While many of the same real estate firms may grace the top echelons of the RealTrends Verified Rankings year after year, that is where, at least for many of these firms, the similarities between them end. From cloud-based to franchise networks, specializations and network approaches the top performing firms include a variety of different business models. HousingWire caught up with the leaders of Sotheby’s International Realty and Keller Williams to find out how their chosen models have contributed to the success of their agents and brokers.

Sotheby’s: synonymous with luxury

Known for serving luxury clients across the globe, Sotheby’s International Realty claimed the No. 6 spot among the top-performing brands in the 2026 RealTrends Verified Rankings, with agents affiliated with the brand closing $140.316 billion in sales volume in 2025. 

Phillip White, the brand’s CEO and president attributed his firm’s success to the global interconnectivity his agents have due to Sotheby’s large footprint. 

“Every year, the real estate market becomes more global and our advisors have really capitalized on the flow of referral back and forth,” White said. 

He believes this flow of clients and referrals helped his brand turn out the strong performance it did in 2025, despite overall housing market conditions in the U.S.

“Last year was a really strong year for us, which was somewhat surprising given that the overall market was only up slightly, and we were up almost 10% in just the U.S. alone,” White said. 

He also highlighted the strong focus he and his team have on maintaining a strong identity and service standard across the brand. 

“I always look at things through the eyes of the consumer and our goal has always been to have a seamless experience for that consumer no matter where in the world they are,” he said. “It is very important for a luxury brand to deliver a close to the same experience from one market to the next.”

According to White, luxury real estate consumers expect a certain level of service.

“In the luxury market it, is really important that you are not providing a cookie cutter experience,” he said. “It is a lot more bespoke and tailored to their individual needs.” 

By focusing solely on luxury consumers, White and his team at Sotheby’s have been able to create experiences and a level of service that luxury clients like and can depend upon.

“That’s how we are able to win the trust of the clientele,” White said. “I think our advantage is that we don’t have to be all things to all people. We have our niche, which is luxury, and we are able to do that really well. We continue to refine what we do and we can do that because we are not trying to cater to everybody.” 

White said this has allowed Sotheby’s to perfect certain parts of the real estate business that matter most to luxury clients, helping the brand attract more and more buyers and sellers. 

“We don’t waste our time on things that we are not necessarily going to be the best at,” he said. “We stick to our lane.” 

For Sotheby’s, finding that niche has been a key to success and White believes a similar strategy can work for any brokerage or agent. But when it comes to figuring out which fits you or your firm the best, White said you must figure out what “fits your heart.” 

“Luxury isn’t for everybody and that is ok,” he said. “You have to follow your dream and your passion, whether that be a specific type of real estate or a service you want to provide, but you need to find that segment and then figure out how best to serve it and if you can scale your business in that space.” 

Once those things are in order, the sky, according to White, is the limit. 

Keller Williams is in the people development business

Real estate franchisor Keller Williams yet again came out of the RealTrends Verified Rankings as the No. 1 brand in the nation by both transaction side count (837,323 sides) and sales volume ($383.086 billion), capturing 20.4% of the market share. 

John Clidy, Keller Williams’ vice president of regional growth, attributes this success to the company’s focus on agent training and education. 

“Training is paramount,” he said. “At KW, whether you are a new agent or a $100 million producer, there is a training program for you. Over the years, there has been a lot of noise and competition, but we have continued to pour into our people, meet them where they are today and help them get where they want to go next. Everyone is doing all kinds of stuff out there to win, but we just keep developing people and keep training.”  

Clidy said he believes the continued success of Keller Williams’ agents shows that this education-focused model is still relevant. Additionally, he believes a franchise brand is uniquely positioned to provide franchisees with independence and the ability to grow their own companies, while still providing them with valuable support. 

“When you speak to independent companies right now, they are nervous about what the future will be. What will be the next lawsuit? Or, how do I recruit and retain agents in the current environment?” he said. “But we teach that through our community and our culture. That really helps us continue to attract and retain agents.” 

He added that franchises also have systems in place showing franchisees and their agents how to operate a successful business, instead of leaving them to their own devices as they work to get their businesses off the ground. 

“A lot of mega agents and independents that aren’t in a franchise model will ask us how we do things because every time they take on a new endeavor, they are reinventing the wheel. They don’t [always] have the systems or technology in place that we can afford to have because of our model,” Clidy said. 

But while Clidy is a major proponent of the franchise model, he believes that any brokerage model can be successful, but that success depends on the agents. 

“The professional agent will always win,” he said. “They are organized, they know what they are doing, their marketing is in place, they understand the market at a high level. If you have all of those elements in place with the support of your brokerage, that’s where you see firms like us and other brands succeed because we’ve been able to build a great brand with a culture of success.” 

Whether it’s luxury branding, agent count, franchise scale or tight-market specialization, the top performers show that success isn’t tied to a single blueprint — it’s built on clarity, consistency and the ability to adapt as the market shifts. The firms that rise to the top aren’t the ones that look the same, but the ones that know exactly who they are and lean into it.