Introduction
I'm going to write using the first-person style because I believe it will be easier to convey our value proposition. This is my point of view and 
perspective and I believe it is important that you understand it and what it could mean to you within the eXp Realty structure.
Background on what we "bring to the table"
At a traditional brokerage, the broker recruits real estate agents and benefits by providing training and making it possible for the agent to become a successful real estate agent and in return the broker keeps a percentage of the commission split the agent earns. eXp Realty works exactly the same way but the compensation is moved further down the food chain to the individual real estate agent. EVERYONE gets the opportunity to recruit and support real estate agents and benefit from each others success. The model is brilliant and was pioneered by Keller Williams and other billion-dollar MLM companies.
To circle back to the traditional brokerage, I think the argument could be made that a traditional brokerage is a multi-level company. There are two levels and the only one that benefits is the one on the top level. eXp Realty and Keller Williams have expanded this to 7 levels so anyone can benefit - not just the broker. Brilliant!
Why is it Important You Know This
I believe support is critical. eXp Realty offers amazing training and over 400 paid staff members dedicated to your success. When I owned a local brokerage there were literally 4 people that could help you. Our business plan is to augment the support services offered by eXp.
I am in a unique position to do this and bring a skill set to the table that is generally missing both at the local brokerage level and even in the national brokerages. For the past 6 years, I have been a project manager at a national digital marketing company. This has given me the opportunity to witness amazing changes in the industry and keep abreast of a lot of the latest technology.
Prior to that, I owned a technical services company which specialized in remote desktop management, small business consulting and website design.
Immediately prior to that, I was a part-owner of a local RE/MAX franchise in West Hartford which was decimated by the Great Recession of 2008. I created a business plan to offer more remote services but it was not well accepted at the time. In 2012, when I met Glenn Sanford through a mutual connection on LinkedIn, I told Ana that this is where she needed to be - it is the future of the real estate industry.
And immediately prior to that I worked in various capacities in the technology industry as a software developer, network engineer, business analyst with both small and large companies. (I get tired thinking about the number of hats I've worn in this industry.)
Skills Ana Brings to the Table
Ana was the administrative broker of the state of Connecticut from 2013 to 2020 as a full-time eXp Realty employee. During this time frame, Ana was literally involved in thousands of deals which added to her level of experience. The easiest part of the transaction is before a contract is signed. Experience is required to keep a deal together and negotiate on your behalf. Ana has the experience to support and care about you and your business.
On a side note, I've only been a licensed realtor for a little while but in that time I've realized how little even experienced real estate agents know about all the rules and technical requirements. The amount of rules and regulations is staggering and you really need a knowledgeable, engaged resource such as Ana available on your team.
Specific Skills and Tools I Bring to the Table
I bring a completely different and complementary skill set to the table. Based on my background I am able to offer our downline a full technical resource with actual technical experience. This is valuable for obvious reason and not so obvious reasons.
Often times, dealing with a tech requires a "counter tech" that can call "BS" and help to resolve an issue or interpret the language. Real estate agents speak "realty lingo", techs speak "tech lingo" and the two languages are as different as Russian and English (Some people say Russian is easier to understand than tech speak.). I have been involved in some capacity as a "tech" since the 90's and can call BS on a techie when needed. Below are some examples you can explore.
I am also available as a resource to help you decide on which technology is right for you, which ones I feel are a money suck and help you analyze your options. Real estate agents seem to be attracted to shiny new objects like a moth to light. There are literally thousands of services that promise a thousand leads a month or a CRM that will turn you into Warren Buffet. I may have seen the product, had a demo or I would love to hear about it. I like shiny objects too but I bring a cynical eye and experience to the table.
Take a look at some of the scenarios below. I've listed just a few. It seems there are new examples that come up every day.
Our Combined Skill Set - Our Asset and Your Advantage
The opportunity presented by eXp is revolutionary. It affords us an option to combine our complementary skillset and help other like-minded real estate agents succeed. Our philosophy is not throwing "mud on the wall and seeing what sticks"; we are interested in helping people succeed that want to succeed. There is no magic tool or pill to guarantee success in real estate - it is hard work, a plan and support are critical components of the plan.
eXp is a national brokerage (not a franchise). eXp Realty is in all 50 states in the US, 3 provinces in Canada (as of August 2019) and in the process of launching in the UK and Australia.
We have physical offices where we are required to by law or licensing requirements. In Connecticut, our "main" office is a Regus location in West Hartford.
No! Since eXp Realty is a national brokerage, your eXp fees apply to the entire company, no matter where in the world you are working.
Profit-sharing is derived from a complicated formula controlled by accountants and mathematicians to minimize an office's profit, and in turn, your profit and maximize the profits of the main benefactors. In the real estate industry tt is generally based on agent recruits, company growth and individual office profitability. Since "office profit" is based on an office's NET profit and any accountant worth their salt can minimize profit, the likelihood of a substantial payout is minimal.
Revenue sharing is paid whether the office makes money or not. It is based on the agent commission. It is easily explained. There is an actual formula you can use to determine your profitability. eXp Realty rev share pays you residual income from your recruits regardless of office or company profitability. If an agent makes money, you get paid the following month. No accountant necessary to figure it out!
In a nutshell, if you recruit an agent, you receive 3.5% of their gross commission. And you will keep receiving 3.5% for every one of their transactions until they have "capped". When an agent caps they have reached their annual company cap of $16k. At that point they go to 100% commission so you should be happy for them! If eXp pays them 100% there is nothing to share!
The calculator starts to get complicated from here but it is still based on actual math. For instance, if you recruit at least 5 agents, you then receive 4% from the commissions of any agents your recruits have recruited. (2nd level agents)
If you recruit at least 10 agents, you not only receive the 4% from second-level recruits, but also another 2.5% from third level recruits.
And it keeps going for seven levels. At a high level, for every 5 personal recruits, you qualify for one deeper level of residual, passive income.
We have an in depth calculator for you to play around with to figure this out. No accounting shenanigans allowed to calculate an office profit.
We've put together a few pages of information for you to peruse.
I'd like to answer this question in general. The anecdotal perception is that hundreds of thousands people become realtors every year and hundreds of thousands quit. I decided to devote a page to this question. Please follow this link:
Your monthly fee includes the following tools:
- KVcore ($400/month value)
- Technical support
- A slew of other perks.
In addition to the core eXp Realty perks, the Festa Home Team will augment the eXp experience through our value proposition. Read about our proposition here
Yes! In fact we offer all the services of a traditional agency plus some. "Cloud" based represents a paradigm shift which is defined as "a dramatic change in thinking and planning, which ultimately changes the way projects (or processes) are implemented." eXp has been perfecting the shift for over 7 years and it works.
A cloud brokerage changes the way agents, brokers, trainers, and consumers work together. The cloud is an accepted and proven concept. Some benefits"
- Creates a truly collaborative community
- Allows for interaction with other top professionals around the world.
- Cuts unneeded expenses enabling the brokerage to share the additional funds with the agents and fellow owners.
You can manage your transactions and interactions from anywhere, at any time. Manage your real estate business from your office, a Regus location, a coffee shop or the beach! all your transaction and business requirements are readily available.
We offer support at EVERY level. Some examples of our support structure include:
- New Agent Services
- Transactions and administration
- Marketing and technology
- Business development
- Peer-to-peer training, support and camaraderie
- Mentoring and upline
- Agent, team and broker support
- Executive support
You can manage your transactions and interactions from anywhere, at any time. Manage your real estate business from your office, a Regus location, a coffee shop or the beach! all your transaction and business requirements are readily available.
We call our "in-house" technical gurus the WTM which stands for Working the Magic. They are full time employees who simply work magic and provide marketing and technology support to eXp Realty agents. You can simply visit the cloud office or open a support ticket and receive assistance with whatever you need. Some examples of support include:
- email support including such tasks as creating a custom signature
- getting around the cloud office
- help with your wordpress site
- assistance with your Kunversion site
- help with your electronic fax and toll free number
- other mundane tasks such as "which printer do you think is best" or "which tablet should I buy?"
The WTM folks live and breath technology and they are ready to assist you succeed.
You can manage your transactions and interactions from anywhere, at any time. Manage your real estate business from your office, a Regus location, a coffee shop or the beach! all your transaction and business requirements are readily available.
We have over 25 hours of live weekly training and a growing archive of recorded sessions covering today's best industry and real estate business practices. Our staff is up to date current on the latest technologies and always ready to help. Check out a sample of the available training on this page:
Most agents will meet their clients at a coffee or sandwich shop. You also have access to the network of Regus office locations (http://www.regus.com/).
In terms of meeting with clients, it is our experience that our clients enjoy a nice cup of coffee or tea away in an environment they are familiar with already. Our clients are more at ease as a result of the environment.
There are a number of steps involved in transitioning to a new firm. Our onboarding process will make it as seamless as possible. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone! Reach out to me and come into the Cloud Office and collaborate with like minded realtors.
Here is a list of items we will need to attack. It is not comprehensive yet but it will be over time.
On Your Team!
Broker with 20+ Years in the Industry
Ana is currently the state administrative broker and consistently scores well on the feedback scores from eXp. She is on your team when you work in CT!
Small Business Expertise with a Strong Background in Digital Marketing
Former owner of RE/MAX Premier and 6+ years at Leverage Marketing as a Director.