
The business is family owned for 140 years and is currently being run by the sixth generation in a row.
The company was established by W.P. Buckhurst and J.R.Buxtion as one of the first real estate agencies in Melbourne.
The name Buxton is a combination of their names.
The famous Danish Club on Beaconsfield Parade was built by the first generation of Buxtons.
The company claims to have a centralized database of over 500,000 buyers.
(Sources: LinkedIn, Buxton, ProjectsByBuxton, AFR, BuxtonGroup, Wikipedia)
Biggin & Scott
Number of Franchises | 40 |
Headquarters | Melbourne |
Founded in | 1890 |
Revenue | $105 million (Source: Zoominfo) |
Founded in 1890 by TGL Scott, Biggin & Scott is another one of the oldest real estate agencies in Australia.
The company is based in Melbourne, Australia.
The company website claims to attract more than a million visits per month. The company’s database contains a pool of over 18,000 landlords and tenants. (Source: BegginScott)
The company offers to serve services with the following distinct expertise
- Accurately assessing property value as per current and changing market conditions
- Property recommendations as per investors’ and owner-occupiers’ personal needs
- Utilising their sophisticated database to help connect buyers with sellers
The initial investment to buy a Beggin Scott franchise is around $250,000 (plus GST) per office.
The actual cost will vary based on office size and location etc.
The initial investment includes costs for office selection and complete office equipment, working capital, initial administration, security deposits, and a one-off franchise fee.
(Source: BegginScott)
OBrien Real Estate
OBrien Real Estate is the REIV award-winning real estate agency, which was founded in 2010.
The company has won REIV’s Largest Residential Agency of the Year Award two years in a row.
The company’s franchise operation began in 2013
In 22 years, the company has spread to 29 offices and is still growing. (Source: Obrien Real Estate)
The company promises to offer the finest customer services through its well-known top local agents backed by the area’s strongest individual team. (Source: LinkedIn)
The company offers services in
- Residential Sales
- Commercial Sales and Leasing
- Leasing,
- Project Marketing
- Holiday Rentals
Barry Plant Real Estate
Number of Franchises | 70 |
Headquarters | Doncaster, Victoria |
Founded in | 1979 |
Revenue | $1 billion (Source: Datanyze) |
The Barry Plant Real Estate company was founded in 1979 in Templestowe.
Later in 1999, the company merged with EJ Doherty Real Estate offices and was renamed, Barry Plant Doherty.
The group expanded its operation into regional Victoria in 2006 and dropped ‘Doherty’ from its name.
The company has now spread to 70 offices throughout Victoria.
Barry Plan claims that their top 25% of sales agents earn over $270k per year in gross commission. (Source: Barry Plant)
The company claims to be the largest property management group in Victoria, managing over 33,000 investment properties.
MAB Corporation
Number of Franchises | unknown |
Headquarters | Melbourne |
Founded in | 1995 |
Revenue | $250 million (Projects worth $4.7 billion completed, projects worth $16.5 billion under development) (Source: Wikipedia) |
MAB corporation is founded and owned by the fifth generation of the Buxton family.
MAB is part of the Buxton family empire, as already mentioned in our list above.
MAB is named after its owners, Michael and Andrew Buxton. The company develops commercial, residential, and industrial properties.
The company boasts of building a multi-billion dollar mixed-use estate in, University Hill, Bundoora.
MAB Corporation generates approximately $200 million in annual sales and has net assets approaching $200 million.
Here is the end of our list of the top fifteen Australian real estate franchises.
I hope you now have an excellent source to plan your valuable investment in the real estate business.
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