Let’s kick things off with some big-picture numbers.
In 2026, Australia’s real estate agency franchise sector is sitting at a hefty $12.0 billion, spread across about 840 franchised businesses.
Growth has been steady—about 1.8% a year since 2021.
If we zoom out and look at the whole real estate services industry (that’s both franchised and independent agencies), we’re talking about a $30.9 billion market with more than 45,000 businesses in the mix (
Source: IBISWorld).
And if you’re wondering about demand, here’s what’s happening on that front: there are now over 170,000 real estate agents working across Australia.
The residential property market itself has soared past $12.4 trillion in combined value as of early 2026, and the average home price has officially cracked the $1 million mark nationwide (
Source: Entry Education).
So, the opportunity is definitely there—and it’s only getting bigger. The real challenge?
Figuring out which brand and business model actually suits the way you want to run your agency.
That’s exactly why I put this guide together.
Instead of just rattling off logos and founding dates, we’re going to dig into how the different models actually work, what the big brands say about themselves, and the key questions you should ask before you reach out to any of them.
Let’s take a quick look at how the major real estate franchise brands stack up.
| Ray White | Traditional franchise | 700+ offices, ~13,000 agents | 1902 | Sydney, NSW |
| LJ Hooker | Traditional franchise | 480+ offices | 1928 | Sydney, NSW |
| Harcourts | Traditional franchise | 900+ offices (global network) | 1888 | Brisbane, QLD |
| Raine & Horne | Traditional franchise | 300+ offices | 1883 | Sydney, NSW |
| Elders Real Estate | Traditional franchise | 300+ offices | 1839 | National (Elders Ltd) |
| Century 21 Australia | Traditional franchise | 300 offices (AU) | 1994 (AU) | Sydney, NSW |
| McGrath Estate Agents | Traditional franchise | 112–140 offices | 1988 | Pyrmont, NSW |
| Barry Plant | Traditional franchise | 70 offices (VIC) | 1979 | Doncaster, VIC |
| OBrien Real Estate | Traditional franchise | 29 offices | 2010 | Victoria |
| Professionals Real Estate | Cooperative / membership | 225 offices | 1976 | Brisbane, QLD |
| First National | Cooperative / membership | 260+ offices | 1981 | Richmond, VIC |
| One Agency | Flat-fee licence | 100+ offices | 2008 | Brookvale, NSW |
Quick heads up: you won’t find franchise fees or ongoing royalties listed on any of these brands’ public websites. I’ll explain why in a moment, and what you should be asking instead.
The one thing every brand has in common: real numbers aren’t on the website
No matter which major real estate franchise you look at in Australia, you’ll notice the same thing: franchise fees, ongoing royalties, and total investment costs are almost never shared upfront.
Instead, you’ll usually just find a general enquiry form where you’d hope to see some numbers.
It’s not that any one brand is being cagey—it’s just how the industry works. Costs can swing wildly depending on your territory, office size, and whether you’re taking over an existing rent roll, so putting a single number out there would be pretty misleading.
But here’s some good news: thanks to a recent update to the Franchising Code of Conduct, most franchisors now have to keep a public profile on the Franchise Disclosure Register. It’s online, it’s free, and anyone can check it out.
So before you reach out to any brand, make sure you check the register yourself instead of just relying on what’s on their marketing site.
And when you do enquire, ask for the full disclosure document and give yourself at least 14 days to go through it before signing anything (
Source: ACCC).
Three business models — and they’re not interchangeable
1. Traditional franchise (royalty-based)
Brand: Ray White, LJ Hooker, Harcourts, Century 21, McGrath, Barry Plant, O’Brien, Raine & Horne, Elders.
You pay an upfront franchise fee plus an ongoing royalty (commonly 5–10% of gross commission) and a marketing levy.
What do you get for your money?
A well-known brand, standardised systems, and a franchisor who’ll have a fair bit of say in how your office runs. This setup is best for agents who want the backing of a big name and don’t mind giving up a bit of day-to-day control.
2. Cooperative / membership model:
Brands: Professionals Real Estate, First National.
Instead of the usual franchisor-franchisee setup, these are not-for-profit or member-run groups.
The fees you pay go straight back into shared marketing and training for everyone, not to an outside franchisor.
That’s what makes this model different from the traditional royalty approach.
Professionals is explicit about this trade-off, telling prospective members it offers “first-class marketing, training, and support” without charging “percentages of your hard-earned sales and rental commissions” (
Source: Professionals Real Estate).
This model is a great fit if you’re already an established agent with your own client base and you want the benefits of a brand without giving up too much control.
3. Flat-fee licence model:
Brands: One Agency, and similar newer entrants.
With this setup, you keep all of your commission and just pay a fixed monthly fee—no percentage royalty. It’s a big shift from the royalty-based models, and it gets more appealing as commission margins get tighter across the industry.
The more you sell, the better value the flat fee becomes. If you’re just starting out and don’t have a lot of sales yet, though, it might not be the best deal.
This one’s really designed for agents who are already established and performing well, rather than those just getting started in real estate.
Before you even start comparing brand names, figure out which of these three models actually fits what you want.
Trust me, it’ll help you narrow things down way faster than just looking at office numbers.
How the major brands actually present themselves
1. Ray White
The dominant player by network size, and it leans on scale rather than public detail.
One independent franchise review put it bluntly: for such a marketing-led business, Ray White itself has been described as “a marketing machine” — a very different pitch from brands that lead with training or ownership language.
Yet its own website is comparatively sparse on specifics, and its “Join Us” messaging targets experienced operators with an existing sales track record rather than newcomers.
2. LJ Hooker
Built around “business owner” language rather than franchise language, with a strong lean into data and lead-generation tools as its pitch, setting it apart from brands that emphasise heritage or boutique positioning.
Reasonably detailed on training structure (dedicated growth coaches, mentoring), but like most of the category, cost details only surface once you make contact.
3. Harcourts
Describes itself as one of the fastest-growing real estate groups globally, with franchisees “joining a global team that recognises and celebrates each other’s success”.
That global framing matters because it leans more international than Australia-only brands.
Much of its scale story is international rather than Australia-specific, and it runs separate arms for rural (with Nutrien) and commercial (with NAI Global) real estate — worth knowing if you’re after something other than standard residential.
4. Raine & Horne
Pitches itself as “Australia’s most established real estate network,” with 140+ years of history behind that claim (
Source: Raine & Horne).
That long-history message separates it from newer or more technology-led competitors.
One thing Raine & Horne does really well is sharing franchisee success stories on video. If you like hearing directly from people already in the business before you enquire, this is a handy resource.
5. Elders Real Estate
Backed by an established agribusiness parent, giving it a real structural edge in rural and regional markets through cross-referral with Elders’ existing agribusiness client base — an advantage the pure-play residential brands can’t easily match.
6. Century 21
Leans hardest on training infrastructure (its own “University” platform) and a bundled technology suite (CRM, trust accounting, analytics), and is one of the few brands explicitly open to owners without prior real estate experience, provided you’ve run a business before.
That makes it stand out from brands that are less training-led.
7. McGrath
The most boutique positioning on the list, built around founder John McGrath’s personal brand and a premium/prestige market position, rather than the scale-first approach used by larger networks.
It protects franchisee territory size deliberately so you’re not competing with another McGrath office nearby — worth asking any brand about, since it isn’t guaranteed elsewhere.
McGrath also became part of a larger east-coast group after Knight Frank and Bayleys acquired a controlling stake in mid-2024 (
Source: Mordor Intelligence).
8. Professionals Real Estate
A cooperative, not a franchise, and upfront about that. The pitch explicitly targets agents at other brands who want to “switch” to a flat-rate cost structure without losing local independence, unlike royalty-based networks.
9. First National
Also a cooperative/member model, and more openly critical of traditional franchising in its own marketing than any other brand on this list — worth reading with that framing in mind, especially if you are comparing it with royalty-based brands.
10. One Agency
The clearest flat-fee pitch in the category: a one-off establishment fee plus a monthly fee under roughly $1,000, no percentage royalty. It is the most direct alternative to percentage-based brands.
Don’t just assume the flat-fee option is always cheaper. Run the numbers against a percentage-based brand using your expected sales volume.
That way, you’ll know exactly when the maths starts to work in your favour—it all comes down to how much you expect to sell.
Barry Plant and O’Brien are both strong players if you’re looking at the Victorian market.
They’ve got real regional track records, though there’s not a lot of national comparison data out there.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a real estate franchise cost in Australia?
There’s no single, reliable number out there—it really depends on the brand, your territory, and the size of your office.
As a ballpark, most initial franchise fees run from about $20,000 up to over $100,000. When you add in fit-out, tech, and working capital, total start-up costs for the big national brands usually land somewhere between $150,000 and $350,000.
On top of that, you’ll usually pay an ongoing royalty of about 5–10% of your gross commission, plus a separate marketing levy.
How do I buy or join a real estate franchise in Australia?
Most brands will want you to already have (or be working towards) a real estate agent’s licence in your state.
You’ll also need to meet a minimum liquid capital requirement and go through an application and interview process with the franchisor.
You’re legally entitled to a disclosure document at least 14 days before signing anything (
Source: ACCC) — request it directly rather than relying on the marketing site.
What’s the largest real estate franchise group in Australia?
Ray White is usually seen as the biggest in Australia by office count and agent numbers, with over 700 offices and around 13,000 agents.
Harcourts has more than 900 offices (including other countries), and LJ Hooker has about 480 offices.
Is there a low-cost or flat-fee real estate franchise option?
Yes — One Agency uses a flat monthly fee (reportedly under $1,000) instead of a percentage-based royalty, and
cooperative/membership brands like Professionals and First National also avoid the traditional royalty structure.
These options are best for agents who already have a steady stream of sales, since the flat fee makes more sense the more you’re selling.
If you’re new to the game, it might not be the best fit.
Are there real estate franchise opportunities outside residential sales?
Absolutely. Some brands have dedicated commercial and rural divisions—like Harcourts with NAI Harcourts (commercial) and Nutrien Harcourts (rural), or Elders with its agribusiness parent company.
If you’re interested in more than just residential sales, these are definitely worth a closer look.
Is a real estate franchise a good investment right now?
Growth across the sector has been steady, not spectacular—the franchised segment has grown by about 1.8% a year since 2021 (
Source: IBISWorld).
Property values keep rising, but that mostly means more competition and tighter margins, not a shrinking market.
In a market that’s not growing as fast as it used to, things like brand strength, the quality of your territory, and how much support you get from the franchisor matter more than ever.
If you’re weighing up real estate against other franchise categories, or just want a second opinion on a particular brand, check out our full
franchise profiles.
