Brokerage Knowledgebase

SnapAttract competitor commission & cap reference (prepared Sept 2026). Brands fall into three groups: (1) Nationally standardized models — eXp, Real, Fathom, United (and HomeSmart's 100% commission, though its fee amounts vary locally) — roughly the same numbers everywhere. (2) Locally variable franchise models — RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Sotheby's, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices — every office sets its own split; treat any figure as an illustrative example and verify locally. (3) Individually negotiated models — Compass and effectively Sotheby's — no rate card at all. HOW TO USE: use this data to ask smart, specific questions (e.g., "I noticed your model runs through a $16K cap — how many months a year are you actually earning 100%?") rather than as a guaranteed fact about any one agent's actual deal. Compensation plans change — recheck a brand's current numbers, especially fees (they drift upward), before quoting confidently. Revenue-share/equity programs to counter-pitch: eXp (revenue share + stock awards), Real (revenue share + stock), EXIT (single-level 10%/7%/5% sponsoring/lifestyle/legacy residual), Keller Williams (Profit Share — longest-running, $2B+ paid out cumulatively, strong rebuttal vs eXp/Real).

Model: nationally standardized. Split/Cap: 80/20 split (agent/company) to a $16,000 annual cap (roughly $80,000 GCI). After cap: 100% commission for the rest of the anniversary year, minus fixed transaction fees. Fees: ~$149 one-time setup; ~$85/month cloud brokerage fee; ~$25 broker-review + ~$60 risk-management fee per closed transaction (continue even after cap). New agents pay an added split for roughly their first 3 transactions under the mentor program. Differentiators: revenue share (a cut of company dollar from agents you personally sponsor — most non-recruiting agents earn little from this), stock awards for production milestones (e.g., ICON Award up to cap value), same structure nationwide. Caveats: split/cap structure well corroborated and long-standing; exact fee dollar amounts come from third-party sources and have risen over time — verify against eXp's current agent agreement before quoting. Sources: exprealty.com/income; bigfrontiergroup.com; buildingbetteragents.com.

Model: hybrid — standardized % structure, locally set cap. Split/Cap: headline 70/30 (agent/market center), often shown as 64% agent / 30% market center / 6% KWRI franchise royalty. The 6% royalty caps at $3,000/year; the overall cap is set locally per market center (one documented example: $18,000/year total). After cap, agents keep 100% for the rest of the year. Fees: no standardized nationwide desk/tech fee — market centers can and do charge their own additional fees (E&O, admin, tech); needs local verification. Differentiators: Profit Share — agents who sponsor productive agents into KW earn a share of their market center's profits across up to 7 levels (roughly 50% of profit from a direct recruit, tapering to a 5% floor). KW reports over $2 billion paid out cumulatively since inception — the longest-running program of its kind and a strong counter-pitch against eXp/Real's newer revenue-share programs. Caveats: split framework and Profit Share figures well corroborated via KW's own materials, but with 800+ independently run market centers, actual caps and local fees vary meaningfully by office. Sources: thrive.kw.com; outfront.kw.com; youdrivethesuccess.com.

Model: locally variable (franchise-by-franchise). Split/Cap: known for high splits — commonly 95/5, with some offices offering 100% commission plans — funded by a fixed monthly desk fee rather than a percentage cap. No universal national cap. Fees: agent-level desk fees commonly $300–$2,000+/month depending on office and market, plus E&O and marketing costs in some offices. (Franchisee-to-corporate costs — ~$138–165/month per agent, 1% royalty, ~2% marketing assessment — are NOT billed directly to agents; don't quote them as "what RE/MAX charges agents.") Differentiators: one of the most office-variable brands in the industry — two RE/MAX offices in the same city can have very different economics. Favors high-volume producers who can comfortably cover the fixed desk fee; a weaker deal for lower-volume agents. Caveats: 95/5 and "varies enormously by office" framing well corroborated; always get local office numbers in writing before using in a pitch. Sources: passandearn.com; sharpsheets.io; orchard.com.

Model: locally variable (franchise-by-franchise). Split/Cap: no company-wide standard split. Offices (mostly owned by Anywhere Real Estate) set their own graduated, production-tiered schedules that reset annually. Representative example: 70/30 up to $30K GCI, 80/20 from $30K–$60K, 90/10 above $60K; other offices commonly start lower, around 60/40. Fees: agents commonly charged a 6% franchise service fee on top of the office split; typical monthly desk fee around $110/month (E&O, signage, lockboxes, basic admin/training). Franchisor royalty (5.5% down to 3% by franchise volume) plus 0.5% marketing fund fee is generally absorbed at the office/franchisee level. Differentiators/caveats: explicitly no company-wide standard — treat any figure as an illustrative example, not a guarantee; verify locally for the specific market being pitched. Sources: listwithclever.com; smartagentalliance.com.

Model: locally variable (franchise-by-franchise). Split/Cap: independently owned and operated per office, so splits vary significantly. New agents commonly start around 50/50 to 55/45, improving with production toward a common ceiling near 70/30 (some offices go higher). Fees: corporate franchise/royalty fee typically 6–8% of gross commission per transaction, usually passed to the agent; technology fees around $50–$100/month common; E&O required, cost varies by state. Differentiators: a newer "Century 21 BE3" model in some markets reportedly offers a very different deal — 90/10 split, no franchise or desk fees, an $89–124/month partnership fee, $99 setup fee, $149–399 transaction fee, and quarterly profit sharing (reported at 20% of profits) — closer to a modern flat-fee virtual brokerage. Caveats: base graduated-split model well corroborated; BE3 figures came from a single source and should be independently reverified — confirm which model a specific office runs before using in a pitch. Sources: passandearn.com; joinc21be3.com.

Model: individually negotiated (no rate card). Split/Cap: no standard split or cap — every agent's split is individually negotiated based on production history and market leverage. Reported ranges: 70/30–75/25 for newer/lower-producing agents, 80/20 for mid-level producers, 85/15–90/10 for top producers. Fees: Compass owns its offices directly rather than franchising, so there's no separate franchise/royalty layer on top of the negotiated split, and its tech platform (CRM, marketing, analytics) is bundled in rather than billed as a separate monthly fee. Differentiators: Compass's 2018–2020 IPO filings showed an aggregate average agent split trending from 78% to 82% company-wide (treat as dated). Best pitched as "no franchise fees, tech included, but you have to negotiate your number" — most favorable for agents with an existing book of business and negotiating leverage. Caveats: split ranges are well corroborated but self-reported/estimated, since no official rate card exists by design. Sources: inman.com (2021, based on S-1 filing); rainautomation.com.

Model: nationally standardized. Split/Cap: 85/15 split to a $12,000 annual cap for solo agents/team leaders (roughly $80,000 GCI), or $6,000 for team members. After cap: 100% commission minus fixed fees. Real states this split is standardized nationwide, not locally negotiated. Fees: $249 one-time sign-up; $750/year brokerage fee (announced rising to $900, with the $40 per-transaction compliance fee rising to $50, effective Sept 2026 — confirm current amount before quoting); $285 post-cap sale fee / $125 post-cap lease fee. Differentiators: revenue share — a cut of Real's 15% company-side split from agents you personally sponsor (requires at least $450 in trailing-6-month production to stay eligible; $175/year program fee; 1.2% processing fee on payouts). Publicly-traded stock program (ticker REAX). A close structural comparison point whenever an agent is already considering eXp. Caveats: split, cap, and most fees corroborated across independent sources including Real's own support site; flag fee increases as "upcoming" where relevant. Sources: support.therealbrokerage.com (official); speichergroup.com.

Model: locally variable (franchise-by-franchise). Split/Cap: splits vary by office. A representative published example: 70/30 rising to 90/10 after $100,000 in GCI for the year, with a "Quick Start" 85/15 option for agents with prior production and a program to raise your split to 80% over time. Treat as illustrative, not a national standard. Fees: fee structure not standardized company-wide in sources reviewed — confirm locally alongside the split. Differentiators: "The EXIT Formula" — a single-level (non-MLM) residual income program: sponsor an agent and earn 10% of their gross commissions for the life of their EXIT career; if you stop actively selling, that converts to a 7% retirement-style residual; upon your death, it converts to a 5% payment to a named beneficiary. EXIT reports $665M+ paid out in these residuals over 30 years — a long-tenured pitch point distinct from eXp/Real's newer revenue-share models. Caveats: the residual/legacy program is EXIT's well-documented, consistent national branding; the specific split/cap example came from a single regional office. Sources: joinexitrealty.com (official); careers.ermetro.com.

Model: nationally standardized (two-tier as of 2025). Split/Cap: base "EDGE" plan: 7% split to a $9,000 annual cap ($4,500 for team members), then a $165 post-cap transaction fee. New "Elevate" plan (launched 2025): a flat 20% commission split with no stated annual cap, but includes dedicated marketing/lead-gen support, transaction coordination, and coaching. Fees (shared by EDGE and Elevate): ~$75/month brokerage fee, $350 minimum transaction fee, $35 E&O fee per sale, $120 residential lease fee (commercial: 12% of GCI capped at $5,000/year). Differentiators: Fathom's own CEO has called the Elevate plan's 20% split "a low split" compared to full-service competitors charging 20–40%. This two-tier structure (low-cost EDGE vs. higher-split-but-higher-service Elevate) is a recent, newsworthy shift — Fathom is no longer purely the "cheapest option." Caveats: Elevate launch and 20% figure corroborated by industry press (Inman, HousingWire); legacy EDGE-plan dollar figures had a minor inconsistency between sources ($700/year flat vs. ~$75/month) — confirm against Fathom's live commission-plan page. Sources: inman.com (Apr 2025); fathomcareers.com (official).

Model: nationally standardized (flat-fee). Split/Cap: flat-fee model, not a percentage split. United states agents net about 96% of gross commission, with the brokerage retaining roughly 4% — versus a claimed 4%–23% retained by traditional split brokerages generally. Fees: exact flat per-transaction/monthly fee dollar amounts were not found in United's own materials (their messaging emphasizes the 96%/4% ratio rather than a published fee schedule) — confirm current numbers directly with United before quoting a specific dollar figure. Differentiators: United frames the model as agents earning 21%–45% more than under a typical split, citing $1B+ paid to agents beyond what a traditional model would have paid since founding. Has grown partly by acquiring/converting independent brokerage networks (e.g., Allison James in 2025). Caveats: the 96%/4% figures are United's own marketing claim, corroborated by a named industry analyst reference but not independently audited. Sources: rismedia.com (Sept 2026); unitedrealestate.com (official).

Model: nationally standardized model, locally variable fees. Split/Cap: 100% commission model — agents keep the full commission on every deal; the brokerage charges flat fees instead of taking a percentage. Fees: reported ranges vary by source and local office — roughly $25–$200/month brokerage fee and $350–$750 per-transaction fee. HomeSmart's own site confirms these fee categories but doesn't publish exact dollar amounts publicly; prospects are directed to a recruiter for current local numbers. Differentiators: markets its 25-year history as a 100%-commission brokerage as a credibility/longevity angle versus newer virtual brokerages like eXp (2009) or Real (2014). Caveats: the 100%-commission core model is unambiguous; treat any specific fee dollar figure as an approximate range and verify with the local office. Sources: rismedia.com (Sept 2025); join.homesmart.com (official).

Model: individually negotiated (no rate card). Split/Cap: no published standard split — individually negotiated per agent and per office, similar to Compass but under a traditional luxury-franchise structure. Reported typical range: 60/40 to 80/20, improving with production and negotiating leverage. No standard cap; two agents in the same office can be on very different splits. Fees: franchise costs generally absorbed into overall office economics rather than itemized to agents; no standard desk-fee figure found. Differentiators: the pitch here is prestige and luxury referral network access, not commission economics — expect this brand to net most agents less than a low-cost/high-split virtual brokerage unless they bring a strong existing luxury book of business. Caveats: directionally reliable but based on limited sourcing — one of the hardest brands to pin exact numbers on due to its deliberately opaque, individually-negotiated model. Sources: passandearn.com.

Model: locally variable (franchise-by-franchise). Split/Cap: no single standardized split — varies by franchise office and production level. New agents commonly start around 50/50 (some offices at 55/45), improving toward 70/30 or better for experienced producers who can negotiate. No standardized national cap. Fees: franchise/royalty fee typically 6–8% of commission per transaction on top of the split; technology fees roughly $50–$150/month; desk fees and E&O vary by office and state. Differentiators: like Coldwell Banker and Century 21, there is no single "BHHS number." The brand's main non-economic differentiator is Berkshire Hathaway/Warren Buffett name recognition; entry-tier economics tend to be less agent-favorable than KW or the virtual-brokerage models. Caveats: directionally reliable, consistent with the general franchise pattern, but sourced from a single aggregator — treat figures as illustrative pending local-office verification. Sources: passandearn.com; listwithclever.com.