Inman

69 real estate companies make Inc.’s ‘fastest-growing’ list

Keller Williams Realty, @Properties, Realty One Group, Movoto.com, and FarmAndLand.com are on Inc. magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., which includes 69 companies in the real estate category.

Companies on the Inc. 500/5000 list are ranked by overall revenue growth in the three-year period between 2008-11. In order to qualify, companies had to have generated revenue by March 31, 2008; have generated at least $100,000 in revenue in 2008, and at least $2 million in revenue in 2011; and be privately held, for profit, based in the U.S., and independent (not a subsidiary or division of another company), according to Inc., a publication for entrepreneurs and business owners.

The median growth rate among the 5,000 companies was 97 percent with aggregate revenue of $299 billion. The companies on the list reported creating more than 400,000 jobs between 2008 and 2011.

"Fast growth at any time is a big achievement; fast growth during the past few years is just short of miraculous," said Inc. magazine’s editor, Jane Berentson, in a statement.

"The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of-miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times,"  Berentson said.

Among companies in the real estate category, appraisal and asset management firms topped Inc.’s list.

Marietta, Ga.-based appraisal management company Valuation Management Group topped the list of companies in the real estate category for the second year in a row, with a 6,267 percent jump in revenue growth, to $34.3 million in 2011, up from $25.4 million the year before. The company had 62 employees at the end of 2011, up from three at the end of 2008. It ranked at No. 29 in the overall list of 5,000 companies.

Arlington, Va.-based Innotion Enterprises, which provides technology, management and marketing services to asset managers for real estate owned (REO) properties, ranked second among real estate companies, moving up from the No. 5 spot last year. The company saw a 3,500 percent jump in revenue from 2008, to $35.8 million in 2011. The company grew from 10 employees in 2008 to 43 in 2011. Innotion Enterprises replaced Oklahoma City-based Pointe Vista Development, which did not make the Inc. 5000 list this year, in the No. 2 spot.

Another appraisal management firm, Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Landmark Network, was third in the real estate category. The company’s revenue grew 2,751 percent from 2008, to $4.3 million in 2011. The company grew from two employees in 2008 to 36 in 2011. Landmark Network replaced Golden Valley, Minn.-based property management firm Renters Warehouse in the No. 3 spot, bumping the latter down to No. 19 in the real estate category.

Ranking fourth among real estate companies this year was asset management and default services company Matt Martin Real Estate Management, also based in Arlington, Va. The company’s revenue grew 2,669 percent from 2008, to $31.4 million in 2011. The company grew from 50 employees in 2008 to 110 in 2011. Atlanta-based PalmerHouse Properties, which previously held the No. 4 spot, is now ranked at No. 7.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Loan Resolution, which provides home retention, short sale and REO asset management, and property management services, ranked fifth among companies in the real estate category. That company’s revenue jumped 2,540 percent from 2008, to $10.6 million in 2011. The company had 207 employees in 2011, up from 19 in 2008.

Several real estate brokerages were included among the fastest-growing companies, including The Force Realty, McGeough Lamacchia Realty, Asset Realty Group, Prudential Americana Group Realtors, @properties, Rapid Realty, Maximum One Realty Greater Atlanta, Keller Williams Capital Properties, Realty One Group, and ERA Sunrise Realty. The latter four were also on last year’s Inc. 5000 list.

Keller Williams Realty, a franchisor that provides services to brokerages, also made the list, thanks to 28 percent growth over the last three years.

Henderson, Nev.-based Realty One Group has been on the list for four years straight and expanded into franchising earlier this month. This may be the brokerage’s last appearance on the list, however, since the company has announced its intention to go public sometime this year.

Seattle-based property search and valuation site Zillow ranked 20th among the fastest-growing private real estate companies last year, but has since gone public and is therefore not on the list this year.

Following is a list of the 69 real estate category companies:

RANK COMPANY NAME 3-YEAR % GROWTH 2011 REVENUE STATE
29 Valuation Management Group 6267% $34.3 million GA
80 Innotion Enterprises 3500% $35.8 million VA
108 Landmark Network 2751% $4.3 million CA
116 Matt Martin Real Estate Management 2669% $31.4 million VA
126 Loan Resolution 2540% $10.6 million AZ
189 Marketplace Homes 1853% $8.1 million MI
201 PalmerHouse Properties 1807% $4 million GA
228 Real Property Management 1591% $28.3 million UT
273 ACT Appraisal 1317% $4 million IL
286 Cal-American Homes 1277% $2.4 million CA
319 US Appraisal Group 1177% $4 million IL
362 Jacksonville Wealth Builders 1026% $5.9 million FL
407 Iconic Development 924% $14 million IL
556 MEM Property Management 672% $2.5 million NJ
565 The CRE Group 655% $2.6 million CA
701 FarmAndLand.com 503% $2.7 million CA
710 Property Solutions International 496% $19.6 million UT
759 The Force Realty 459% $3.6 million WA
787 Renters Warehouse 434% $5.2 million MN
902 Gorilla Capital 368% $40.2 million OR
936 Accurate Group 345% $30.3 million OH
942 Fairplay Financial 343% $6.5 million WA
946 McGeough Lamacchia Realty 341% $2.7 million MA
962 Key Property Solutions 335% $20.7 million GA
1024 NathanTabor.com 309% $2.8 million NC
1124 Maximum One Realty Greater Atlanta 281% $5.9 million GA
1308 Movoto.com 236% $4.3 million CA
1318 Keller Williams Capital Properties 235% $14.2 million DC
1320 Memphis Invest 235% $30.4 million TN
1377 Kinder Reese 222% $2 million TX
1415 The Menkiti Group 213% $8.4 million DC
1617 Bean Group 182% $12.5 million NH
1680 ISGN 172% $92.8 million FL
1758 Meridian Pacific Properties 162% $5.2 million CA
1834 Tim O’Brien Homes 152% $21 million WI
1966 eMortgage Logic 137% $59.6 million TX
2025 Asset Plus Companies 132% $12.4 million TX
2202 Guardian Commercial Realty 116% $3.1 million CA
2275 Urban Lending Solutions 111% $104.2 million PA
2304 Realty ONE Group 109% $78.3 million NV
2358 Empire Properties 105% $27.7 million NC
2430 Total Mortgage Services 100% $9.6 million CT
2451 Conservice 99% $29.8 million UT
2602 Asset Realty Group 92% $3.5 million WA
2608 American Eagle Mortgage 92% $10.3 million OH
2730 Nationwide Title Clearing 85% $17 million FL
2876 FirstClose 79% $6.1 million TX
2935 Pro Teck Valuation Services 75% $44.7 million MA
3186 ERA Sunrise Realty 65% $7.6 million GA
3212 Stream Realty Partners 64% $43.1 million TX
3238 Chicago Apartment Finders 62% $8.5 million IL
3323 Broad Street Realty 59% $11.3 million MD
3389 Best Facility Services 57% $5.7 million TX
3415 Mainstreet 56% $11.4 million IN
3436 The Mount Vernon Company 55% $23.2 million MA
3526 Occidental Management 53% $5.4 million KS
3726 Millman – National Land Services 45% $9.3 million OH
3930 HomeSmart 38% $67.7 million AZ
4023 reQuire Release Tracking 36% $5 million VA
4068 Prudential Americana Group Realtors 34% $11.9 million NV
4076 CityParking 34% $3.6 million VA
4111 Temporary Housing Directory 33% $42.8 million TX
4138 @Properties 32% $60 million IL
4190 Rapid Realty 30% $10.9 million NY
4279 Keller Williams Realty 28% $137.5 million TX
4297 McKee Asset Management 28% $6.5 million CA
4455 ODUrent.com 23% $2 million VA
4858 Housing Helpers 10% $4.3 million CO
4894 RealCapitalMarkets.com 9% $5.3 million CA

Source: Inc.

Though not included in the real estate category, other real estate-related companies were included among the overall list of 5,000. Among these was BoomTown, a Charleston, S.C.-based real estate marketing software company, which ranked at No. 96 in the overall list of 5,000 and No. 8 in the software category. The company’s revenue grew 3,085 percent between 2008 and 2011, to $4.6 million, up from $2.2 million in 2010. The company grew from three employees in 2008 to 38 employees in 2011.

Additionally, the Charfen Institute, which offers education and training services for real estate professionals and small-business owners, was ranked No. 187 on the overall list of 5,000 and No. 5 in the education category. The company’s revenue grew 1,857 percent between 2008 and 2011, to $10.4 million. The company grew from three employees in 2008 to 149 employees in 2011.

San Francisco-based self-service marketing company VerticalResponse, which acquired real estate social media marketing firm Roost late last year, made the overall list of 5,000 for the seventh year in a row. The company was ranked No. 2,802 on the overall list and No. 248 in the advertising and marketing category. The company’s revenue grew 82 percent between 2008 and 2011, to $24.1 million. The company grew from 72 employees in 2008 to 129 employees in 2011.