Agents employed at the Top 29 Brokers in California by number of agents employed.

Chart last updated 1/14/11

Data courtesy of California Department of Real Estate (DRE)

The above chart tracks the number of agents employed by California’s largest real estate brokerages. This chart is an annual feature, compiled and presented by first tuesday.

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The above chart contrasts the number of employed agents in December 2009 and December 2010 at California’s 29 largest brokerages. Take a moment to see how these large brokerages are faring in this recovery. Which are taking advantage of this crisis to capture market share?

Notably absent are some of the nation’s top brokers. Some that would have made the top 30 in 2008, like Marcus & Millichap and the Mili Group, have lost agents or disappeared entirely. Most of the state’s major brokers experienced only marginal changes in employment over the past year, although some, like Real Estate Ebroker, added significant numbers.

Since July of 2008, employment has dropped dramatically in almost every sector in California. Few industries, if any, have suffered as much as real estate (construction, insurance, finance, and agents and their brokers). Agents and brokers now scramble to succeed in the half-priced turmoil of spastic REO and short sale listings. Those that remain full-time are the ones who have successfully adjusted.

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Please note that this chart tracks only agents employed by brokers, not other brokers.

Note also that certain other “big names,” such as Century-21 and Prudential, are not brokers but real estate franchises.  Franchisors contract with numerous individual brokers who operate separately from the franchisor and employ agents.  While a franchise may appear to cover several hundred or thousand agents, no one broker as a franchisee makes the list.  Distinguish franchisees from independently branded brokers operating under their corporate name (those that made the list) which employ agents under one corporate broker’s license.

Agents employed at each of California’s top 29 brokers: