Corporate History

It all began with a simple question. What if a local division of a national real estate company was managed and run by its owner? And from that notion, a dynamic business model was born.

Being different defines the success of Lee & Associates. Bill Lee’s vision, giving real estate brokers a principal ownership opportunity created a new paradigm proven to foster camaraderie, reward hard work, and attract the top real estate professionals to its ranks. Fueled by operational efficiencies, this distinctive organization has a dynamic and experienced leadership team who share a common vision for success. Lee & Associates thrives because it is a brokerage built on long-term relationships and the delivery of personalized client-driven solutions.

Bill Lee’s profit-sharing concept has stood the test of time, making Lee & Associates one of the largest, and fastest growing full-service commercial real estate sales organizations in North America today.

In 1979, Bill Lee envisioned a broker-owned business where client’s interests would be met with a spirit of peer-to-peer cooperation unbridled by internal competition. This, he felt, would create a model offering great financial rewards and encouraging long-term relationships benefiting both client and broker. Out of this came our operating philosophy known today as The Lee Advantage.

Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services – an industry leader with 38 full-service offices nationwide – was founded in the Orange County market it dominates because of its size and a unique ownership and services structure that translates into unmatched client service and satisfaction.

It’s the unique ownership structure of Lee & Associates, and the superior market knowledge of its brokers, that enables the company to deliver top performance for each client and every transaction.