Case Name :      Century21 Sussex and Reilly Residential

Authors :           Martha A. Martinez

Source :             North American Case Research Association (NACRA)

Case ID :            NA0094

Discipline :        Strategy

Case Length :    16 pages

Solution sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

This case explores recent dynamics of the real estate industry from the point of view of Sussex and Reilly, a Chicago real estate company serving the city market. The case includes national trends related to the use of the Internet; the appearance and growth of new competitors, many of them national firms using the Internet; and changes in the market conditions of residential real estate. The particular period when the case takes place, June 2005 to July 2007, was a time of turmoil in terms of technologies, business models, legal issues, and market conditions. While originally the case concentrated on the effects of the Internet on residential real estate, it became more complicated because of the beginning of a very severe crisis compared by many to the Great Depression. Founded in 2000, Sussex and Reilly was a dynamic, young firm, providing services to developers and commercial and residential clients in Chicago. In 2006, Sussex and Reilly’s residential division employed 250 agents and had four offices in some of Chicago’s most affluent neighborhoods.