The cost of staying
Agents doing six or more deals a year have already proven they can make it. When they move, it's rarely fear of the market. It's that the brokerage takes too much, gives too little, or doesn't fit the next version of their business.
I'm Mickey O'Brien. I talk with agents about this every week. Here are the 12 reasons I hear most, in the order they usually come up. Tap the ones that sound like you.
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Tap every card that sounds like you.
Most agents I talk to have never added up what they paid their broker last year, split plus every fee, in one number. When they do, the question changes from "is my split fair" to "what am I buying." If you can't answer that, you're not alone. Start with the total.
A lot of brokerages talk about leads. Few agents tell me those leads made their year. Look at where your last 10 clients came from. If the brokerage isn't on that list, you may be paying for a promise. eXp doesn't promise leads either. What it gives you is tools and a model you can use to build your own.
If you're the one chasing signatures and filing compliance yourself, that's time you're not with clients. Ask how much of that work your brokerage actually takes off you.
Deals go sideways at 7 PM on a Friday. If nobody picks up, you carry it alone. How fast support feels at any brokerage, eXp included, depends on your state and your broker, so ask for specifics.
Gossip and low standards wear producers out. I won't bash anyone's office. I'll just say culture is worth checking with your own eyes before you decide anything.
A CRM that doesn't talk to your transaction system, a website you can't update, reports you build by hand. Every tool only matters if it saves you time. Ask to see the real workflow, not a list of logos.
Growing a team at a desk-fee office often means more rent and more rules. Find out what's set by the company and what's yours to build.
Some brokerages want their name big and yours small. If people refer you, you want them to remember you. Check your state's rules, then see how much room your brokerage gives your own brand.
After six-plus deals a year you don't need pep talks. You need help with bigger listings and running a team. Ask what's there for where you are now, not where you were in year one.
Slower deals and changes in how buyer agents get paid make every wasted dollar show. Lower overhead helps. Nothing makes you market-proof, so be wary of anyone who says it does.
Some agents want a stake in the company they help build. eXp has stock award and revenue share programs with rules on who qualifies. Many agents earn little or nothing from them. Read eXp's income disclosure before you count on any of it.
This is the big one. Your brokerage was right when you did six deals. It may not be built for what you're doing next. Leaving isn't escaping. It's picking the setup for your next stage. Sometimes the honest answer is that where you are still fits.
If two or fewer of these fit, you may be fine where you are. If three to five fit, it's worth a 20-minute look. Six or more and your brokerage may not be built for your next stage.
Before you talk to anyone, me included, take the 2-minute Brokerage Fit Check and read the eXp decision guide. For costs, go straight to eXp's published fees and income disclosure.
Usually not because of the market. Agents doing six or more deals a year move when their brokerage takes too much, gives too little, or limits what they want to build next.
Not by itself. It's a bad idea to switch without adding up what you pay now, what help you really use, and how a move would affect your listings and pendings.
I can't promise that and nobody should. eXp publishes its split and fees at exprealty.com/income. Compare them with what you pay now and decide.
A 20-minute call where we look at your current setup next to eXp, including where eXp falls short for you. You leave with a clear answer, even if it's stay.
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