What’s the Best Real Estate Company to Work For?

According to National Association of Realtors research, the median agent tenure at a brokerage is five years, so it’s likely that at some point in your career, you’ll consider making a switch. But how do you decide which real estate company is the best one for you to work for? 

There are many factors to consider here. That’s why, through research and interviews, we evaluated dozens of real estate companies based on the criteria that matter most to agents. We selected our top five from a field of big-name brands, plus we evaluated a company whose fresh approach is shaking everything up.

Best Real Estate Companies to Work for in 2023

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The Best Real Estate Company for Teams: Keller Williams

Keller Williams is once again on our list of the best real estate companies to work for because they continually excel in the areas that matter most to agents.

The company’s competitive compensation plan, commitment to creating a culture of success on all levels (including prioritizing women in leadership), and their extensive training and professional development resources make them an excellent choice for agents at any stage of their career.

Keller Williams Pros	Keller Williams Cons
Top-notch company culture	Focus on recruitment can be tiring
Commission plus profit-sharing revenue for everyone	No flexibility in commission splits for high-performing agents
Training for agents at all levels	Some market centers charge a monthly fee

Keller Williams Revenue & Commission Structure

Agents at Keller Williams make money in two ways: through commissions earned from the purchase or sale of real estate, and through a program the company refers to as profit-sharing. But unlike a traditional profit-sharing model where a company offers employees payments or bonuses based on corporate earnings, it’s more of a recruitment and retention strategy from which agents can make additional cash. 

Each Keller Williams office (or, as they call them, market center) has what’s called a cap. The cap is a certain amount of money that each agent will pay to Keller Williams to support the company at large.

Local market conditions and operating expenses determine each market center’s cap. All Keller Williams agents at each office have the same cap; it doesn’t matter if you are a 20-year veteran or a brand-new agent.

When an agent receives a pre-cap commission, they keep 64% of it, 30% goes to the market center, and 6% goes to the national brand as a franchise fee. Once you hit the cap, you keep 100% of your commission—no hidden fees, no sneaky percentages—that’s it.

Profit-sharing

Agents can also receive a secondary commission when someone they recruit closes a sale, which the company labels “profit-sharing.” If someone you invite to the company closes a sale, whether they’re a member of your team or not, you get a piece of the company’s share of the commission.

Profit-sharing at Keller Williams is multi-level, meaning that if the person you recruited turns around and successfully recruits other agents, you’ll see a portion of the company’s share of their sales too.

Pre-cap Commissions	64% to Agents	30% to Market Center	6% to Franchise
3% on $250,000 Sale	$4,800	$2,250	$450

Keller Williams Company Culture

The company culture here is focused on constant improvement and support. Keller Williams is widely regarded as an industry leader in training and professional development.

That development mindset isn’t only a top-down approach. Thanks to Keller Williams’ profit-sharing structure, agents benefit directly from the success of their recruits. The mentorship relationships that develop from this make Keller Williams a very team-oriented real estate company to work for, even if you’re not on an official team in your particular market center.

Keller Williams Branding

Keller Williams has an extremely recognizable brand throughout the U.S. and, increasingly, the world. Though the branding isn’t particularly groundbreaking, its relatively conservative look and usage guidelines are high-quality, consistent, and easy for agents to apply to their marketing.

Visit Keller Williams

Best Real Estate Company for Established Agents: RE/MAX

RE/MAX is a great place for high-performing, established agents to take their business to the next level. Though they offer tools, training, and mentorship for agents at any stage of their career, the RE/MAX system is set up to benefit a market’s top performers the most.

RE/MAX Pros	RE/MAX Cons
	Usually a monthly desk fee
Commission flexibility for high-performing agents	New agent training is limited
	Specific restrictions on how you can use the RE/MAX brand

RE/MAX Commission Structure

RE/MAX doesn’t have a brand-wide policy about splits, desk fees, or caps; each of those decisions is negotiated at the local level.

Though we wish they provided the same transparency on commissions as Keller Williams, RE/MAX does offer agents lots of flexibility in terms of how they receive their commissions.

With a split range topping out at 95%, experienced agents with a proven track record can get paid more on the front-end of each commission, allowing them to funnel that revenue toward time-sensitive needs, including marketing and promotion.

Their generous splits often come with higher desk fees. For most rock star agents, the higher desk fees are worth the investment to further other aspects of their business. But if you’re just starting out, you may have to pay hundreds of dollars a month in fees, whether or not you close a deal and whether or not you use the office. 

RE/MAX Company Culture

The RE/MAX company culture is built around success and leadership within the communities they serve. Of RealTrends’ top 250 agents of 2022 by transaction sides, a staggering 58 of them are RE/MAX agents. This is a brand synonymous with performance, especially for those who know the business well.

An agent who operates on a high level knows that their personal brand and reputation are going to be supported and enhanced by the market reputation of both their brokerage and the other agents who belong to it.

RE/MAX Branding

RE/MAX has a strong presence in the vast majority of major metropolitan markets across the United States. RE/MAX’s iconic hot air balloon is one of the most unique and recognizable symbols in all of real estate, according to a Millward Brown Demographic Ad Tracking Study.

The brand’s 2023 marketing campaign is centered around a core message, “The Right Agent Can Lead the Way.” According to Abby Lee, RE/MAX senior vice president of marketing and communications, the campaign conveys “core qualities of a skilled and experienced RE/MAX agent: patience, transparency, and empathy.”

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Best Real Estate Company for New Agents: Coldwell Banker

In a bit of a surprise, Coldwell Banker has emerged as our pick for the best real estate brand for new agents due to their consistent commitment to training and mentorship of new agents. Demonstrated by its top-down training resources and constant encouragement (and funding) of their franchisees, Coldwell Banker effectively spurs professional development. This dedication to agent growth makes them a great choice for someone just beginning their career.

It’s important to note that Coldwell Banker is owned by Anywhere Real Estate Inc., an umbrella company that includes other name-brand brokerages in its portfolio, including Sotheby’s International Realty, Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, and Corcoran.

Coldwell Banker Pros	Coldwell Banker Cons
Recognizable, legacy brand	Not many internal lead generation options
Fantastic new agent onboarding programs	No companywide incentives for teams
Excellent companywide events and conferences	Some offices may charge desk fees
Professional development classes and seminars

Coldwell Banker Commission Structure

Even though the commission and fees at Coldwell Banker are reasonable, they aren’t exceptional. Here are the details:

• No companywide policy for cap, split, or desk fees; all are negotiated at the local level on an agent-by-agent basis
• Universal 8% per commission franchise fee, even after you hit cap

? If the 8% franchise fee is a deal-breaker for you, consider Keller Williams (no franchise fee after you hit cap) or eXp Realty (no franchise fee at all).

Coldwell Banker Company Culture

Throughout our analysis of Coldwell Banker company culture, we kept coming back to the same phrase: client-focused. They live this value with something they call “Big Blue Culture,” which they summarize as a “relentless pursuit of the best possible client experience.”

This sort of client-centric focus is ideal for new agents who are still learning interaction, sales, and best practices. Corporate leaders, all the way down to local franchise officials, consistently refer to this aspect of the company’s culture.

We also really like Coldwell Banker’s commitment to professional development through their learning portal, CBU. Agents can take online, self-paced classes on marketing and strategy, as well as issues like fair housing. 

Coldwell Banker Branding

Coldwell Banker is a legacy brand that’s been associated with trusted real estate service since the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Its recent rebranding and logo updates show that the company is committed to moving forward and building a business that has an exciting future, not just a storied past.

We’ll admit it—we were skeptical at first to see changes to a trusted logo. But they come with a new-and-improved set of marketing resources that facilitate every agent’s efforts—especially those of newbies.

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Visit Coldwell Banker

Best Real Estate Company for Luxury Agents: Compass

You can’t talk about luxury real estate services in the country’s most lucrative markets without including Compass Real Estate. The smallest company on our list, Compass pushed hard into high-net-worth communities in the U.S. This is something they’ve been able to achieve because, like eXp Realty, Compass isn’t based on a franchise model—they’re centrally owned and operated. 

Compass branded itself as a technology company serving capable, experienced luxury real estate professionals. And they have the consistent brand to back it up, complete with luxurious office experiences, high-end technology (a tech suite that cost $900 million to build), and thoughtful, personalized communication.

?Compass in 2023?

It’s clear Compass is still figuring out how to become profitable, and the downturn in the market has had an impact on its stock price and debt ratios. While leadership is optimistic about the future, Compass is going through a very public, very drastic period of cost reduction that could make it difficult for agents who are joining the brokerage to negotiate the best deal. 

We kept Compass on the list because, despite all of the volatility and WeWork comparisons, it’s likely not going anywhere. Compass might have to pivot and adapt, but it was recently ranked the number one brokerage in terms of sales volume in the Real Trends Top Real Estate Brokerages (for the second year in a row). It’s a brokerage that is hungry for not only success, but market domination, and agents who are along for the ride might just reap the benefits.

Compass Pros	Compass Cons
High-end, unified branding and marketing, much of it done for you	Relatively exclusive—the application process to become a Compass agent is difficult
Strong, inspiring C-suite leadership	No standard split or cap structure
Excellent reputation among high-net-worth homeowners	Still not a profitable company, which means volatility
Technology is a priority, especially with tools like their Likely To Sell lead program

Compass Commission Structure

We’ve heard various reports about the commission structure from agents, ranging from a 60/40 split for brand-new agents all the way up to a 90/10 split for seasoned top producers. However, there is no standard cap or commission split structure at Compass; each of these deals are negotiated individually with incoming agents. 

The good news is that Compass believes strongly in attracting, recruiting, and accepting only the strongest agents in the markets they’re active in. So if you’re at the negotiating table with Compass, chances are they want you to be a part of their organization as much as you want to be a part of theirs. 

Compass Company Culture

The company culture at Compass is noticeably different from other brands on our list. It’s much more of a “hustle-harder” environment—what we’d liken to a finals club at an Ivy League university. For instance, there’s Compass’ very popular “6 am Club,” where agents get up early, work together, and sharpen one another and their businesses. 

Compass isn’t afraid to spend some money. They’ve made some very interesting tech acquisitions to help bolster their agents’ business, like customer relationship manager (CRM) powerhouse Contactually.

Overall, it’s clear that Compass and its agents are hungry for success, organized around getting after it aggressively. They aren’t here for fun—they’re here to win. 

Compass Branding

Everything about Compass’ look and feel—from the facade of their office buildings to the stock of their postcards—feels high-end and bespoke. One of the true benefits of running a centralized brokerage model like Compass is that you get ultimate control over brand consistency, usage, and quality—something you just can’t have when you’re operating a franchise model with thousands of independently owned offices.

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Visit Compass

2023 Disruptor Award: Real

A few years ago, we would have bet that Real was the biggest brokerage you’d never heard of. It was, as a rival brokerage explained, a quiet lion in the corner of the room. There was no real fanfare when it went public and there haven’t been any massive PR campaigns. Instead, Real has been stealthily doing what works: recruiting and retaining agents, teams, and brokerages, so that it is now active in almost every U.S. state and across Canada. 

Real has put a serious premium on attracting talented agents and making it worth their while to stay. Its straightforward and generous program of splits and stock options allows agents to not only take home more money, but build ownership in their own businesses. 

While Real’s model is very similar to eXp Realty’s, it is still much smaller. This can give agents a chance to build equity and be a big fish in a smaller pond. When comparing Real to the monolith that is eXp, or the roller-coaster of a market darling that is Compass, Real is disrupting the industry by just doing what they do well—quietly, effectively, and to the real benefit of agents across the country.

Commission Structure 

With no monthly fees, Real has an 85%-15% commission split and a $12,000 cap. There are also interesting investment opportunities, so, for example, an agent can choose to invest up to 5% of their commission split into stock and receive a 15% bonus at the end of the first year. Plus, when agents hit their cap, they receive more shares and more opportunities to invest back into more stock. The company’s recruitment and revenue-sharing programs are also pretty top-notch, giving agents a chance to build teams and set up passive income down the line.

Pre-cap Commissions	80% to Agents	15% to Brokerage	-5% of Commission Investment in Stock	+15% Annual Bonus for Stock Investment
3% on $250,000 Sale	$6,000	$1,125	$375	$900

Company Culture

Real is all virtual and positions itself as a technology-forward company. We’re hearing a big buzz about its proprietary mobile cloud-based tech, designed to make an agent’s life a little easier while maintaining a client-first service mentality. 

While it is scaling quickly (Real added 1,000 new agents in January 2023 alone), it seems to be doing so thoughtfully and sustainably. Agents are not only attracted to its technology-forward philosophy and generous splits, but that opportunity to really feel, both culturally and financially, part of something expanding and exciting. 

Real Branding

Real’s investment in technology extends to its branding. The company’s Breakthrough Broker portal allows agents to access customizable marketing resources, create digital and print assets, and print and ship marketing materials.

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Let’s Talk Boutique Brokerages 

We’ve covered some of the biggest names in real estate and touted their commitments to training, mentoring, branding, and financial incentives. But the truth is, a big, national brokerage may not be the best place to work for every agent. In fact, it often isn’t. Large brokerages are usually built on a franchise model, which means every independent office is different. So, for example, while Keller Williams as a company values mentoring new agents, your individual franchise office might not.

We encourage every agent (whether they’re looking for their first brokerage or wanting to switch brokerages) to also consider a boutique brokerage in their local area. We happen to be big fans of smaller shops, and here’s why:

1. Generally, your broker is personally invested in your success.
2. There’s potential for a lot more face time with the boss.
3. Smaller brokerages often feel like a team, or even a family.
4. You generally have more control over your individual branding.
5. There is often opportunity for better or at least more individualized support.
6. Often, local brokerages are heavily engaged in and striving to make a lasting impact on their communities. 
7. Boutique brokerages may have better reputations in a community than their big-name competition.

In fact, our own Jodie Cordell made the change from a big-box brokerage to a boutique one. Here’s why she’s never looked back:

“Making the switch to the independent brokerage, Spence Properties in Crestview, Florida, was the best decision I ever made for my real estate career. In my smaller brokerage, I am able to tap into the vast knowledge, skills, and experience of my broker and broker associates. They provide the mentorship I was looking for, and my fabulous brokers made my meteoric rise to real estate success possible. I love my small brokerage and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Take Pinnacle Realty Advisors, for example. This mid-sized boutique brokerage currently operates out of seven states (including Texas and Florida) and is growing. While smaller than others on our list, it demonstrates a tangible commitment to helping agents become the best real estate professionals they can be with generous compensation plans (just transaction fees—agents keep 100% of their commission), innovative technology, and top-notch educational resources. You can take advantage of their decades of knowledge and expertise right now by downloading their latest e-book on the current state of the real estate market.

Download Pinnacle’s e-book

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Over to You

Now, we want to hear from you. Tell us your thoughts on our picks. Do your experiences line up with what we’ve found? If you’re a real estate professional working in a local office, whether a major brand or a mom-and-pop shop, we want to hear from you.