11 iconic real estate logos + Tips to design (or refine) yours
Is your real estate logo “good enough” for your brand? Before you answer, consider this: Your logo speaks for you when you’re not in the room. What is it saying about you? What should it say about you? A “good enough” logo will look nice on your business card. An exceptional logo can help you tell your story persuasively enough to build an iconic brand.
To help inspire you to design (or refine) your logo, we curated this list of 11 real estate logos that helped build iconic brands. They run the gamut from solo agents to tiny but mighty boutique brokerages to multi-billion dollar franchises. For each logo, we provide actionable takeaways you can use to create your own standout branding. We wrap up with six critical rules all exceptional logos follow and tips to make the design process easier.
11 remarkable real estate logos that helped build iconic real estate brands
1. The Volpe Team
Timeless, cool and confident, The Volpe Team’s logo is an ideal reflection of their tony Brooklyn farm area. Most of the homes they sell are snapped up by investment bankers these days, but this “cool kid” logo helps them sell the fast-fading dream of bohemian Brooklyn.
Why it sells
Their logo is just the right amount of trendy to help sell the dream of living in brownstone Brooklyn. It’s simple enough to work as a tiny icon on social media or printed on a 50-foot-wide billboard. It’s also versatile; the minimal black-and-white color scheme means it can work on any background.
2. Village Properties
Village Properties’ logo exudes the casual elegance of the highly sought-after Spanish Revival mansions they sell. Like the Volpe Team, they went with a dead simple logo. Two fonts, two words, and enough graphic gravitas to help them stand out in a hyper-competitive market.
Why it sells
Simplicity sells. This logo evokes one of their city’s most prized home styles with just a typeface (Think 1920s Hollywood). There are untold thousands of high-quality typefaces to choose from. They managed to find THE font that helps show off their local roots and sell their brand. It even holds its own next to the Forbes Global Properties logo. Swipe left on the logo above to see them side-by-side.
3. Jack Conway
Bringing an almost 70-year-old brand into the future isn’t easy — kicking and screaming is virtually guaranteed. Jack Conway and creative firm 1000 Watt made it look easy. The brokerage’s logo leverages a simple but futuristic typeface and bright, bold colors that place the brand firmly in the 2020s. The “EST. 1956” tagline helps reassure old-timers and new clients alike of the brand’s storied past.
Why it sells
Taking strategic risks with your logo can sometimes lead to big rewards. This logo is dead simple; a well-chosen typeface, bold colors and a dash of credibility is sometimes all you need. It’s also versatile; the fire-engine-red brand color exudes passion, confidence and boldness. The white version can tone things down when the situation calls for it.
4. Tristan Ahumada
California Realtor and Lab Coat Agents co-founder Tristan Ahumada’s logo is like confidence in a jar. The all-caps sans serif typeface has just the right amount of sharp edges to look cool without sacrificing trustworthiness. Much harder than it looks!
Why it sells
The logo’s fresh, modern design straddles the fine line between selling real estate and selling marketing software — two worlds in which Tristan thrives. The turquoise “T” screams Southern California and works perfectly as a simple one-letter monogram on his website and business cards.
5. Kumara Wilcoxon
Austin Realtor Kumara Wilcoxon went the Cher route with her logo and personal brand. It’s simple, elegant and oozes luxury — perfect for selling upscale homes in the new crypto capital of America. It’s also timeless enough to appeal to older buyers and sellers who probably think ETH is short for Ethan Allen. (Hint: it’s the stock ticker for Ethereum, a wildly popular cryptocurrency.)
Why it sells
This logo works for three reasons: the font, the font and the font. This typeface is sleek, chic and simple without being too minimal. It also wouldn’t look out of place on the label of a $1,000 luxury sweater. This helps Kumara appeal to the fastest-rising demographic of new buyers in Austin and across the country: single women — a shrewd branding decision for any Realtor. NAR data show single women bought 19% of new homes in 2023 (PDF), and that trendline is rising.
6. Brown Harris Stevens
Bold. Honest. Smart. Brown Harris Steven’s logo is another rebrand that brought a 100+-year-old brokerage into the 21st century. It’s clean, simple and works spelled out or as a three-letter monogram: BHS. Their logo has gone through countless iterations since 1873(!), when the brokerage was founded, but this version is the clear favorite for our team.
Why it sells
Simplicity sells. Like all of the best real estate logos, it conveys its brand message clearly and efficiently. The double meaning of BHS also helps associate their logo with their company values: boldness, honesty and market intelligence. That’s a lot of heavy lifting from a text-only logo!
7. The Hudson Advisory Team
The Hudson Advisory Team in New York City also uses a simple text-only logo (known as a wordmark). It looks historic yet modern — ideal for helping them sell turn-of-the-century loft conversions and other contemporary yet historic properties in their city.
Why it sells
This logo is a nod to old-school New York City, without looking dated or derivative. It also resonates with their target demographic: New Yorkers (or wannabe New Yorkers) who are nostalgic about classic logos like New York Magazine’s — myself included.
8. Jade Mills Estates
Signed, sealed and sold. Jade Mills’ logo leverages her autograph-worthy signature to help associate her brand with the celebrities she sells homes to. While we can’t confirm this is her actual signature, it helps add a personal touch to her branding.
Why it sells
Buying or selling a home is stressful. People want to work with a human being they can relate to, not a market-researched brand. This logo helps Jade sell herself along with her services. It’s also just good marketing. A Harvard study found that making even a small emotional connection with your customers can lead to double-digit growth.
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9. Douglass Elliman
Douglas Elliman has one of the most iconic real estate logos in the industry. The serif typeface and “financial services blue” brand color give it a traditional look that exudes trustworthiness, integrity and authority. The cyan “DE” monogram also works well on its own — perfect for branded swag.
Why it sells
Elliman’s logo is about as traditional as it gets — a critical brand quality for a brokerage with over 7,000 agents in 13 states. Branding that works in Miami might not work in Houston. This logo works everywhere Elliman agents do.
10. SERHANT.
As one of the country’s newest (and most hyped) brokerages, building trust was crucial for SERHANT. They also needed to stand out in the most cutthroat real estate markets in the country. Their logo easily achieves both goals.
Why it sells
SERHANT. cleverly uses blue to connote trustworthiness, integrity and honesty, and a brash all-caps font to signal boldness. It’s about as far away from Douglass Elliman’s logo as you can get, but still “safe” enough to project trustworthiness. The period at the end drives copy editors batty (ask me how I know!), but its brand value is clear: SERHANT. belongs in the upper echelons of real estate brokerages. Period. It also works exceptionally well for their “S.” monogram, and even for S.IMPLE, the brokerage’s real estate software.
11. Century 21
No discussion about real estate logos would be complete without mentioning Century 21. Here’s why: Century 21 has consistently ranked as the most recognized brand in real estate for 25 years. That put an enormous amount of pressure on the logo they redesigned in 2018. Talk about high-stakes design work!
Why it sells
Similar to SERHANT., Century 21 uses an all-caps typeface to defy mediocrity and a proven charcoal and gold color palette to convey trustworthiness, integrity and luxury. Like Elliman, their “21” brand mark can be used as a stand-in for their logo. For many people, the “21” brandmark IS Century 21’s logo.
How to design (or refine) your real estate logo
Designing a real estate logo from the ground up is one of the biggest challenges in marketing. Here’s why: an effective real estate logo needs to achieve these six goals.
Resonate with buyers and sellers in your farm area
Appeal to buyers and sellers in your demographic niche
Be highly legible in all sizes
Work on both light and dark backgrounds
Represent your mission, vision and values
Look cool on branded swag
Sounds overwhelming right? How can a few lines of text accomplish all that for your brand? Don’t worry; most companies — even graphic design companies — face the same struggle. Keep these six goals in mind as you design, and you’ll be golden.
To ensure you get the most out of your design time, here are six tips for designing a logo that can help build an iconic brand.
1. Keep it simple
Simplicity sells. Have two choices for your logo? Go with the simpler one. Logos with intricate design elements are usually illegible in smaller sizes. Remember your third goal! Make it legible or make it again.
2. Make it timeless
While we wholeheartedly endorse taking calculated risks with your branding, err on the side of timelessness with your logo. When in doubt, reread the six goals and ask yourself if the risk helps you reach them.
3. Create a brand mark or monogram (that isn’t a house)
A brandmark or monogram can give your logo gravitas that’s hard to match with a text-only logo. Just make sure they achieve all six goals before choosing one.
A monogram is easier to design than a brandmark, but a brand mark that reflects your farm area — a palm tree in Miami or a sailboat in coastal Maine — packs a bigger brand punch. If you can, avoid cliches like houses or keys. There’s no faster way to make your logo ignorable instead of iconic.
4. Design your logo in black and white first — then add brand colors
Many graphic designers start working on a logo in black and white. Why? Your logo needs to work as a design first and foremost. A dazzling color you love can be a distraction. You’ll be far more likely to forgive wonky lines or hard-to-read text if it’s in your favorite color.
5. Create a swipe file to SHOW your graphic designer what you want
Building up a collection of logos that inspire you — called a swipe file — is one of the most helpful things you can do for your designer. Want to reality make her happy? Take the time to think through WHY you like the logos in your swipe file BEFORE you first meeting.
6. Invest in high-quality typefaces
A high-quality typeface can mean the difference between your logo looking right, or looking off.
Typefaces can be surprisingly expensive. Some cost $50- $100 or more. While many brands use cheap or even free typefaces, buying the one that’s right for your brand will have an excellent ROI. Buy once, cry once.
More iconic real estate logos
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Aaron Kirman Group
The Malibu Life
Houlihan Lawrence
Reference Real Estate
Real estate logos: The full picture
To help you build an iconic brand, your real estate logo should be simple, timeless and resonate with buyers and sellers in your farm area. Use our curated picks above for inspiration, but remember that designing a logo that truly represents your mission, vision and values takes time. Don’t settle for “good enough!”
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