Real estate franchising: The case of Coldwell Banker expansion into China

This article discusses the Chinese real estate market, with special reference to Shanghai, and depicts an interview with Taiwan's largest real estate company, which bought the master international franchising rights of Coldwell Banker for China. As China's real estate market only recently opened to foreign investment, and since franchising in China is in its infancy, this article provides a unique examination of international franchising into a new product market area in the country. In addition, the article highlights some practices that could be adopted by professional service firms in their international expansion and discusses post-WTO implications to real estate franchising in China.