Windermere

Windermere Real Estate is a network of independently owned and operated residential brokerages serving markets across the Western United States. Local firms trade under the Windermere name and tap shared technology, marketing tools, training, and brand standards while keeping control of their own operations. As of December 2025, the network covers a wide range of urban, suburban, and resort communities in the Pacific Northwest, California, Colorado, the Mountain West, and other Western states, giving the brand strong visibility in many of the region’s more active housing markets. In several territories, Windermere offices also handle light commercial and investment transactions, which broadens their touchpoints with income-producing property.

The company’s story begins in 1972, when founder John Jacobi opened a single office in Seattle’s Windermere neighborhood. From that one shop, the brand expanded across the Puget Sound region and then into nearby states, adding independently owned offices that aligned with its service approach and regional focus. One of Windermere’s most recognizable milestones is its long-running rowing partnership with the University of Washington, anchored by the Windermere Cup regatta on the Montlake Cut, which has been held annually since the late 1980s and reinforced the company’s profile as a locally rooted operator. Over more than fifty years, this steady, relationship-based expansion has produced a broad network rather than a centralized corporate branch chain.

In the past five years, Windermere has continued to grow in a measured way through new affiliates and additional offices in Western U.S. markets where population growth, employment trends, and housing fundamentals support added brokerage capacity. The network has deepened its presence in the Pacific Northwest while extending into select markets in California, Colorado, and the broader Mountain West as strong local operators join the brand. This model allows Windermere to align new locations with on-the-ground brokerage talent instead of rolling out a uniform store program, which can be appealing in secondary and tertiary markets that reward local knowledge.

For landlords, developers, and leasing teams, Windermere’s value lies in its combination of regional reach and neighborhood focus. Each office is locally owned, with agents who tend to be close to the communities they serve, yet they operate under a shared banner that has been in place since the early 1970s. That structure gives owners and project sponsors a recognizable point of entry to residential buyers, owner‑occupiers, and smaller investors, along with some commercial users in select markets. In infill neighborhoods, resort towns, and fast-growing suburbs throughout the West, Windermere offices can be important players in how new housing, small mixed-use projects, and local retail spaces come to market.

Community engagement is another through-line in the company’s evolution. The Windermere Foundation, supported by agent and company contributions, channels resources to housing-related and community causes across its territories. Over time, this has helped anchor the brand in many municipalities and build long-term relationships with civic groups and local stakeholders. Taken together, Windermere’s long operating history, regionally concentrated footprint, and network of independent brokerages make it a familiar brokerage platform wherever it has built a cluster of offices.