Century 21 is the U.S. real-estate franchise founded in 1971 by Art Bartlett and Marsh Fisher.
Bartlett and Fisher created Century 21 in California with the aim of building a large network of independently owned and operated real-estate offices. The franchise model gave local brokers access to a shared brand, marketing identity, and operating support while allowing individual offices to remain separately owned.
Century 21 became known internationally through its distinctive gold branding and extensive agent network. Like other real-estate franchises, it generally does not buy and sell every property itself; its franchise offices are operated by local businesses and agents.
A frequent mix-up is confusing Century 21 with RE/MAX or Keller Williams. Those are separate real-estate franchise systems with different founders and founding dates. Century 21’s 1971 origin specifically belongs to Bartlett and Fisher.