2021 Most Powerful Brokerage Firms
The CPE-MHN rankings of the Most Powerful Brokerage Firms are based on self-reported data from all companies.
You can also read our other Powerful Brokerage Firms rankings.
| Rank | Company | 2020 Investment Sales Volume ($MM) | No. of Brokers | Property Types |
| 1 | CBRE | $181,644.81 | 9,450 | O, I, R, M, Ho, X |
| 2 | Cushman & Wakefield | $88,000.00 | 4,036 | O, I, R, M, X |
| 3 | Newmark* | $72,590.89 | 1,941 | O, I, R, M, H, Ho, St, Se, X |
| 4 | Colliers | $23,548.84 | 2,427 | O, I, R, M, Ho, X |
| 5 | Lee & Associates | $10,056.00 | 1,092 | O, I, R, M, X |
| 6 | NAI Global | $17,000.00 | 6,000 | O, I, R, M, H, Ho, St, Se |
| 7 | Marcus & Millichap | $43,406.82 | 2,097 | O, I, R, M, H, Ho, St, Se, X |
| 8 | Avison Young | $9,900.00 | 1,937 | O, I, R, M, X |
| 9 | TCN Worldwide | $21,847.00 | 1,500 | O, I, R, M, X |
| 10 | SVN International Corp. | $12,500.00 | 1,340 | O, I, R, M, X |
| 11 | Kidder Mathews | $3,857.76 | 470 | O, I, R, M, H, X |
| 12 | NorthMarq | $2,085.94 | 41 | M |
| 13 | SRS Real Estate Partners | $2,047.12 | 168 | O, I, R, M, H, X |
| 14 | Matthews Real Estate Investment Services | $4,072.71 | 240 | O, I, R, M, H, X |
| 15 | Transwestern Real Estate Services | $3,323.62 | 430 | O, I, R, M, H, X |
| 16 | Coldwell Banker Commercial | $5,400.00 | 2,635 | O, I, R, M, Ho, X |
| 17 | Berkadia | $8,000.00 | 112 | O, I, R, M, H, Ho, St, Se, X |
| 18 | James Capital Advisors | $332.08 | 31 | O, I, R, M, H, X |
| 19 | Voit Real Estate Services | $831.24 | 125 | O, I, R, M, X |
| 20 | Greysteel | $1,007.27 | 59 | O, R, M |
* Newmark’s figures represent the brokerage firm’s North American operations only.
Key: O=Office, I=Industrial, R=Retail, M=Multifamily, H=Health Care, Ho=Hospitality, St=Student Housing, Se=Senior Housing, X=Other
To be included in upcoming surveys, email Jeff Hamann at [email protected].
On the road to Recovery
The multifamily sector proved resilient during the past year, with tech hubs and lower-cost metros showing strong rent growth. Gateway markets and higher-cost metros initially struggled but are on a path to recovery after rents bottomed out.
Multifamily sales volume dropped substantially in 2020 to $65 billion, a 31 percent decline from 2019’s volume of $94 billion. Fourth-quarter sales, however, were almost on par with the same time the previous year.
As the multifamily market regains its strength, our 2021 Most Powerful Brokerage Firms ranking highlights the top firms to watch.
CBRE retained its longstanding top position in this year’s overall ranking, with total investment sales volume for 2020 coming in at $182 billion, a 31 percent decline from 2019’s volume. CBRE employed nearly 9,500 brokers at the end of 2020, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. Rounding out the top three are Cushman & Wakefield and Newmark, with a respective $88 billion and $73 billion in 2020 sales volumes. Both firms experienced a decline in 2020, with Cushman & Wakefield’s volume falling 22 percent and Newmark’s declining by 12 percent.
Of those companies surveyed, the largest percentage of investment sales volume occurred in the multifamily sector, followed by industrial, retail and office. Sales volumes across asset types declined by an average of 20 percent. The top 10 brokerage firms employed an average of 3,000 brokers in 2020.
Methodology
The CPE-MHN rankings of the Most Powerful Brokerage Firms are based on self-reported data from all firms. We used a weighted formula, considered various factors including a firm’s performance in 2020 and in previous years, and reviewed data that reflects investment sales and leasing activity. The rankings represent what we feel is a logical balance between firm growth and market share. Ranking factors are not limited to the data that appear on this page.
—Madeline Harper, Senior Research Analyst, Yardi Matrix
