It has its headquarters in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1983 by Gary Keller and Joe Williams. In 1991, Keller Williams Realty began franchising, and expanded to Canada in 1998. Total agent count in the United States and Canada now stands at more than 77,000, with 677 market centers. Each office is independently owned and operated by ownership group franchisees. Keller Williams Realty International is located in Austin, Texas, with 34 separately owned regions across the United States and Canada. Keller Williams Realty does not engage in any national consumer advertising, but supports agents in the advertising of their own local brand identities. Keller Williams Realty focuses on education and training of real estate agents, franchise owners, and leadership talent. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis ranked Keller Williams as the top workplace in 2010. KW Commercial
In 2008, Keller Williams Realty introduced KW Commercial. extending a referral model to the commercial real-estate sector. KW Commercial is headed by Buddy Norman in Austin, Texas, and KW Commercial has grown since February, 2009, to over 1,000 commercial agents. KW Commercial’s areas of business include industrial, office, investment sales, retail, nonprofit, municipal, land brokerage, and multi family services. Luxury Homes by Keller Williams
Keller Williams Realty created a special division for luxury homes in 2007, Luxury Homes by Keller Williams. The program provides qualifying members with distinct marketing and branding materials, access to luxury-home marketing websites, as well as ongoing education on strategies for appealing to high-end homebuyers.
