History

From Real Estate Pioneers to Global Leaders

1971

CENTURY 21 was founded in 1971 by real estate agents Art Bartlett and Marsh Fisher in Santa Ana, California.

According to co-founder Art Bartlett, choosing the name was a challenging process. The initial idea was to name the company “CENTURY 20,” since they were starting in the 20th century, which seemed logical. However, trademarking the name proved difficult due to its generic nature. An alternative name, “Green Valley,” was suggested. Ultimately, “CENTURY 21” was chosen because it sounded unique and forward-thinking.

1972

In search of talented partners to grow the company, Art convinced Franchise Sales Manager Bud Schultz to join CENTURY 21. In his previous company, Schultz had the entire sales team wear red jackets to stand out from the competition. He set one condition for joining: all CENTURY 21 members must wear a gold jacket.

1973

CENTURY 21 held its first national conference in Las Vegas.

1974

CENTURY 21 announced its first International Franchising Agreement with Gary Charlwood and Peter Thomas to develop CENTURY 21 offices in Canada. The first offices opened on January 15, 1974.

1976

Through their relentless determination and charisma, Art and Marsh convinced thousands of smaller real estate offices to join CENTURY 21.

1978

CENTURY 21 was acquired by Trans World Corporation, which decided to focus on hospitality.

1979

During this period, CENTURY 21 began its partnership with Easterseals, a collaboration that continues to this day, raising significant funds.

1980

1981

The 1980s saw a rapid expansion of CENTURY 21’s franchise system. Local franchisees hired their own agents, and within a few years, the company was opening 100 new offices a month.

Remember the 1980s movie "War Games"? Matthew Broderick’s mother was a real estate agent wearing the iconic CENTURY 21 gold jacket.

1985

CENTURY 21 was acquired by MetLife.

Throughout the 1980s, CENTURY 21 signed franchising agreements with France, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Mexico.

1990

1991

On August 6, the World Wide Web became publicly available, dramatically transforming the real estate industry over the next 15 years. "Once listing information became public, the real estate agent went from being a gatekeeper of confidential information to a provider of professional services," says Clelia Peters, president of Warburg Realty in New York.

1992

CENTURY 21 established the "SELLER SERVICE PLEDGE®," a service quality training program that set the standard for customer service in real estate sales with CENTURY 21.

Throughout the 1990s, CENTURY 21 signed franchising agreements with Hong Kong, Belgium, the Cayman Islands, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and South America.

1995

When MetLife decided to exit the real estate industry, CENTURY 21 was acquired by Hospitality Franchise Systems, which later became known as Cendant.

1996

CENTURY 21 Fine Homes & Estates® and CENTURY 21 Recreational Properties were created. The Fine Homes & Estates brand became associated with luxury properties, while Recreational Properties focused on countryside homes ideal for fishing, hunting, farming, camping, and other recreational activities.

1999

CENTURY 21 was recognized as the "No1 leader in brand awareness in real estate", a title it retains to this day.

2000

2005

Realogy was born when Cendant Corporation decided to split into four separate companies.

2006

CENTURY 21 launched mobile.c21.com, allowing customers to access properties for sale via mobile phones and other portable internet-enabled devices.

2007

The Great Recession hit the world from December 2007 to June 2009, triggered by the bursting of the $8 trillion real estate bubble. In 2008 and 2009, the U.S. job market lost 8.4 million jobs.

2011

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, CENTURY 21 appeared on "Cake Boss." A nearly 700-pound cake was made to celebrate the company.

2012

The "CENTURY 21 Kicks Off" campaign aired during Super Bowl XLVI.

A large CENTURY 21 sign also appeared in the movie “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”

2013

CENTURY 21 was named one of the top 125 companies for training and development programs by “Training Magazine.” CENTURY 21 has received this recognition ten times in the last twelve years.

2015

CENTURY 21 received four customer satisfaction awards in the annual “J.D. Power 2015 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study.”

2017

CENTURY 21 launched the "Empowering Latinas" program, an initiative that provides training and entrepreneurial opportunities to help Latino entrepreneurs obtain their real estate licenses

2018

“We Defy Mediocrity.
We Deliver Extraordinary Experiences”

To prove it’s not just a company with a glorious history, CENTURY 21 made a bold and ambitious move in 2018, committing to a new mission: to defy mediocrity and provide exceptional services. We refreshed our brand’s look and delved into specific aspects of corporate culture. The introduction of best work practices, the "House Habits," birthed this new mindset. Each "House Habit" is a step toward the new mission and the relentless attitude that every real estate agent must embody. CENTURY 21 began developing new and effective tools, simplifying technology, and providing an exceptional experience for both agents and clients.

In February, the partnership between CENTURY 21 and Easterseals reached $120 million in donations.

2019

To reward those who follow the mission and act with this relentless mindset, CENTURY 21 created the Relentless Agent Awards. These awards recognize real estate agents who deliver an exceptional experience, based on service quality rather than sales volume.

We also partnered with Disney and ESPN, seeking to reach fresh, ambitious people by looking at other industries for inspiration. CENTURY 21 received global recognition for these efforts and was honored with the "Most Innovative Marketing Campaign" award at the Inman Innovator Awards 2018.

We continue to promote innovation and tools for our partners through our new 21Online portal.

2022

CENTURY 21 Real Estate LLC announced the premiere of "The Relentless," a podcast series that shares inspiring stories of influential entrepreneurs. Additionally, it announced a partnership with the Eva Longoria Foundation as part of the "Empowering Latinas" program and introduced Brilliant Basics, customer service standards for its members, aimed at providing an exceptional experience to their clients.

The iconic real estate company continues to set the gold standard in the global market. Today, we are nearly 150,000 real estate agents in 14,000 offices serving 3.8 billion people.