Short answer
The Birmingham, Alabama metro area has 1,155 real estate establishments with paid employees, employing 6,388 people (Census, 2023): 441 brokerage offices, 408 lessors, 196 property managers and smaller numbers of appraisers and other services. Jefferson County has 759 of them and Shelby County 283. The one public real estate company headquartered here is Medical Properties Trust, a hospital REIT with $972.0 million of 2025 revenue.
- Jefferson County holds 759 of the metro's 1,155 real estate establishments and 4,805 of its 6,388 jobs.
- Only six real estate establishments in the metro have 100 or more employees.
- Medical Properties Trust, on Liberty Parkway, reported $972.0 million of 2025 revenue with 121 employees.
- The Birmingham Association of REALTORS reported a $309,900 median residential sale price and 20 days on market for September 2026.
- Lessors here average $96,954 in pay, the highest of any real estate type in the metro.
On this page
Searches for real estate companies in Birmingham come almost entirely from people choosing an agent or brokerage: Google shows a map of offices, agent directories and the home pages of local firms, with the Birmingham Association of REALTORS and a few commercial firms further down. This page is for them, and for anyone who works with or sells to Birmingham's real estate firms. It sets out the market with Census data, the one public company based here, how to check a firm, and what sellers can learn from local market data.
Birmingham real estate in Census data
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023 counts real estate establishments (NAICS 531) in the Birmingham, AL Metro Area (CBSA 13820):
| Measure (2023) | Birmingham metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 1,155 |
| Employees | 6,388 |
| Annual payroll | $469,912,000 |
| Employees per establishment | 5.5 |
| Average annual pay | $73,562 |
| Share of US real estate establishments | 0.28% of 414,824 |
By size, 932 establishments have 1 to 4 employees, 133 have 5 to 9, 44 have 10 to 19, 29 have 20 to 49, 11 have 50 to 99 and 3 have 100 to 249. The Census Bureau withholds the larger classes; subtracting the published classes from the total leaves 6 establishments with 100 or more employees, so 3 are in the withheld classes.
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 759 | 4,805 |
| Shelby | 283 | 1,289 |
| St. Clair | 36 | 59 |
| Walker | 35 | 177 |
| Chilton | 23 | 31 |
| Blount | 11 | not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Bibb | 8 | not reported (high-noise figure) |
Blount and Bibb counties' employee counts are published but flagged as high-noise: confidentiality noise moved them by 5% or more.
CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out self-employed agents and landlords, so the number of agents working in the metro is far higher than the employee count suggests.
Types of real estate company
| Type (NAICS 2017 code) | Establishments | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agents and brokers (531210) | 441 | 1,915 | $65,416 |
| Lessors: landlords, equity REITs, self-storage (5311) | 408 | 1,692 | $96,954 |
| Residential property managers (531311) | 138 | 1,725 | $57,474 |
| Other services: escrow, listing services (531390) | 66 | 185 | $70,249 |
| Nonresidential property managers (531312) | 58 | 789 | $80,105 |
| Appraisers (531320) | 44 | 82 | $64,061 |
Average pay is our calculation: payroll divided by employees.
Brokerage offices here are a little larger than in many metros (4.3 employees each, against 2.3 in Atlanta), and residential managers average 12.5. Developers and homebuilders are classified in construction, and mortgage REITs in finance, so they aren't counted above. See the NAICS code for real estate for the full code set.
The public real estate company based in Birmingham
| Company | What it does | Headquarters (10-K) | 2025 revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Properties Trust | Hospital real estate REIT | 10500 Liberty Parkway, Birmingham | $972.0 million | 121 (February 2026) |
The figures are from its Form 10-K for 2025. Its staff of 121 is spread across the US, Luxembourg and the UK. For the largest US real estate companies by revenue, see our national ranking.
How to check a Birmingham brokerage or manager
The Alabama Real Estate Commission licenses Alabama brokers and salespersons and keeps the state's licence records. Its website didn't respond when we checked on 30 and 31 October 2026, so this page doesn't give licensee counts; use the Commission's licence lookup when it's available.
- Ask for the agent's licence number and the brokerage's, and check both on the Commission's lookup.
- Check the company itself in the Alabama Secretary of State's business entity records: its legal name, status and registered agent.
- Ask a manager for the agreement up front: the monthly fee, leasing and renewal fees, how deposits are held and how repairs are approved.
- Ask for local proof: three recent sales or leases in your part of town, from Mountain Brook to Hoover to Gardendale.
If you're selling a home in the Birmingham area
- Use the local numbers. The Birmingham Association of REALTORS and the Greater Alabama MLS publish market updates for Jefferson, Shelby and ten other central Alabama counties. For September 2026 they reported 1,306 closed sales, 6,347 homes in total inventory, a $309,900 median residential sale price and 20 days on market. Ask each agent you interview how your home compares.
- Know your assessed value. The Alabama Department of Revenue says property is assessed at the county courthouse by the county assessing official, so look up your record with the county before you price.
- Ask each agent to quote a fee. Commissions are negotiable, and since 17 August 2024 buyer-agent pay is no longer advertised on Realtor MLSs, so whether to offer it is your decision to make with your agent.
Selling to Birmingham real estate firms
Birmingham is a market you can cover account by account. The 138 residential managers employ 1,725 people, and the 408 lessors include apartment owners who buy services directly. For brokerages, where agents often buy their own tools, see selling to real estate agents.
Illustrative example. The company, rates and results are invented.
Red Mountain Grounds (redmountain.example) offers landscaping contracts to apartment managers. It targets the residential managers with 5 to 99 employees in the published size classes: 30 + 11 + 12 + 4 = 57. Two contacts each (owner and maintenance supervisor) makes 114 people; a 6% reply rate gives about 7 conversations, and one in three leading to a bid gives 2 or 3. In a market this size, the research on each property list matters more than volume, and Bebop writes that research for each account.
Hi [first name], I stopped by [property] today and left a card with your leasing office. We maintain grounds for apartment communities in [area], with a weekly crew and a photo report after every visit. I'd be glad to walk the property with you and price it. My cell is [number].
Sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Association of REALTORS | Monthly market updates and the Greater Alabama MLS |
| Alabama Secretary of State business records | Entity status and registered agents |
| Alabama Department of Revenue, property tax | How property is assessed and county office links |
| Birmingham Business Alliance | Regional economic development |
For every industry in the state, see companies in Alabama.
Next step: build the account list with how to build a prospect list.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- NAICS 531, Real Estate (2022 definitions and cross-references), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Medical Properties Trust, Form 10-K for 2025, SEC EDGAR, 26 February 2026
- Market Update for September 2026, Birmingham Association of REALTORS, accessed 31 October 2026
- Property tax, Alabama Department of Revenue, accessed 31 October 2026
- Business entity records, Alabama Secretary of State, accessed 31 October 2026
- NAR Settlement FAQs, National Association of Realtors, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many real estate companies are in Birmingham, Alabama?
Census County Business Patterns counted 1,155 real estate establishments with paid employees in the Birmingham metro area in 2023, employing 6,388 people. Jefferson County had 759 and Shelby County 283. The count includes 441 brokerage offices and 196 property managers, and leaves out agents and landlords with no employees.
What public real estate companies are based in Birmingham?
Medical Properties Trust, a REIT that owns hospital real estate, is headquartered at 10500 Liberty Parkway in Birmingham. Its 10-K for 2025 reports $972.0 million of total revenues and 121 employees as of February 2026. It's the only SEC-registered listed real estate company we found with a Birmingham-area headquarters.
What is the median home price in Birmingham?
The Birmingham Association of REALTORS' market update for September 2026 reported a $309,900 median residential sold price, with 1,306 closed sales, 6,347 homes in total inventory and 20 days on market. The figures cover Jefferson, Shelby and ten other central Alabama counties in the Greater Alabama MLS area.
How do I check a real estate agent's license in Alabama?
The Alabama Real Estate Commission licenses brokers and salespersons and offers a licence lookup on its website. Ask the agent for their licence number and the brokerage's, and check both. You can also confirm the brokerage's legal entity, status and registered agent in the Alabama Secretary of State's business entity records.