6 Best Real Estate Companies to Work for in 2023
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
RE/MAX: Best for Control Over Commission Splits
Redfin: Best for Extensive Marketing & Lead Generation Tools
eXp Realty: Best Virtual Brokerage
Century 21: Best Real Estate Broker for Brand Recognition
Coldwell Banker Realty: Best for Tech-savvy Agents
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% 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.
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.