September 12, 2026
Elizabeth J. McCormick (1903) was the first woman/trailblazer to officially earn a real estate license in the United States. She established the Women's Real Estate Association of Chicago by breaking through the glass ceiling of a male dominated profession. Her passion was aimed at empowering women with innovative strategies and commitment to excellence.
Coldwell Banker is the oldest residential real estate franchise system in North America. Colbert Coldwell's brokerage was founded in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. In the beginning he formed a partnership (Tucker, Lynch & Coldwell in 1906). By 1913, he invited Benjamin Arthur Banker to join, and in 1914, the firm officially transitioned into Coldwell Banker & Co.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - Before the 1930's Great Depression, home loans were short term (3 to 5 years) with large balloon payments, leading to foreclosures resulting from banks failures. Under Roosevelt's leadership in 1934, the Federal Housing Act (FHA) was created to insure private lenders against default and stabilized the housing market. Roosevelt made long-term homeownership affordable and accessible for qualified Americans.
Ebby Halliday (1945) built Ebby Halliday Realtors. Her humble beginnings started with a single bicycle and a dream that became a reality. Her Brokerage created one of the largest independent residential brokerages in America. Through her leadership and integrity, she empowered thousands of women to build successful careers.
Dorothy Alther - She was a pioneer and visionary leader that changed the trajectory for women in the real estate industry by becoming the first National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Dorothy became the first female president of the Association in 1950.
Martin Luther King Jr, along with other Civil Rights Advocates, fought fiercely for open housing in 1968. Their accomplishment legally banned racial discrimination in housing sales, rentals, and financing. The door was opened to millions of people who were previously unable to own property for homeownership.
Dave Linger - 1973 Co-Founder of RE/MAX in Denver, CO implemented the 100-percent commission model globally and completely changed how real estate agents operate as independent business owners. His first franchise started in 1975 in Kansas City, with the first international office in 1977 located in Calgary, Canada. A year later he launched the Hot Air Balloon, and continued to expand the business into Europe, launching the RE/MAX Satellite Network. By 2020, there were over 140,000 agents in more than 8,000 offices.
Barbara Corcoran - in 1973 Barbara, founded The Corcoran Group with $1,000.00. By 2001, her successful NY firm sold in 2001 for $66 million. She continues to inspire others to pursue careers in real estate.
Joan Kroc made significant contributions to real estate development. As the wife of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, she pioneered the first female real estate developers in 1980.
Gary Keller - In 1983, at 26 years old, Gary co-founded Keller Williams Realty along with Joe Williams in Austin, Texas. Their brokerage was built on a strong foundation of training, education, and an agent-centric philosophy. By 1991 the company became the largest real estate franchise globally by 2015. Gary Keller authored:
- The Millionaire Real Estate Agent
- The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
- SHIFT
- The ONE Thing
eXp Realty - Following on the tailcoats of Keller Williams, former KW Leader, Glen Sanford founded eXp Realty in 2009 with the world's first cloud-based real estate brokerage. Sanford pioneered an alternative to brick-and-mortar office buildings to build a fully immersive, 3D virtual office and cloud-based platform. From 2010 to 2013 it rapidly grew and went public in 2013, offering stock ownership for producing agents. Between 2014-2016 international sales and business expanded into Canada, becoming one of the largest international brokerages in 27 countries.
Researched & Written by AR Blogger since 2010
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