What Did You Really Pay Your Brokerage This Year?
Most agents can tell you their split. Very few can tell you what they've actually paid their brokerage this year, all in. I couldn't either, for a long time.
I've been licensed in Massachusetts since 1997. I started at a small inde pendent, moved to RE/MAX, then spent 15 years at Success Real Estate and 9 years at Keller Williams. I joined Real Broker in June 2024. Over 750 transactions on the South Shore taught me that the brokerage doesn't make your business. It decides how much of what you make you get to keep.
This post walks through how to find your real number, how caps change the math, and what it looks like at Real, fees included.
Your split isn't your cost
Two agents with the same split can keep very different amounts. The split is only one line. To find what you really paid, add up all of these for this year so far:
- Split paid to the brokerage until you capped (or all year, if there's no cap)
- Royalty or franchise fees
- Monthly, desk and technology fees
- Per-transaction fees
- Fees after you capped
- E&O insurance
Your closing statements and your brokerage's statements usually have all of it. With about six weeks left in the year, now is the time. It takes about an hour, and it's the most useful hour you'll spend before setting next year's goals.
How caps change the math
A cap is the most you pay in split for the year. To see when you'd hit it, divide the cap by the brokerage's share: at Real, $12,000 ÷ 15% = $80,000 in gross commission. After that, what you pay per deal decides how good the rest of your year is.
Here's an illustration: an agent with $150,000 in gross commission across 15 closings ($10,000 each).
| Brokerage A: 70/30, $21,000 cap | Real: 85/15, $12,000 cap | |
|---|---|---|
| Split paid until cap | $21,000 | $12,000 |
| Post-cap fees | $0 | $1,995 (7 sales × $285) |
| Per-transaction fees | not counted | $750 (15 × $50) |
| Annual fee | not counted | $900 |
| Agent keeps | $129,000 | $134,355 |
In this example the agent keeps $5,355 more at Real. Brokerage A is made up for illustration, and it leaves out royalties, monthly fees and E&O, which would widen the gap. Your numbers will be different, which is the whole point of running your own.
What Real costs, all of it
I'd rather tell you the fees up front. As of September 1, 2026:
- 85/15 split until a $12,000 annual cap ($6,000 for team members)
- After cap: $285 per sale
- $50 per transaction, every transaction
- $900 annual fee, taken as $300 from your first three closings
- $249 one-time sign-up fee
- No monthly or desk fees
- E&O is separate, so ask about it
Real also has revenue share, paid out of Real's own share of a commission when an agent you introduced closes a deal. It never comes out of that agent's pocket. There's also a program to buy company stock through your commissions, with bonus shares. Real doesn't publish typical revenue share earnings, and stock prices move both ways, so I won't promise you anything from either. The reason to move is your own business.
Questions to ask any brokerage, including mine
- What would I have paid in total on my actual production this year?
- What happens after I cap?
- What fees come out of every deal?
- Who answers my questions on a Sunday night?
- What happens to my listings and pending deals if I move? Ask your managing broker and read your agreement.
Run your own numbers
I built a calculator that does the math above with your numbers: sellingthesouthshore.com/join-real-broker. Nothing you type leaves your screen.
Or let me run it with you. Fifteen minutes, confidential, no pressure: book a call, or call or text me.
Michael Peppino
617-875-4352
Michael Peppino is a South Shore real estate agent and licensed broker with Real Broker MA, LLC. Real's figures are from its published fee schedule as of September 1, 2026 and can change; confirm current terms before deciding. Examples are illustrations, not promises of earnings.
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