Real Brokerage · New Braunfels, Texas
Real vs traditional. Do the math.
I'm Allen Corona. Five years in real estate, at Real since December 2023, and a network of 43 agents who found me on their own. Most agents I talk to are at a franchise brokerage, so here's Real next to Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker and Century 21. The split, the cap, the desk fees and the franchise cut, in one table.
The comparison
Real vs four traditional brokerages.
Traditional brokerages are franchises, so each office sets its own plan. I show the typical range, not one office's deal. Real sits in the highlighted column.
| Real Broker | Keller Williams | RE/MAX | Coldwell Banker | Century 21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Cloud + Office Hubsagent owned hubs, free to any Real agent | Franchiselocal market center | Franchisehigh split, desk fee | Franchiselocal office | Franchiselocal office |
| Split | 85/15 | 70/30plus 6% royalty, about 64/36 | 95/5some offices 100% | 50/50 to 70/30graduated by production | 50/50 to 70/30graduated by production |
| Annual cap | $12,000 | $15,000 to $35,000set by market center | Nonedesk fee instead | Usually nonesome offices offer one | Usually nonesome offices offer one |
| Monthly fee | $0$900 annual fee, paid $300 at each of your first 3 closings | Variestech and office fees | $500 to $3,000desk fee, by office | Varies by office | Varies by office |
| Franchise fee | Noneafter cap: $285 per deal plus $50 E&O, drops to $100 at Elite | 6% royaltycapped at $3,000 a year | Per transaction | On every deal | 6% to 8%of commission |
| Rev share | 5 tiers | Profit sharefrom market center profits | – | – | – |
| Stock | REAXup to $20K in stock awards: $12K Elite Agent, $8K culture award | – | – | – | – |
| Tools | reZEN, Leo, Leo 2.0Real's platform and AI tools | KW CommandCRM and platform | Office, brand, training | Office, brand, training | Office, brand, training |
| Paid on $150K GCI | $12,900plus $335 per deal after cap | $18,000 to $38,000 | $13,500 to $43,500 | $45,000 to $75,000 | $54,000 to $84,000 |
Paid on $150K GCI is what an agent closing $150,000 in gross commission would hand the brokerage in a year from the split, cap, desk fees and franchise fees above. Real: the $12,000 cap plus the $900 annual fee, plus $285 and $50 E&O on each deal after capping. Keller Williams: the market center cap plus the $3,000 royalty cap. RE/MAX: 5% plus 12 months of desk fees. Coldwell Banker: the split with no cap. Century 21: the split with no cap plus a 6% franchise fee. Ranges run from the best to the worst plan in each column. A dash means I did not compare that item, not that the brokerage has none. Swipe the table sideways on your phone.
What you'd pay the brokerage on $150,000 GCI
Drawn to scale. Solid is the best case, stripes run to the worst case.
Why agents make the switch
What's actually different.
A cap that actually ends
Real stops taking a split at $12,000 a year. Many traditional offices have no cap at all, so 30 to 50 percent comes off every deal, all year long.
No desk rent, no franchise cut
No monthly desk fee and no national franchise royalty stacked on top of the split. And you still get a place to meet and train: any Real Office Hub, free.
Earn your cap back in stock
Hit Elite Agent and Real gives back $12,000 in REAX stock, the full cap, and your post cap transaction fee drops from $285 to $100. Help train other agents and you can earn another $8,000 in stock through the culture award. Add revenue share across 5 tiers. Stock can go up or down, so count it as a bonus.
Read this part too
The fair version.
- Cloud doesn't mean alone. Real has agent owned Office Hubs where we hold in person trainings, and any Real agent can use any hub for free. You get the room and the people without paying desk rent.
- Traditional offices do some things well. A broker down the hall and a brand people know. If that's what you need right now, it has real value.
- Your office's deal might be better than the range. Top producers often negotiate better splits or lower caps. Bring me your actual plan and I'll compare that, not the average.
- $0 a month is not $0 in fees. It's 85/15 until you cap at $12,000. After that, each transaction is $285 plus $50 for E&O, and once you hit Elite Agent the $285 drops to $100. There's a $900 annual fee, paid $300 at each of your first three closings. No sale, no charge, and it doesn't roll over to the next year. There's also a one time $249 sign up fee. Ask me and I'll walk you through every line.
- Plans change. These numbers were gathered in 2026 from public sources, so check each company's current plan before you decide.
Who you'd be talking to
A working agent, not a recruiter.
I sell homes across Central Texas out of New Braunfels. I've seen both models up close, so I'll tell you straight when staying where you are makes more sense.
Next step
Bring your numbers. I'll run them.
Tell me what you close in a year, your split, your cap and what you pay each month. I'll show you side by side what you'd keep at Real.
Email Allen