RE/MAX

RE/MAX is an international network of real-estate brokerages connecting independently owned and operated offices staffed by licensed agents. It's set apart by an agent-centric, high-commission model: the agent keeps the majority of the commission and pays the office for space and shared overhead — a structure that attracts experienced, high-producing agents. The brand is instantly recognizable by its red-white-and-blue hot-air balloon, and behind it sits a worldwide agent-to-agent referral network.

The model has three layers: a regional owner develops the brand across a country, an office owner (the attainable franchise) opens and runs a single branded office and recruits agents into it, and the agents themselves are self-employed and pay the office for support. HQ provides the brand, systems, training, technology, and the referral network. What stays on you is running the office full-time and, above all, recruiting and retaining productive agents.