In the U.S., Century 21(R) has the best brand recognition of any real estate company, with 99.3% of study participants being able to recognize the brand. That kind of marketing power is huge for a real estate company that relies so heavily on physical property sales to drive revenue. IFM Investments Limited (NYSE: CTC) is the exclusive franchisor of the Century 21(R) brand in China. Due to the rapid population growth in China, housing is expected to make a bounce from its initial bubble collapse in the coming years. IFM Investments is positioning themselves to take advantage of the ripening market.
IFM Investments has coverage in 24 major cities with over 905 sales offices, over 12,100 sales professionals and staff members, and more than 7.9 million property listings. With figures like this, there is no doubt that IFM Investments has taken a strong hold on Chinese real estate markets since their commencement in 2000.
The company has also recently worked to expand their mortgage credit loans business, by signing a memorandum of understanding with Dianrong.com, which is an online credit marketplace that is based in Shanghai. Dianrong.com is commonly referred to as the "Lending Club of China". This partnership will allow cash investors to connect with IFM Investments' network of asset-backed mortgage borrowers, which will help to create a very mutualistic relationship between the two companies.
