Building a career in the real estate industry is no easy task. But if you want to build a career in real estate, Keller William probably is one of the best places to join. In this article I will talk about Keller Williams agent monthly fees and Commission Plans.
Keller Williams is known for one of the most pro-agent splits in the industry which makes them quite appealing to real estate agents. All the agents with Keller William are on a 64/30/6% split. The agent gets 64%, 30% to the market center and 6% to the KWRI.
However, there is a cap for the market center and KWRI amounts. We will go into more details about these. So, keep reading to get an in-depth look at the whole picture.
What is Great About the Keller William System?
The great thing about the Keller William commission system is the cap. This cap ensures, if you, as an agent, earn extra, the amount you pay will not exceed the cap for the market center and KWRI. The bottom line is, you get to keep the extra. And you do not even have to meet the difference if you do not fulfill the cap.
Therefore the market center is calculated based on a few things. Firstly, the cap for the market center is calculated based on the expenses for that certain market center. Each market center across the country and Canada has a different CAP amount, depending on the local market. The economy and the average median housing pricing for your area also come into play.
The KRWI is capped at $3,000 at all times. Let us break this down with two examples. This will help you understand just how fairly the Keller William monthly fee and commission plans are set up.
Example 1 – Market Center cap $20,000 and KWRI cap $3,000
Imagine Kevin has a gross commission income also known as GCI of $150,000 a year. In this case for Kevin, his market center cap is $20,000 and as always, the KWRI cap is $3,000. Kevin will be paid $127,000.
If Kevin has a great year and his GCI turns out to be $300,000, he will still only pay $23,000 for the market center and KWRI. Which means this time he can take home a total of $377,000! If Kevin earns more, he gets to keep more. Keller Williams fees are the same amount – at all times.
Example 2 – Market Center cap $40,000 and KWRI cap $3,000
In this scenario, we have a market center cap at $40,000 and the KWRI cap is a fixed $3,000. If Susan’s Gross Commission Income is $200,000, she will keep $157,000 for the year. Even if Susan does $600,000 in gross commission income, she will only pay $43,000 as fees and take home $557,000 that year.
Another thing to note, as we mentioned before, is the agent is not required to pay the difference of the cap. This essentially means, if a Keller William agent does not reach their cap, they are not required to pay the difference for the cap amount. KW gets paid only when the agent also gets paid.
Is the Commission System Fair?
The great thing about a commission system is the more you make in sales, the higher the chances are for taking home more cash. There are quite a few advantages to the system:
- Motivates Agents: The commission system can motivate agents to do better. As their performance can directly impact the amount of money, they make each year.
- Employers pay based on sales: Employers can pay for activities that generate sales and earn revenue for the company.
As you can see, it is a win-win. However, there might be some downsides as well. Depending on how the system is set up, in some organizations the higher you earn, the more you might be needed to give away.
That could be a serious underlying hidden problem. Having said that, it is certainly not the case for Keller William.
Real Estate Business Models Compared
Not all real estate companies operate under this fair business model, unfortunately. Let us take a look at some other business models in the real estate industry.
Independent Models
This business model ultimately favors the broker and ensures the broker’s success, not the agent. You can see that independent models have a commission structure that will discount 100% commission companies or brokerages.
This means if an agent’s gross commission income is $20,000. They can take the full $20,000 but the agent is required to pay a fee to the broker. And these fees can become quite high indeed.
The fees can easily go up to thousands of dollars each month and most important of all, this model does not help agents who need support, training, or resources. Sometimes being independent is not always the best way to go.
The broker and the agent should work together. If an agent needs support, training and resources, independent models simply do not provide them with it.
Dependent Models
This type of model is exactly what it sounds like. The brokerage creates an environment where the agent is dependent on the company for branding in many cases lead generation. But that is not as good as it sounds. There is mostly a commission split of 50-50. Sometimes, if the agent is doing good, the commission split can also skew.
It can become 60-40 or 80-20 and anything in between. Yes, agents can indeed work their work to a 80 or 90% commission split, but the amount is never capped, meaning the agent pays and amount on every transaction. Never virtual models go so far as to say they have a CAP, but they then charge broker and admin fees on every transaction, so that the agent never is able to escape the dependent nature with the brokerage. Dependent agencies sometimes provide leads to their agents, though it is never enough to reach a sustained level of success. And with these leads comes a cost, in the form of an additional referral fee for the lead as well.
So not only you will pay the commission split you will also need to pay the referral fee as well. Say for example, if you are on a 50-50 commission split and your gross commission income is $25,000. With a 50-50 split and 25% referral fee on the gross commission taken into account, the broker makes $18,750 and you will make $6,250.
Interdependent KW Model
Keller William Realty follows an interdependent model and sees to its agent’s success. You get a career and not just a job. A great commission split will do you no good if your GCIs are low. As many say in the industry, 10% of $0 is still $0.
KW gives you the proper training, resources and support so that you understand the real estate business and take ownership of your career. KW only succeeds when you, the agent succeed. The cap ensures you only pay a selected amount maximum. The more you make, the more you get to keep home.
You do not pay it as fees to the broker whatsoever. Keller Williams models really are the best of both worlds. The training and support are truly one of the most valuable aspects of KW and when you start making money from said training you do not pay more for it. Rather, if the cap is met, you take the rest.
This sort of empowerment is quite rare and a refreshing change to see. KW provides a balanced career path. And in an ever-changing industry, you are not let loose alone without any guidance – KW ensures you have the best resources and tools at hand.
Conclusion
Some career paths offer only jobs. You can rarely build a career or learn the business inside out. Keller Williams main value lies in the investment it does on its agents. The training and resources are priceless which let you truly build a career in the real estate business and own your craft.
The great commission is the cherry on top. Hope this Keller William Agent Fees Explained – Monthly Fees and Commission Plans, help you make the right decision for your career.
Are you ready to find out more. You can apply today to get more information about Keller Wiliams and the 100% based commission system.