It was 1929, at the start of the Great Depression, when Staunton Elsea, then 30 years old, established a new real estate company, Elsea Realty & Investment. Not to be daunted by the economy, he put together a sales force and set up offices on Fort Street in Detroit. It was from this humble beginning that Staunton Elsea developed what would later become the largest real estate company in Michigan, Real Estate One, Inc.
From the beginning, the Elsea name and Real Estate One have been synonymous with innovation in real estate. Among those innovations are extensive in-house training for sales agents, suburban branch offices, photo guides of homes, direct mail marketing, and television and radio advertising.
In 1970, Elsea Realty announced its merger with three other privately owned real estate companies, which formed Real Estate One, Inc. Since then, the organization has experienced expansive growth. In addition to offering brokerage services, the company also provides comprehensive financial services through John Adams Mortgage and Capital Title Insurance Co. We are also able to provide additional services such as homeowner’s insurance through Insurance One and relocation services through Relocation America. Other divisions include franchise sales and a full-service print shop.
Real Estate One is still a family-owned company. With 50 company-owned branch offices located throughout metropolitan Detroit and in Traverse City, and an additional 32 franchised offices located across the state, it remains unparalleled as the largest real estate company in Michigan. And, with more than $5.6 Billion in sales for 2019, and over $4.5 Billion projected for 2020, Real Estate One ranks in the top 10 real estate companies in the nation and remains the #1 choice for all your real estate needs.
