The real estate business is largely local in nature, which explains why independent, locally branded firms such as The Norton Agency continue to dominate. The entity that connects all the country's top locally branded real estate firms is Leading Edge Real Estate Companies of the World, whose affiliate companies (over 600 firms with 5,000 offices and 150,000 sales associates in 35 countries worldwide) sell nearly $300 billion annually in the U.S., more than any national franchise brand. They are also the NUMBER ONE companies in terms of sales volume in more of the top 88 US markets than any other national organization.