6 Best Real Estate Companies to Work for in 2023
Gina is a licensed real estate salesperson, experienced trainer, and former high school educator of 1,000+ learners. She writes for Fit Small Business with a focus on real estate content.
Jealie is a staff writer at Fit Small Business, specializing in real estate education.
This article is part of a larger series on How to Become a Real Estate Agent.
Finding the right real estate company or brokerage is essential to launching a successful career. Whether the company is a national or local brand, it must align with your business goals, culture, budget, marketing strategy, and training needs. We compared national real estate brokerages and chose the top six best real estate companies to work for based on commissions, fees, training, brand recognition, and marketing efforts.
As a result, we found the six best real estate brokerages to work for in 2023 are:
- Weichert Realtors: Best brokerage for new agents seeking continuing education and training opportunities
- RE/MAX: Excellent for established agents wanting to customize commission splits and desk fees
- Redfin: Perfect for agents who need extensive, free marketing and lead generation tools
- eXp Realty: Great for professionals who want a virtual brokerage with access to online tools and resources
- Century 21: Ideal for agents prioritizing brokerage brand recognition
- Coldwell Banker Realty: Suitable for tech-savvy agents wanting robust tools for marketing and lead capture
Best Real Estate Companies to Work for at a Glance
Brokerage | Commission Split to Agent | Tiered Commission Structure | Mentorship Programs | Gives Exclusive Leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 70% | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ |
 | 95% | âś“ | âś“ | âś• |
 | 70% transaction bonuses + 30% base salary | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ |
 | 80% | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ (with fee) |
 | 90% | âś“ | âś“ | âś• |
 | 60% | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ (with fee) |
To find out which best real estate company will best suit your real estate needs, take this quick quiz:
Which real estate company is right for you?
Weichert Realtors: Best for Continuing Education & Training Opportunities
Overall Score:
4.85 / 5
Pros
- Provides dedicated manager or coach support
- Offers lead generation and document management tools
- Inclusive company culture focusing on agent development
Cons
- IDX website feature comes at an additional cost
- Marketing fees
- Limited room for career advancement
Weichert Realtors is our best overall for agents who want a higher commission split with no desk and monthly fees, along with extensive training and continuing education opportunities. Through its various training platforms, Weichert Realtors offers its agents an astounding number of support materials and unique growth opportunities within the company, including a dedicated manager or coach support, onboarding training, and a user-friendly community website.
Weichert Realtors starts agents with a 70% split to agents and a 30% split to the company. All splits are taken after an 8% franchise fee until they reach the following each year:
- With $45,000 in gross commission income (GCI), you will move to an 80% split.
- With $75,000 in GCI, you will move to an 85% split.
- With $100,000 in GCI, you will move to a 90% split.
- With $125,000 in GCI, you will move to a 100% split.
In addition, Weichert Realtors does not charge desk, listing, administrative, or error and omission insurance fees. However, marketing fees cost 2% of gross revenues or the minimum monthly marketing fee, whichever is greater, and MLS, association, or board dues, cost $1,886.31 per year.
Weichert Realtors Benefits & Reviews From Agents
Benefits:
Weichert Realtors provide various corporate events, including drive-in movie night, on-site food trucks, and holiday contests open to every employee and associate. Weichert Realtors also has a community website, a user-friendly platform that enables agents to share perks, policies, tech training, and coursework to support its inclusive workplace and keep employees connected and informed.
Furthermore, Weichert Realtors has provided discounts, special offers, rewards programs, and paid referral opportunities through its family of companies.
Why should agents work with Weichert Realtors
Reviews From Agents:
Weichert Realtors garnered a 3.8 out of 5 employee review rating from 704 agents. Many workers noted that everyone at the workplace is friendly and encouraging and collaborates to ensure everyone succeeds. Additionally, agents appreciate the management’s support in giving employees quality training.
On the other hand, a few employees remarked that unless you have your own clients already, you won’t be given much in the way of leads and that the management frequently changes, making it challenging to advance in their career. As an alternative, check out Century 21, which allows agents to advance to management or start their own brokerage.
RE/MAX: Best for Control Over Commission Splits
Overall Score:
4.75 / 5
Pros
- Customization of compensation splits
- Provides agents with maximum flexibility and independence
- Choose your training needs and create your own work schedule
Cons
- Lack of mentorship
- It may be difficult for new agents
- Does not give exclusive leads
RE/MAX is a national real estate brokerage celebrated by agents for controlling commission splits, typically starting at a 95/5 split with an upfront desk fee. Fees are also adjustable depending on agent needs, like advertisements, office spots, or business cards. RE/MAX is the best real estate broker to work for particularly for agents who are more interested in an advantageous commission split and less interested in the resources and branding of a national brokerage.
RE/MAX offers agents a wide variety of high-commission split options. For agents who do not mind paying an upfront desk fee (which varies from office to office), the 95/5 split is the best option. This means that agents get 95% of each commission, and the broker gets 5%, plus the monthly desk fee of $300 to $2,500 to cover rent, insurance, and lead costs.
RE/MAX offers secondary commission splits without a separate desk or monthly fees in its RE/MAX Alternative Payment Plans (RAPP). RAPP integrates broker charges and monthly desk fees into the commission split; fees are taken out of commission payments, so agents are not faced with a hefty monthly bill.
There are three levels of RAPP supplied by RE/MAX for agents:
- The 80/20 split means agents get 80%, and the broker gets 20% of each sales commission.
- The 70/30 split means agents get only 70% of their commission, with the rest going to the broker.
- A 60/40 split means the agent receives 60% of the commission, and the broker gets the other 40%.
The higher percentage retained by the broker means more access to RE/MAX resources for the agent. Without desk fees, agents are responsible for paying for their own expenses, such as buying leads, advertising, and real estate marketing flyers. All the RAPP programs have a total sales cap of $23,000 annually. Once the agent reaches their cap, they are automatically moved to the 95/5 plan.
RE/MAX Benefits & Reviews From Agents
Benefits:
RE/MAX has a robust offering of do-it-yourself classes through RE/MAX University, a 24/7 source for the best ideas and the best training in the real estate industry. Agents can take courses through on-demand video, online, and in RE/MAX classrooms. Classes offer various professional development courses, like 70-plus designations and certifications, 25-plus continuing education, and 20-plus negotiating courses.
As a national franchise, RE/MAX agents can move to management, switch brokerages, or launch their own franchise. Moreover, RE/MAX provides you access to its “Design Center,” a web-based platform with templates you can use for mailing pieces, open house sheets, drip email campaigns, single property websites, and YouTube-compatible listing videos.
Jasen Edwards, a real estate coach, RE/MAX review
Reviews From Agents:
RE/MAX has a 4.1 out of 5 employee review rating for its extensive training, marketing tools, and support for its agents’ success. One real estate broker associate said the best part of working at RE/MAX is the flexibility, independence, and excellent commission policy that the company provides.
However, many agents wished that RE/MAX would give them a fixed income and exclusive leads. If you want to work at a real estate brokerage that provides exclusive leads to its agents, try Weichert Realty. It offers comprehensive marketing and lead generation support to all its real estate employees.
Redfin: Best for Extensive Marketing & Lead Generation Tools
Overall Score:
4.67 / 5
Pros
- Zero agent fees
- Offers a wide range of training and continuing education opportunities
- Provides healthcare and financial benefits
Cons
- Internal technology is clunky
- Limited income potential
- Lack of career advancement
Redfin is a national brokerage offering agents extensive marketing and lead generation tools, including exclusive leads, business cards, headshots, and document management tools without fees. Plus, agents are provided with social media marketing and listing website advertising to help them capture and generate high-quality leads. With Redfin’s clear-cut marketing and technology tools, new agents can get listings faster and more efficiently.
Redfin stands out from other brokerages because, in most Redfin branches, its agents are employees rather than independent contractors. As employees, Redfin agents are paid a base salary and bonuses for each home sale or purchase they close. The bonus is based on how much the house costs. About 30% of agent pay is the base salary in the first year, and 70% comes from transaction bonuses.
As Redfin agents’ revenue grows, the balance between transaction bonuses and basic salary shifts, with more earnings coming from bonuses. Higher basic salaries and transaction incentives are given to agents who achieve their performance goals. Redfin also compensates agents who cultivate loyal customers by increasing bonuses for repeat, referral, and sphere customers. The top-performing agents also earn Redfin stock.
Redfin also covers traditional business costs, such as MLS dues, license renewal fees, association fees, marketing, mileage, and transportation, saving each Redfin Agent $14,000 annually. Agents are also provided with premium benefits from health to paid time off and financial benefits worth $11,000 annually.
Redfin Benefits & Reviews From Agents
Benefits:
Technology plays a significant role in Redfin’s marketing plan and agent training. It provides each agent with a fully functional IDX-enabled website that connects with social media and a customer relationship manager (CRM) to display their listings and open houses.
Redfin also offers an app to ensure efficient client communication and work management for agents. Clients can virtually tour properties from anywhere or schedule a video tour with a local Redfin agent. Aside from these, Redfin Technology helps agents establish a presence and promote their businesses by providing design services, programming solutions, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) tools.
Redfin Agent careers
Reviews From Agents:
Redfin has an employee review rating of 3.5 out of 5. Agents said that they enjoyed the flexibility and complete control of their own calendars or hours. They especially love the supportive and inclusive management and work environment. Most negative reviews are about the limited showing and income potential. However, if you prefer to work at a brokerage that has more income potential, check out RE/MAX.
eXp Realty: Best Virtual Brokerage
Overall Score:
4.57 / 5
Pros
- No desk, royalty, and franchise fees
- Extensive resources and support
- Virtual world to easily access management
Cons
- Amount of technology can be overwhelming for agents
- Lack of in-person contact or support from management
- Training and continuing education are with fees
eXp Realty is a virtual brokerage that provides agents with extensive training, technology, and marketing without desk fees. Due to its distinctive business model, agents have numerous opportunities to increase their income, broaden their knowledge about various topics, and employ different marketing strategies. However, because all platforms are online, there may be less one-on-one support. Thus, this is the best real estate agency for experienced agents who value efficiency, education, and technology.
When you join eXp Realty, you’ll have a $149 startup fee, which covers your first monthly fee, business cards, website, CRM, and memberships. After your first month, you will have an ongoing monthly fee of $85 to cover all team tools, training, and support.
There is an 80/20 commission split until your annual cap of $16,000. Then, you will keep 100% of your commissions but pay a $25 per transaction broker review fee and $40 per transaction risk management fee ($500 annual cap). However, eXp uniquely offers opportunities to make extra money through the stock equity plan, its ICON agent awards, and its revenue share plan.
eXp Realty Benefits & Reviews From Agents
Benefits:
In addition to eXp Realty’s unique brokerage model, it offers its agents arguably the most extensive amount of resources. As an agent, you use eXp World to contact all agents and employees. eXp World is a virtual reality platform where you create an avatar, visit different departments, or attend meetings. It’s a unique and effective way to give agents a home base and stay connected.
One eXp resource is a diversity initiative to build eXp Realty into a diverse and inclusive brokerage. As part of this initiative, there are various groups within eXp, such as the Black eXp network, eXp Asian network, eXp Latino, eXp LGBTQ network, and eXp Power Girls.
eXp Realty’s eXp World feature
Reviews From Agents:
eXp Realty has a great customer review rating of 4.3 out of 5. Many eXp agents online raved about the amount of training, technology, and marketing resources available. While this can be overwhelming to new agents, there isn’t much that you might need as an agent that eXp doesn’t have ready to offer.
Many workers hoped that onboarding training, continuing education, and dedicated manager or coach support were all free. For free marketing, lead generation support, and opportunities for training or educational advancement, check out Weichert Realtors.
Century 21: Best Real Estate Broker for Brand Recognition
Overall Score:
4.52 / 5
Pros
- No desk fees
- High level of brand recognition
- Easier to secure buyer and seller leads
Cons
- Few professional growth opportunities
- Standard commission split
- Franchise fee
Century 21 is a national real estate company that stands out for its trusted brand and loyal customer base. Among potential buyers and sellers, Century 21 has a remarkable 90% confidence and recognition level. Because of this, Century 21 is the ideal choice for new and experienced agents who want to boost sales by teaming up with a reputable real estate company.
The Relentless Plan and the Kickstart Plan are the two commission structures offered by Century 21 Signature Real Estate.
- Relentless Plan: Starts at a 90% commission split, and increases to a 100% commission split after reaching $200,000 in GCI. On this plan, you’ll pay a monthly administrative fee of $350, a flat fee, and a 6% franchise fee for each transaction.
- Kickstart Plan: Starts at a 70% commission split with a $100 monthly fee. The fixed transaction fee is lower, but the 6% franchise fee remains the same. Additionally, Century 21 charges no desk or marketing fees. This can be a godsend for new agents who need every penny to generate leads and pay their bills.
Century 21 Benefits & Reviews From Agents
Benefits:
Agents and brokers affiliated with Century 21 have access to MoxiWorks’ solutions, a versatile presentation builder, which can act as their devoted sidekick to keep them on task. Aside from these, Century 21 offers Brand Studio to help you design customizable and attention-grabbing ad templates for all your media formats.
In addition, Century 21’s University offers a variety of degrees of education and certifications to help you grow your company, including self-paced webinars and in-person coaching and mentoring. Although there is a chance to advance to management or start your own brokerage, these roles only occasionally come vacant. This is the only downfall of maintaining a consistently trustworthy brand with a low turnover rate.
Century 21’s real estate agents
Reviews From Agents:
Even though most online reviews for Century 21 are positive, there’s only a limited number of reviews available online. Its employee review rating is 4.1 out of 5. Employees are happy with the brokerage’s excellent support and in-house classes. Many agents commented that it is a great place to start your career and learn if you are new to real estate.
However, a few unsatisfied employees say they wish Century 21 would give them exclusive leads and continuing education. For more comprehensive lead generation and professional development support, try Redfin.
Coldwell Banker Realty: Best for Tech-savvy Agents
Overall Score:
4.43 / 5
Pros
- Uses the latest technology to support agents and find listings
- Helpful for agents in specialty markets like smart homes
- Offers training in advanced niche areas
Cons
- Has desk and marketing fees
- Difficult for agents unaccustomed to technology
- Constant need to learn new tools and platforms
Coldwell Banker Realty is an international real estate brokerage that stands out for its technologically advanced tools. Collectively dubbed the Coldwell Banker Realty CBx Tech Suite, these tools use algorithms to provide data on seller leads, property listings, and buyer locations. With this asset, Coldwell Banker Realty is best for agents comfortable using technology to find listings and engage with buyers and sellers.
The commission splits offered by Coldwell Banker Realty vary by the branch office. The company’s commission structure is gradual, allowing agents to increase and enhance their splits as they gain more expertise or sell more houses.
- New real estate agents typically begin with a 50/50 commission split.
- After years of experience and selling multiple homes, an experienced real estate agent can move up to 60/40, 70/30, or 90/10 commission splits.
However, there is a Coldwell Banker office that differs far from the standard Coldwell Banker commission split model. Its agents start at an 80/20 split and have a $15,000 cap. After that, the agent moves to a 100% commission split. As for real estate fees, Coldwell Banker charges $50 for desk fees and 2% of gross monthly revenue for marketing fees.
Coldwell Banker Realty Benefits & Reviews From Agents
Benefits:
There is training at Coldwell Banker Realty for both new agents and experienced agents. With online classes and classroom workshops in technology, marketing, and sales, you’ll always have more opportunities to learn. You can also move to a management position or start your own Coldwell Banker brokerage. To increase the visibility of local agents, Coldwell Banker Realty does national advertising on multiple media—web, smartphone, and TV.
It also provides agents with a complete marketing suite in the CBx Tech Suite. It includes extensive and comprehensive tools and technology to help you grow in your real estate career. In addition, Coldwell Banker launched an Inclusive Ownership program to increase the diversity in brokerages and franchise owners. Many organizations have also recognized them and won awards, such as the Women’s Choice Award and the Top LGBTQ list.
Coldwell Banker Realty’s design concierge
Reviews From Agents:
Coldwell Banker Realty is a great place to start your real estate career. It offers an excellent working environment and outstanding training and has many experienced professionals to guide you through the situations you may come across. As a result, Coldwell Banker Realty received a 4.2 out of 5 agent review rating.
However, many agents are unhappy with Coldwell Banker Realty charging $50 for desk fees and 2% of gross monthly revenue for marketing fees. If you seek a brokerage that does not have a desk, royalty, or franchise fees, try eXp Realty.
Alternative: Local Real Estate Companies
In this article, we highlight nationally recognized companies because they serve the largest audience. However, it is worth noting that local brokerages often give agents the same opportunities as national brands and sometimes even more mentorship and growth opportunities.
If you are looking to start slowly and learn the ropes from a seasoned professional, you may be better off working with a smaller, local brokerage. Or, if you already have an established sphere of influence and are looking for an option that will give you a greater sense of ownership in the company’s success and camaraderie, take the time to compare these companies against local or regional brokerages in your community.
For more guidance as to which type of brokerage might be best for you, visit our article on how to choose a real estate company.
How We Evaluated the Best Real Estate Companies to Work for in 2023
To learn what is the best real estate company to work for can be challenging. This is why it is best to find out all you can about the best real estate companies to work for before committing. To help, we evaluated popular national brokers based on their training, brand recognition, and marketing efforts to promote agents.
We found Weichert Realtors to be the best nationally recognized real estate company to work for. It is a well-known brand that offers agents dedicated manager or coach support, extensive lead generation, and document management tools. It has an inclusive company culture focusing on agent development. Learn more about what factors went into our evaluation and what weight we placed on each criterion by clicking below:
30%
Benefits
30%
Marketing Support
20%
Training & Education Assistance
20%
Growth Opportunities
30% of Overall Score
The team you work with plays a significant role in whether or not you find satisfaction working with a particular brokerage. Therefore, we also considered factors such as culture and work-life balance from agent reviews, and if a brokerage promoted diversity at all levels in addition to its national footprint.
30% of Overall Score
One of the biggest benefits to agents who sign with a national brand versus a local or boutique brokerage is name recognition, which can help build trust. However, agents should never rely on the brokerage’s reputation alone. This is why we looked for brokerages that offered access to or provided complimentary marketing tools and resources, which could help an agent attract clients or get their listings noticed.
20% of Overall Score
All licensed agents, regardless of state, must attend hours of continuing education training as a condition of maintaining their license. While these programs are offered by real estate schools independent of any brokerage and ensure an agent is up to date on the latest laws and regulations, the best brokerages to work for offer additional training and professional development opportunities.
20% of Overall Score
When evaluating brokerages, we also looked for those that offered a path for professional growth. We paid close attention to those that provided mentorship or management programs and brands that allowed an agent to open their own brokerage one day when they’re ready to take the next step in their career.
*Percentages of overall score
While we researched commission splits and brokerage fees and included information about these items in our article, we did not include them as part of our evaluation criteria. There are vast differences between the brokerages in these aspects, and the monetary needs of each agent are highly subjective.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Agents typically work solely on commission and therefore do not earn a paycheck until their first sale. You should be financially prepared to be in business for a few months without income. The only exception is joining a company like Redfin, which employs agents as full-time, salaried employees.
Use our calculator to compare the brokerage’s commission split models and determine your profits before selecting which brokerage you want to work for. Our calculator below can help you figure out how much money you’ll have after a transaction. Enter the following data to calculate your commission automatically:
Signing with a sponsoring broker is required by law in all states for you to perform real estate transactions. Instead of a physical office, you can sign with a virtual broker like eXp Realty or an alternative, such as Real (if available in your state). Or, get additional guidance by reading our article on finding a sponsoring broker.
You cannot start working for any broker without a real estate license. Your broker will provide some training to help you grow in your field. However, you must complete your real estate license on your own after taking prep courses from a real estate school. Here are some of the best online real estate schools.
Colibri Real Estate interface
Signing with a brokerage is only one part of the requirements for becoming a real estate agent. You also have to meet state education requirements and pass a licensing exam. If you have yet to receive your license, consider visiting Colibri Real Estate, as this online school offers the required classes and professional development resources at an affordable price.
Bottom Line
Deciding which is the best real estate company to work for depends on your needs and career goals. We considered the fees, commissions, training programs, marketing, and growth opportunities to identify Weichert Realtors as the best real estate company to work for in 2023. It not only boast tremendous growth opportunities, but also offers exceptional training and fair commission splits.
