Joining a Brokerage in Texas: What Agents Actually Need to Know
The Short Version
Texas has 200,000+ active real estate agents and hundreds of brokerages fighting for them. That competition is good for you—but only if you know what to look for. The "best" brokerage depends entirely on where you are in your career and what you actually need.
The Three Types of Agents (Be Honest About Which One You Are)
The New Agent (0-2 years, <$2M volume)
What you need: Training, mentorship, hand-holding on your first deals.
What you think you need: The highest split possible.
The reality: A 50/50 split with great training beats an 80/20 split with no support when you don't know how to get your first client. Your first priority is surviving year one—47% of new agents don't.
The Growing Agent (2-5 years, $2-5M volume)
What you need: Better economics, systems, and autonomy.
What you think you need: "Culture" and "brand."
The reality: You've got the basics. Now it's about math. Every dollar you give away in splits is a dollar not going into marketing, savings, or your life. Start demanding better terms.
The Producing Agent (5+ years, $5M+ volume)
What you need: Maximum take-home, minimal friction, broker availability when you need it.
What you think you need: Probably nothing—you've got this figured out.
The reality: You're still paying for services you don't use. A flat-fee model could put $15-30K back in your pocket annually. Why are you subsidizing new agents' training?
What Actually Matters at Each Stage
For New Agents: Training Quality
Not all training is created equal. Questions to ask:
- How many transactions do mentors complete annually? If they're "full-time trainers" who don't sell, they're teaching theory, not reality.
- What's the actual training format? Weekly Zoom calls? Self-paced videos from 2019? Ride-alongs?
- How long does support last? Some brokerages dump you after 90 days.
- Can you shadow live transactions? This is worth more than any classroom.
Red flag: "Unlimited training and support!" that turns out to be a Facebook group.
For Growing Agents: The Real Cost
Forget the split—calculate your effective rate.
Example: $4M in sales, 3% average commission = $120K GCI
| Brokerage Model | Split | Monthly Fees | Annual Fees | E&O | You Keep | |