Our company

Our history

The unique success story of BETTERHOMES began with the Web 2.0 revolution, when founder, owner and CEO Cyrill Lanz established the parent company BETTERHOMES AG as a real estate brokerage and technology company with just one software developer in Zurich, Switzerland, in autumn 2005. The aim was to make real estate brokerage easier, cheaper and more transparent through the use of new technologies.

With the hybrid brokerage model created from the combination of proprietary technology and local expertise, BETTERHOMES is a pioneer among real estate brokers for successful real estate brokerage at fair conditions. This enables us to guarantee real estate providers the best price/performance ratio for brokerage services, offer property seekers the widest and most attractive range of properties possible, and thus contribute to improving quality of life.

Today, BETTERHOMES operates in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In its home market of Switzerland, the company is the largest independent real estate agent with its own national subsidiary and employed agents. In Germany, it relies on a combination of independent agents organised under its own brokerage organisation and regional franchise partners. In Austria, BETTERHOMES relies on a mix of its own and employed agent teams as well as regional franchise partners.

BETTERHOMES in figures

3
Countries
268
Real estate agents
3984
Current properties
42336
Mediations

Our competitive advantage – the three moats

Our moats are not a form of protection – they are our competitive advantage. A moat refers to a business model that is designed in such a way that it is difficult to replicate, thereby ensuring its long-term superiority. BETTERHOMES has been building such a system since 2005: technologically sophisticated, organisationally precise and culturally anchored. A system that cannot be copied – because it has grown organically as a pioneer of the hybrid brokerage model.

Cyrill Lanz bei der Gründung der Betterhomes AG

Technological moat: our proprietary platform

Our platform is not just digital – it is an integral part of our business model. BETTERHOMES Betternet^®, MyBETTERHOMES^® and the BETTERHOMES Academy form a vertically integrated infrastructure that covers all processes involved in real estate brokerage: from automated lead generation, digital reach through publication on all relevant platforms, matching with pre-registered interested parties and real-time control of the brokerage processes, to system-supported training and support for our estate agents.

Why it protects:
What others buy at great expense or assemble in a fragmented manner has been continuously developed at BETTERHOMES over almost two decades in everyday operations – with real sales feedback. This depth, this know-how and this system coherence cannot be copied. The result: a learning system with high adaptability, full data control and measurable quality – ready for scaling without loss of knowledge.

Learn more about our technology

Organisational moat: hybrid model with exclusive market access

BETTERHOMES combines its own local broker teams with central sales management and a regional franchise model with exclusive market area protection. This hybrid structure is strategically coordinated and prevents what often weakens other systems: fragmentation, internal overlaps or inefficient duplication.

Why it protects:
Other models either separate strictly or grow uncontrollably. We grow in a coordinated, conscious manner with clear responsibilities – both horizontally and vertically.

Learn more about our franchise model

Strategic moat: a culture of success as a principle

Our culture of success is not a soft factor – it is a measurable principle of success that is systematically anchored and has a daily impact. It is based on experience, clear processes and practical know-how – and shapes every leadership decision, every decision and every development in the system.

What sets us apart:

Personal support at every stage of development – from experienced mentors and managers with real-world sales experience
Systematised expertise – imparted through the BETTERHOMES Academy, through continuous practical support in everyday sales and supported by the AI-powered assistant BETTERHOMIE
Clearly defined success mechanisms and management routines – instead of individual measures
A large network of estate agents with a strong community of success – characterised by regular exchange, inspiring events and targeted incentives to recognise performance and development
A service culture with high standards: goal-oriented, pragmatic, cooperative

Why it protects:
At BETTERHOMES, success is no coincidence – it is systematically built up, supported and made measurable. Our partners grow because the system, culture and leadership work together – not by chance, but through structure.

Learn more about our culture of success

Milestones

2005 - Founding

BETTERHOMES was founded in Zurich in 2005 as a real estate brokerage and technology company. From the outset, the company combined proprietary technology with local expertise to bring about lasting change in the real estate market. As a pioneer of the hybrid brokerage model, BETTERHOMES pursued the goal of making real estate brokerage simpler, more affordable and more transparent. With a clear focus on fairness and success, the company offers both property sellers and buyers the best conditions and a comprehensive range of services.

2007 – Expansion into Austria

Just two years after its founding in 2005, BETTERHOMES successfully expanded into Austria. The expansion marked the first step on the path to establishing BETTERHOMES as one of Europe's leading real estate brokerage and technology companies, and underscores the company's vision of inspiring as many people as possible with a better home as a pioneer of the hybrid brokerage model.

2013 – Market entry in Germany

In 2013, BETTERHOMES continued its successful growth trajectory and expanded into the German market, establishing its headquarters in Stuttgart. The presence in Germany completes the expansion in the DACH region and gives the company access to one of the largest real estate markets in Europe.

Gebäude mit Sitz von Betterhomes Deutschland

2018 – Largest Swiss Real Estate Agency

In 2018, BETTERHOMES became Switzerland's largest real estate agent. For the first time, the company surpassed the previous market leader – an established franchise company – in terms of the number of active property listings in its portfolio.

This milestone marked BETTERHOMES' definitive breakthrough: the hybrid brokerage model established itself in the Swiss market.

Hauptsitz von Betterhomes Schweiz in Zürich

Spring 2025 – Franchising

In spring 2025, BETTERHOMES will launch the initial rollout of its realXlicence^® franchise model. Exclusive regional franchise licences will be granted in selected federal states in Germany and Austria with the aim of strengthening these markets in addition to the existing and in-house broker teams.

At the same time, this step serves as a pilot project for further internationalisation via master franchises in individual countries. With realXlicence^®, BETTERHOMES' scalable business model will be accessible worldwide for the first time – based on proprietary technology, local market expertise and a clearly structured system for success.

Makler mit den Händen in den Hosentaschen steht vor einem Geschäftsgebäude

Our realXlicence® franchise model at a glance

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