In what year was Century 21 Real Estate founded?

Century 21 Real Estate was founded in 1971.

The real-estate franchise was established by Art Bartlett and Marsh Fisher in California. Their model allowed independently owned and operated brokerages to use a shared brand, marketing system, and support structure while serving local property markets.

Century 21 became known for its prominent gold-and-black branding and international expansion. The company’s name can sometimes cause confusion with the 21st century, but it refers to the brand created in the early 1970s, not to a later founding date.

Century 21 Real Estate is part of the broader franchised real-estate industry, alongside brands such as RE/MAX and Keller Williams. Its franchise network connects separately operated offices under one recognizable identity, which is a central feature of business-format franchising.