The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency

The question every serious real estate professional eventually asks is whether to build something independently or leverage an established platform that compresses years of brand-building into a single investment decision. In the luxury real estate segment, that question has a compelling answer: The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency, a Beverly Hills-based brokerage franchise that has grown from a single Los Angeles office in 2011 into a 150-office global network spanning 14 countries as of March 2026. Founded by Mauricio Umansky and Billy Rose, the brand launched as a consumer-facing luxury brokerage with a distinctly modern, collaborative philosophy at a time when legacy real estate firms were still operating on decades-old models built around agent isolation and brand opacity. Umansky, who serves as CEO and Founder and has personally closed nearly $4 billion in real estate sales while earning the distinction of selling more homes priced above $20 million than any other agent in the country, built The Agency on the premise that luxury real estate deserved the same caliber of brand identity, marketing sophistication, and client experience found in fashion, hospitality, and wealth management. Billy Rose, who serves as Founder and Vice Chairman, co-anchored that vision from the beginning. The franchising entity, The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC, was formally established as a Delaware limited liability company on March 18, 2014, with its principal business address at 331 Foothill Road, Suite 100, Beverly Hills, California 90210, and the company began offering franchise opportunities in 2015 and 2016, with the first global partnership office opening in Los Cabos, Mexico in 2016. By 2024, the network had expanded to 77 total units, with 42 franchised and 35 company-owned, and by March 2026 that figure had grown to 150 offices with 134 franchised locations and 25 corporate-owned outposts, representing one of the most aggressive growth trajectories in luxury real estate franchising. The Agency has closed more than $57 billion in real estate transactions since its founding, and in 2024 alone closed $13.94 billion in sales volume, earning a spot in RealTrends' Billionaires' Club and a ranking of number 13 by volume in the 2025 RealTrends 500, rising three spots from number 16 the prior year. This analysis is produced independently by PeerSense and reflects verified franchise data, not promotional materials from the franchisor.

The luxury real estate market operates under fundamentally different dynamics than the broader residential real estate sector, and understanding those dynamics is essential context for evaluating The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise opportunity. While general residential real estate sales experienced an overall decline in global transaction volume in 2023 driven by interest rate headwinds, the luxury segment demonstrated notable resilience, with luxury single-family homes in key markets spending an average of just nine days on the market during 2023, the luxury home threshold price defined at $950,000, and the median luxury home sales price sitting at approximately $1.3 million. The macroeconomic forces driving luxury real estate demand are distinct from those governing mass-market housing: high-net-worth individuals are less sensitive to mortgage rate fluctuations, more motivated by lifestyle considerations, and increasingly drawn to second homes, destination markets, and international properties offering residency benefits such as golden visa programs. Consumer trends heading into 2024 and beyond show hybrid work arrangements continuing to reshape where wealthy buyers choose to live, with wellness-oriented design, sustainability features, and turnkey luxury living emerging as primary purchase drivers. The Agency specifically tracks emerging markets where major employers such as Amazon and Google are expanding their footprints, bringing concentrated wealth and capital into metro areas that would have been considered secondary markets just a decade ago. The company's annual Red Paper, an international market and wealth report now in its fourth edition as of January 2024, analyzes real estate activity across more than 100 markets, tracking shifts in home-buying patterns, buyer demographics, and home design trends to give franchisees a research-backed view of where demand is moving. The real estate industry overall is characterized by the increasing integration of digital tools for property discovery and client engagement, and luxury real estate specifically is evolving toward bespoke digital marketing, global listing syndication, and high-production-value property presentation that smaller independent brokerages struggle to execute at scale. The Agency's in-house creative, public relations, and technology divisions represent a structural advantage in this environment, giving each franchised office access to resources that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to replicate independently.

The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise cost structure reflects its positioning in the premium tier of real estate brokerage franchising. The initial franchise fee is $47,500, paid upfront upon signing the Franchise Agreement, which represents a meaningful increase from the older 2020 FDD-reported fee of up to $35,000 and signals the brand's growing market leverage as its network has expanded. The total initial investment required ranges from $119,600 to $896,150 depending on the scope of the buildout, geography, office format, and real estate decisions made by the franchisee. The spread in that investment range is driven by several key variables: real property costs ranging from $0 to $240,450 depending on whether the franchisee purchases or leases and the cost of that lease in a given market; furniture, fixtures, and equipment ranging from $1,000 to $300,000 depending on the caliber of the office environment; business insurance ranging from $17,000 to $75,000; and for sale and open house signage totaling $15,000 to $20,000. Additional startup line items include office space signage at $10,000 to $15,000, stationery and office supplies at $7,500 to $10,000, grand opening marketing and promotions at $5,000 to $10,000, approved computer hardware at $0 to $30,000, approved computer software and support services at $5,000 to $7,500, high-speed internet connection at $100 to $1,500, and orientation and training costs at $0 to $1,200 per person. Working capital in the form of additional funds for the first three months of operation is estimated between $11,500 and $98,000. The minimum liquid capital required to begin the process is $65,000. The ongoing royalty fee ranges from 4% to 6% of monthly sales, with 5% cited as the standard rate, and franchisees also pay a national brand advertising fund contribution ranging from 0.75% to 1.25% of monthly sales, with 1% as the benchmark figure. The total ongoing fee burden of approximately 6% of monthly gross sales is consistent with real estate brokerage franchise norms, and The Agency's premium brand positioning and global referral network are the primary value levers justifying that ongoing cost. The parent company structure involves The Agency IP Holdco, LLC along with its affiliates, subsidiaries, and network partners, providing institutional backing for franchisee support systems.

The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency operates on a model where franchisees, referred to internally as Global Partners, function as independently owned luxury real estate offices operating under The Agency's brand standards, technology infrastructure, and marketing systems. The day-to-day operating reality for a franchisee involves recruiting, onboarding, and managing a team of licensed real estate agents, overseeing transaction coordination, maintaining brand-compliant office environments, executing local and regional marketing campaigns, and participating in the company's global referral network that enables cross-market business generation. Initial training lasts two weeks and takes place at corporate headquarters in Beverly Hills, California, covering operations, marketing strategies, client service protocols, and The Agency's systems and brand standards. The 2020 FDD indicated a structured 25-hour classroom training component as part of the onboarding process, and the current program has been refined to reflect the company's expanded technology stack and global network. Ongoing support infrastructure for franchisees is described as a scalable infrastructure rooted in a boutique approach to client service, encompassing a cutting-edge technology stack, seamless website integration for the franchisee's region and listings, a strategic launch plan covering office marketing, property marketing, agent marketing, and targeted public relations outreach. Franchisees also receive access to operational manuals and marketing materials, and benefit from The Agency's in-house creative, public relations, and technology divisions, which provide shared resources that would be prohibitively expensive to build independently. James Ramsay, serving as Executive Vice President of the Global Partner and Franchise Division, leads the franchisee support function with direct accountability for the success of the network's 134-plus franchised locations. Regarding territory, franchisees do not receive exclusive geographic territories, but The Agency has committed to not approving office locations in such proximity to one another that it would cause problematic competition within the network. Factors reviewed when evaluating a proposed location include the population and demographics of the surrounding area, the franchisee's reputation in local and regional real estate markets, the gross revenue of any existing real estate business the applicant operates, and the proximity of other Agency offices. Rainy Hake Austin serves as President, Phil Lang as Chief Business Officer, Sandy Knell as Chief Financial Officer, and Brandon Braga as General Counsel, representing a leadership team with deep expertise across operations, finance, legal, and growth functions.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document for The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise. Franchisors are not legally required to provide earnings information in Item 19 of the FDD, and The Agency has chosen not to make financial performance claims that would require substantiation under federal and state franchise disclosure law. For prospective investors, this means that unit-level revenue, profit margins, and owner earnings cannot be sourced directly from the franchisor's official disclosure and must be evaluated through alternative analytical frameworks. What is publicly available, however, paints a picture of a brand with substantial transaction volume at the network level. The Agency closed $13.94 billion in total sales volume in 2024 across its full network, and was recognized as the nation's second-largest privately held independent brokerage in the 2025 RealTrends 500 rankings. With 150 offices operating as of March 2026, a rough division of that $13.94 billion across the network produces an implied average sales volume per office in excess of $90 million, though this figure blends corporate and franchised offices and reflects varying office sizes, agent counts, and market maturity. The Agency is ranked number one among RealTrends Top 50 Firms in Average Sales Price, with an average sales price of $2.5 million per transaction, which is a critical data point for understanding the unit economics of luxury real estate brokerage versus mass-market alternatives. In a standard real estate transaction, gross commission income is typically calculated as a percentage of sale price, meaning that a portfolio of $2.5 million average transaction values generates materially more gross revenue per closed deal than offices operating in markets where the average sale price sits below $500,000. The company's cumulative $57 billion in closed transactions since its 2011 founding reflects an average of roughly $4.1 billion per year across the brand's operating history, with the trajectory accelerating significantly as the franchise network has grown.

The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise has exhibited one of the most aggressive growth trajectories of any luxury real estate brokerage franchise in operation. Starting from a single Los Angeles office in 2011, the network grew to 77 total units by 2024 and expanded to 150 offices by March 2026, representing a near-doubling of the network in approximately 24 months. The company entered 29 new markets in 2023 alone, launched 27 new offices in the 12 months preceding March 2026, and has maintained an approximate pace of 30 new office openings per year. Recent expansion activity has spanned multiple geographies: Stark County, Ohio became the brand's third Ohio location in early 2026; Sugar Land, Texas and Lake Oswego, Oregon were added simultaneously; and downtown Edmond, Oklahoma opened to serve the broader Oklahoma City and Nichols Hills metro areas. The international footprint spans 14 countries, including the United States, Canada with offices in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta, Mexico beginning with Los Cabos in 2016, the Caribbean, Mallorca in Spain, and Lisbon in Portugal. The company has been recognized seven consecutive years on Inc. 5000's list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America, a rare achievement that reflects sustained operational growth rather than a one-time expansion event. The 2022 acquisition of Triplemint, a technology firm, materially strengthened The Agency's proprietary technology capabilities and added digital infrastructure that supports the listing and client management needs of a rapidly growing franchise network. The Agency has also been named a Top Luxury Brokerage by Inman, one of the most credible independent evaluators in the real estate industry. The competitive moat The Agency has constructed rests on four pillars: a globally recognized luxury brand with strong visual identity and consistent market positioning, proprietary technology infrastructure including the acquired Triplemint platform, in-house creative and public relations capabilities that most independent brokerages cannot replicate, and a global referral network that generates cross-market leads for franchisees operating in connected destination markets.

The ideal candidate for The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise investment is a proven real estate professional or entrepreneurial executive with deep market relationships, a track record of high-volume production or team leadership, and the capital base to execute a professional-grade office launch. The Agency actively seeks top-producing agents and teams as well as what it describes as market disruptors, individuals who are reshaping their local markets through production volume, client experience, or innovative marketing approaches. The company analyzes average price points, market size, and saturation when evaluating franchise applications, and specifically targets emerging and growing markets where corporate expansion by major employers is driving new wealth concentration. Geographic white space exists in secondary and tertiary markets across the United States and internationally, and the company's stated growth pace of approximately 30 new offices per year suggests ongoing territory availability in both established luxury corridors and emerging high-growth metros. The minimum liquid capital requirement of $65,000 positions this as an accessible entry point relative to many brick-and-mortar franchise categories, though the total investment ceiling of $896,150 reflects the premium office environments and marketing infrastructure expected of a luxury brand. The franchise agreement is structured around a relationship model where franchisees operate as Global Partners within The Agency's broader network, with proximity-based protections providing de facto territorial considerations even in the absence of formal exclusivity. For investors who have operated or currently operate an independent brokerage, the conversion pathway may represent the most efficient route to capturing The Agency's brand equity, technology stack, and referral network benefits while preserving existing agent relationships and market presence.

For franchise investors conducting serious due diligence on luxury real estate brokerage opportunities, The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise represents a brand with verifiable scale, exceptional brand recognition in the high-end residential segment, and a growth trajectory supported by both domestic and international expansion. The investment thesis rests on several intersecting factors: the structural resilience of luxury real estate relative to mass-market housing, The Agency's demonstrated ability to grow its network by approximately 30 offices per year while maintaining brand quality and achieving top-tier RealTrends rankings, the $13.94 billion in 2024 transaction volume that substantiates demand for the brand's services, and the proprietary technology and marketing infrastructure that would cost individual operators millions of dollars to replicate independently. The absence of Item 19 financial performance disclosure means that prospective franchisees must conduct granular due diligence through franchisee validation calls, independent financial modeling, and market analysis, which is precisely where institutional franchise research becomes most valuable. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise cost, revenue potential, and support structure against comparable luxury real estate and high-end service franchise alternatives. The combination of a $47,500 franchise fee, a total investment range of $119,600 to $896,150, ongoing royalties of 4% to 6%, and a 1% brand fund contribution must be stress-tested against realistic transaction volume projections for your specific target market, and the PeerSense platform is built specifically to support that level of rigorous, data-backed analysis. Explore the complete The Agency Real Estate Franchising, LLC The Agency franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.