How it all began...

The RE/MAX story.

As a listed and family-run company, RE/MAX is one of the largest real estate brokerage networks in the world. Find out more about its growth and innovation in the following success story – the RE/MAX Story.

Real estate to the maximum.

RE/MAX for short – according to this premise, Gail and Dave Liniger founded their own small real estate company in Denver, Colorado, USA in 1973. The two company founders had a visionary idea: well-trained, entrepreneurially independent real estate agents form a network and work together in a customer-oriented manner so that owners, prospective buyers and agents benefit equally. With this approach, they revolutionized and professionalized the range of services offered by real estate agents through multiplied broker know-how, stronger integration of the seller and buyer side, shorter marketing times and, for those times, innovative marketing tools.

Foundation for RE/MAX.

With four real estate agents and six secretaries, the Linigers built up a real estate agent network and thus laid the foundation for RE/MAX, which brought the founding couple worldwide success within a very short time. The famous hot air balloon in the colors red, white and blue has been the trademark of the franchise company ever since.

After five years there were already over 100 offices with approximately 1,000 independent brokers under the RE/MAX roof in the USA and Canada. RE/MAX played a major role in changing the real estate market away from private sales to the general acceptance of the real estate agent as a professional service provider. Today 8,300 offices, in approximately 110 countries and over 130,000,000 licensed real estate agents form the largest real estate agent network world-wide. The globally successful franchise concept serves approximately 1.8 million customers annually.

From the USA to Europe

Two pioneers land in Europe.

After business partners Frank J. Polzler and Walter Schneider – both of whom have roots in Europe – established the RE/MAX success concept in Canada, it spilled over the ocean in 1995. But before it came to it, first feasibility studies were accomplished whether the model functions at all in Europe. The results were sobering. The European real estate market was not comparable to the North American one – large broker networks hardly existed until then, consumer information was difficult to obtain and, most importantly, there was no cross-national database for real estate properties (MLS system). Despite all resistance, the pioneers Polzler and Schneider prevailed with their visionary idea and founded RE/MAX Europe. The incredibly dynamic market with higher ownership rates than in North America offered them a wealth of opportunities. First offices opened in Spain, Israel and Italy. Other countries followed. Since 2011, Michael Polzler, son of Frank J. Polzler, has been CEO of RE/MAX Europe, based in Zug, Switzerland.

RE/MAX comes to Germany.

The real estate network has also been active in Germany since 1995. Initially, the federal territory was divided into six independent regional directorates: RE/MAX Germany North, Northeast, Central, Southwest, West and Bavaria. Around 20 years later, the individual regions decided to unite to form a single overall directorate. A centrally managed strategy and vision made it possible to standardize regional differences in areas such as training, digitization or image building and to fully exploit the enormous potential offered to the RE/MAX brand in Germany.

Foundation of RE/MAX Germany.

With the support of RE/MAX Europe, the merger of the previously six independent regions took place on 1 January 2018. This was the birth of RE/MAX Germany. The real estate broker network thus grew even closer together, was able to make better use of its synergies and achieve greater market penetration.

Since then RE/MAX Germany appears uniformly and increased within shortest time by the rapid opening of numerous offices in Germany. Meanwhile more than 900 real estate agents act in over 200 offices. The Headquarter of the enterprise has its seat in Leinfelden Echterdingen. CEO and shareholder is Kurt Friedl, who has more than 40 years of professional experience in the real estate industry.

RE/MAX Germany today.

Today RE/MAX Germany appears with a vision, a strategy and a uniform public perception. This is appreciated not only by the customers, but also by all franchise partners, the more than 800 brokers at the more than 200 locations and those who still want to become one.

The vision of RE/MAX Germany is it to extend the real estate network and to professionalize the broker market by excellent training with own coaches further. From the top trained and quality-oriented RE/MAX real estate agents of the nationwide network, real estate customers, sellers and buyers alike benefit.

The continuing growth in real estate agents, locations and transactions confirms the success of RE/MAX Germany. See for yourself.