The longer agents stay in real estate, the more likely they are to change brokerages. Our latest survey reveals how common switching really is and what that means for agents and brokers.
Throughout a real estate career, a lot can change. Your production grows. Your goals change. You build a larger client base. You may start a team, move into a new market, or simply realize that what you needed from a brokerage five years ago isn’t what you need today.
Sometimes, the brokerage you started with is no longer the brokerage that makes sense for where your career is headed. That made me curious about how common switching brokerages actually is. So I asked The Close newsletter readers two questions: How many brokerages have you been affiliated with during your real estate career? And how long have you been a licensed real estate agent?
The results showed that changing brokerages is much more common than staying put.
Among surveyed newsletter readers, over 73% have been affiliated with more than one brokerage during their real estate careers. Only 26.5% said they have never switched.
Nearly one-third reported being affiliated with two brokerages, while 22.2% reported being affiliated with three. Another 19.7% have been affiliated with four or more brokerages.
What I found most interesting was what happened when I looked at those responses by how long agents had been in the business. Among surveyed agents licensed for more than 10 years, 82% have been affiliated with more than one brokerage. Even more interesting, half have worked with at least three brokerages.
The results suggest that changing brokerages isn’t necessarily an unusual event in an agent’s career. For many agents, it may simply be part of growing their business.
Brokerage loyalty changes over time
The longer someone works in real estate, the more opportunities they have to reconsider where they hang their license. That pattern showed up clearly in our survey.
Among surveyed agents licensed for two to five years, 43% said they have never switched brokerages. Another 43% have been affiliated with two, while only 14% have already worked with three or more.
For agents with six to 10 years of experience, the picture begins to change. 40% have stayed with one brokerage, while another 40% have already been affiliated with three or more.
The biggest difference appears among agents with more than a decade in the industry. Only 18% of these respondents said they have never switched brokerages. In other words, more than eight out of 10 surveyed agents with over 10 years of experience have changed brokerages at least once.
That doesn’t necessarily mean experienced agents are less loyal. They have simply had more time for their businesses, priorities, and needs to evolve. The brokerage that makes sense when you’re trying to close your first transaction may not be the brokerage you need when you’re closing dozens of transactions, building a team, pursuing luxury clients, or looking for more independence.
Why agents leave a brokerage
Our survey asked agents how many brokerages they have been affiliated with, not why they left, so we can’t use the results to determine the most common reasons agents switch. But anyone who has spent enough time in real estate knows there isn’t just one reason an agent considers leaving.
Some of the factors that can influence an agent’s decision include:
- Commission splits and fees: An arrangement that made sense when an agent was new may feel very different once they’re generating consistent business on their own. As production increases, agents may start paying closer attention to how much they’re paying their brokerage and what they’re receiving in return.
- Leadership and broker support: Agents want to know someone will be available when a difficult transaction arises. Strong communication, accessibility, and support from leadership can play an important role in whether an agent feels valued at their brokerage.
- Technology and resources: If agents are paying for tools they don’t use or constantly purchasing external systems because their brokerage doesn’t provide what they need, they may start questioning the value they’re receiving.
- Company culture: Real estate can already be a difficult and competitive business. Agents who don’t feel connected to their office, recognized for their work, or aligned with the brokerage’s culture may eventually look for a place that feels like a better fit.
- Opportunities for growth: Sometimes an agent simply outgrows their brokerage. Their business may evolve into a team, luxury practice, investment business, or another niche that requires resources and opportunities their current brokerage isn’t built to provide.
The reason an agent joins a brokerage and the reason they stay there aren’t always the same.
What I find most interesting
What stood out most to me was how normal brokerage movement becomes among experienced agents. Half of surveyed respondents licensed for more than 10 years have worked with at least three brokerages. More than one-quarter have been affiliated with four or more.
To me, that suggests changing brokerages shouldn’t automatically be viewed as a negative career decision. Sometimes a brokerage change is exactly that: a career decision. Agents grow, markets change, brokerages change, and business models evolve. What worked at one stage of an agent’s career may not work at another.
But I also think there’s an important lesson here for brokers: recruiting an agent is only the beginning. If an agent’s needs evolve throughout their career, brokerages need to evolve with them. Otherwise, even an agent who is happy today may eventually begin looking elsewhere for the support, economics, culture, or opportunities they need for their next stage of growth.
How brokerages can attract and keep agents
If switching is this common over the course of an agent’s career, brokerages have an opportunity on both sides of the equation. Every agent who leaves a brokerage is potentially looking for another one that better fits their needs. But attracting agents is only half the battle. The real challenge is giving them reasons to stay.
Here are a few areas I think brokers should focus on:
- Understand what agents actually need: A brand-new agent and a 15-year top producer probably aren’t looking for the same things from a brokerage. Have regular conversations about goals, challenges, and what agents need from you as their businesses evolve.
- Provide meaningful training and support: Training shouldn’t end after onboarding. Offer opportunities for agents at different production levels, from contract and negotiation training for newer agents to business planning, team building, marketing, and leadership development for experienced agents.
- Make your value clear: Agents should understand what they’re receiving in exchange for their split, fees, or other costs. Technology, marketing, leads, administrative support, training, office resources, and broker access all contribute to a brokerage’s value, but only if agents know about them and actually use them.
- Create opportunities for growth: Some agents will eventually want to build teams, enter new markets, pursue higher price points, develop a niche, or move into leadership roles. Helping agents find their next opportunity within the brokerage may prevent them from looking elsewhere.
- Build a culture agents want to be part of: Recognition, communication, collaboration, and accessibility matter. Agents who feel connected to their brokerage and valued by its leadership may have fewer reasons to look elsewhere.
- Don’t wait until someone is leaving to talk about retention: If the first serious conversation about an agent’s goals happens after they’ve already received an offer from another brokerage, it may be too late. Regular check-ins can uncover frustrations before they turn into reasons to leave.
Ultimately, brokerages compete for agents just as agents compete for clients. Recruiting gets someone in the door. The experience you provide after they join determines whether they want to stay.
What this means for agents
Just because switching brokerages is common doesn’t mean you should start looking for a new one. But I do think agents should periodically evaluate whether their brokerage still supports the business they’re trying to build.
Start by asking yourself a few questions:
- Am I getting enough value for what I’m paying?
- Do I have the training and broker support I need?
- Does my commission structure still make sense for my production?
- Are the technology and marketing resources actually helping my business?
- Is there room for me to grow here?
If the answer to several of these questions is no, it may be worth exploring your options.
But don’t make a move based solely on a better split or recruiting pitch. Look at the entire picture, including fees, technology, support, culture, lead opportunities, marketing resources, and contract terms. Consider what may happen to your listings, database, or branding if you leave.
The goal isn’t to find the brokerage offering the most. It’s to find the brokerage that best supports where you want your business to go next.
Takeaway
Changing brokerages is a common practice in the real estate industry. Nearly three-quarters of the newsletter readers we surveyed have worked with more than one brokerage, and among agents with more than a decade of experience, that number rose to 82%. I don’t think that means brokerage loyalty is disappearing. I think it means real estate careers evolve. As agents gain experience, their production, goals, and needs from their brokerage can change. Sometimes their current brokerage grows with them, and sometimes it doesn’t.
For agents, the lesson is to periodically evaluate whether your brokerage still supports the business and career you’re trying to build. For brokers, the lesson may be even more important. Recruiting an agent gets them through the door, but retention requires continually demonstrating why they should stay. If our survey tells us anything, it’s that most agents will eventually have to decide whether the brokerage they’re with is still the right place for where they’re going next.
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