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For new agents
How to pick your first real estate brokerage Get to your
first closing.
Updated
The best brokerage for a new agent is the one that gets you to your first closings. Look for fast answers, someone who checks your contracts, real training and low costs before your first check.
No card. Nobody calls you unless you ask. Your license stays where it is until you decide.
- 1Get licensedOnly the start
- 2Pick a brokerageFast answers, real training
- 3Your first contractIt will raise ten questions
- 4Your first closingSomeone checks your paperwork
- 10Your tenth dealPick the place that gets you here
01What you need
In year one, help beats low fees.
Five things a new agent needs most.
02First-year costs
What your first year costs
Some costs follow you anywhere. Some change by brokerage.
The same everywhere
Costs before your first closing
- MLS access
- REALTOR® association, if you join
- Errors and omissions insurance, at some brokerages
- Your own marketing
Your license is only the start.
Split or flat fee: which is better for a new agent?
What changes by brokerage: the split, the monthly fee and what you pay per deal. A monthly fee costs the same whether you close or not.
Split
A share of every check
- Costs little when you earn little
- Costs more as you growThe share comes off every check, big or small.
Flat fee
The same cost per closing
- Cheaper once your deals get bigger
- Easy to planYou know the fee before the deal closes.
New-agent programs can cost extraAsk every brokerage what its new-agent program costs.
Some brokerages also charge new agents more on their first deals. eXp, for example, takes an extra share on a new agent's first three deals for its mentor program.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask all six. Write down every answer.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask all six. Write down every answer.- Who do I call when I have a question on a contract, and how fast do they answer?
- Is there a mentor program? What does it cost, and for how many deals?
- Who checks my paperwork, and who pays for a transaction coordinator?
- What do I pay per month, per deal and per year, in writing?
- How do new agents here get their first clients?
- If I leave, how am I paid on deals that close after I go?
Then compare the answers side by side.
Put your own numbers in the fee calculator to see both. See how 100% commission brokerages work.
03If you are looking
How AXEN does it
No split. You keep 100% and pay a flat fee per closing, up to a yearly cap.
Every AXEN fee rule, in fullFile fees, small sales, leases, admin and platform, and more.
- File fee: $500 a closing on Pro, capped at $6,000 a year. $1,000 on Elite, capped at $12,000. After the cap it is $0 until your AXEN anniversary.
- Small sales: under $2,500 of commission, the file fee is 10% of it instead. A $2,000 check pays $200.
- Leases, rentals and referrals: 10% of the commission, never more than $500 on Pro or $1,000 on Elite, plus a $50 admin fee.
- $295 admin fee on every sale, even after the cap. Most of it pays your Deal Desk coordinator and state broker. Many agents pass it to the client.
- Platform fee: $50 a month, $500 a year, or $600 taken from your first closing.
- Help on every file: a Deal Desk coordinator, a state broker, AXEN University training and live support.
- Nothing up front: pick the $600-from-your-first-closing option. If that first check is under $2,500 of commission, only $50 for each month you have been with AXEN comes out. The rest waits for your next closing.
- Leads: your own leads stay 100% yours. Company leads AXEN hands you carry a 25% fee.
Every file fee counts toward the same cap. AXEN is not the cheapest on fees alone for every agent: see the math against other brokerages. Want help picking? Walk through AXEN in 8 short steps.
04Straight answers
Questions agents ask
What is the best brokerage for a new real estate agent?
The one that answers your questions fast, checks your paperwork, trains you and keeps your costs low until you close. Ask every brokerage the same questions and compare the answers in writing.
Should a new agent join a team or a brokerage?
A team can hand you leads and daily coaching in exchange for a bigger share of each check. A brokerage on its own gives you more freedom. Many new agents start on a team and go solo later.
How much does it cost to be a new real estate agent?
Plan for MLS and association dues, any monthly brokerage fee, your license renewal and marketing before your first check. The brokerage part depends on its split, monthly fee and per-deal fees.
Do new agents need a mentor?
Some brokerages require one for your first few deals, and some charge extra for it. A good mentor can save a deal; ask what it costs and for how long.
Can a new agent join AXEN?
Yes. AXEN takes new agents in every state it operates in. A Deal Desk coordinator works every file, a state broker answers your questions, and AXEN University trains you. You can pay the platform fee from your first closing, so nothing is due up front. Start at axenrealty.com/join.
Get to your first closing.
See the portal, the fees and the help before you decide.
Costs only, not an earnings claim. Your income depends on your own sales. AXEN fees as of October 2026; other brokerages’ fees as they published them in September 2026. Confirm every fee in writing before you sign.