Keller Williams Realty, Inc., the second largest real estate company in the United States, is exploring options for international expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. Countries targeted include Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
“Some may wonder why we’ve chosen now to take Keller Williams Realty worldwide, considering the state of the real estate market, and our answer is simple: momentum! Our model continues to provide a platform for growth and profitability despite the market,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. “We have experienced unparalleled growth and technological innovation over the past five years, and this signifies the next logical step in the growth as a company!”
Since opening its first office in 1983 in Austin, Texas, the company has experienced tremendous growth, and recently surpassed Century 21 Real Estate LLC to become the 2nd largest real estate company in the United States. Since 1991, the company has been franchising in both the United States and Canada and now boasts 80,000 associates in 701 offices.
Keller Williams Realty has a model that is continuing to defy the ongoing lagging in the real estate market. According to the REAL Trends 500, the annual industry ranking published by REAL Trends, Inc., a leading source of analysis and information on U.S. based residential brokerages and the housing industry, Keller Williams brokerages represented 24 percent (119 offices) of the top 500 brokerages ranked by closed transactions and 28 percent (138 offices) of the top 500 brokerages ranked by closed volume.
The company plans to extend its entire offering of training, coaching, technology and marketing support to its overseas franchisees. This includes access to award-winning coaching and training through MAPS Coaching and Keller Williams University, as well as access to the company’s proprietary technology tool eEdge, for lead management, contact management, development of custom marketing materials and transaction management.
“As a company, we always put people first, so we’re looking for the right people who share our belief system and who will foster and grow the Keller Williams mission, vision and culture,” said Chris Heller, who oversees the company’s global expansion as president of KW Worldwide. “When we find the right leadership, our goal is to leverage the proven Keller Williams Realty models and systems, deliver our industry-leading training and coaching and serve our international partners at the highest level.”
The company will also expand its unique passive income opportunities globally through its growth share model, which financially rewards associates who help grow the company.
In 2010, KW reported that associate profit share (the North American version of the program) increased by 7.2 percent year over year, with its agents receiving USD 34.6 million dollars back for helping to grow the company. Since the inception of the program in1996, the company has given back over USD 304 million in earnings to its agents.
“Our worldwide expansion creates more opportunity for everyone – for our current associates and those that we hope to be in business with soon,” added Heller.
The company is currently looking for candidates for master franchises and franchises with a target to grow overseas by 75,000 associates during the next 10 years.
