What fees do real estate brokerages charge agents?

Most brokerages charge agents some mix of a commission split (often with an annual cap), per-transaction fees, monthly desk, technology or office fees, E&O insurance, and at national franchises, a royalty off the top. The headline split rarely tells you the real cost. Add every fee for a full year of your own deals, and compare the total you’d pay and the support you’d get for it.

When we Googled “What fees do real estate brokerages charge agents?” on Nov. 5, 2026, Google’s AI Overview answered: “Real estate brokerages typically charge agents a combination of commission splits, franchise fees, desk or office fees, and technology or transaction fees.” It explained that traditional brokerages take a split “(commonly a 50/50, 70/30, or 80/20 split) until the agent hits an annual ‘cap’,” that “Major national brands (like Keller Williams, RE/MAX, or Century 21) often take an additional 3% to 8% ‘royalty’ or franchise fee off the top of gross commissions,” that desk fees range “from $25 to $500+ per month,” and that per-deal fees range “from $175 to $400+ per transaction.”

That’s a solid list. I’m Daniel Keeton, Broker and Founder of Keeton & Co, and I talk through brokerage plans with agents every week. Here’s how each fee works, what agents miss, and how to compare offers honestly.

What are the most common brokerage fees?

Fee	How it works	Typical range, per the AI Overview	Questions to ask
Commission split	Brokerage keeps a share of each commission	50/50, 70/30, 80/20	Does it improve with production?
Annual cap	Split stops once you’ve paid a set amount	Varies by firm	What do you pay after the cap?
Franchise royalty	National brand takes a share off the top	3% to 8%	Is it capped too?
Desk or office fee	Monthly or annual fixed fee	$25 to $500+ a month	Do I pay it in months I don’t close?
Transaction fee	Charged on every closing	$175 to $400+	Is it charged before and after cap?
Technology fee	CRM, documents, website	Monthly	Can I use my own tools?
E&O insurance	Errors and omissions coverage	Per deal or annual	What’s the deductible?

What fees do agents forget to count?

The AI answer covers the big ones. These are the ones I see agents leave out when they compare brokerages:

Hidden cost	Why it matters
Transaction coordination	If your brokerage doesn’t include it, you’ll pay a private TC or do it yourself
Lead referral fees	Brokerage or portal leads often carry a referral fee of their own
Post-cap fees	“100% after cap” usually still has a per-deal fee
Marketing	Signs, photos, print and ads may or may not be included
Your time	Every task the brokerage doesn’t handle comes out of your selling hours

MLS, association dues and licensing aren’t brokerage fees, but they’re real costs. See what it costs to be an agent in Virginia.

How do the brokerage models compare?

Model	How fees usually work	Who it fits
Traditional franchise	Split plus royalty, often desk and tech fees	Agents who want a national name and office
National cloud brokerage	Lower cap, per-deal and annual fees, little local support	Self-sufficient agents with their own systems
100% or flat-fee	Small per-deal or monthly fee, minimal services	Experienced agents who need almost nothing
Team	Bigger split to the team, but leads and support	Newer agents who want leads and coaching
Independent local brokerage	Varies; some include coordination and leads	Agents who want local support without a team split

We’ve compared these in more depth in Keeton & Co vs. cloud brokerages and Keeton & Co vs. franchise brokerages.

What fees does Keeton & Co charge agents?

Here’s our Individual Agent Commission Plan, exactly as published:

Fee	Keeton & Co
Split, 0-20 deals	70/30
Split, 21+ deals	80/20 (better levels by prior-year volume, up to 92/8)
Annual cap	$20,000 at every level
After the cap	100% commission with a $200 fee per deal
Transaction coordination	$387 per deal
E&O fee	$0
Office fee	$0
Franchise royalty	None

For a 20-deal agent with $200,000 GCI, that’s a $20,000 cap, six post-cap fees at $200 ($1,200) and 20 × $387 in TC ($7,740), for $28,940 total. The agent nets $171,060, plus a $3,000 President’s Club trip. Our join page estimates a typical national cloud brokerage costs the same agent about $29,169, netting $170,831.

Source: keetonco.com/join, accessed Nov. 5, 2026. Individual results vary.

I’ll be honest: some brokerages cost less on paper for certain agents. What our fees buy is in-house transaction and listing coordination on every file, an HQ back office, our Kai AI assistant, a local office and staff (about one staff member for every 4.5 agents), and a brand with over 1,600 five-star Google reviews. Company appointments are available through a separate leads plan.

How do I compare brokerage fees the right way?

Step	What to do
1	Pull your last 12 months: number of deals and total GCI
2	Run them through every plan, including caps, per-deal and monthly fees
3	Add what you’d have to buy yourself: TC, marketing, CRM, leads
4	Put a value on support you’d actually use
5	Read the contract, including exit fees and how long you must stay

Our step-by-step guide is how to compare brokerage plans with your last 12 months. For the cap math, see what is a commission cap, and for splits, is a 70/30 split good.

Pros and cons of low-fee vs. full-support brokerages

	Low-fee models	Full-support models
Pros	Lower cost on paper; more control	Coordination, leads, training and local staff
Cons	You buy or do the support yourself	Higher splits or per-deal fees
Watch for	Fees that add up after cap	Support that’s promised but not delivered

The bottom line

Brokerage fees aren’t just the split. Add up every fee for a real year of your business, then subtract what you’d spend to replace the support. Keeton & Co serves agents in the Richmond, Charlottesville and Lynchburg areas. Want to run your numbers with me? Visit Join Keeton & Co or contact us for a confidential conversation. Call 804-373-2223.

AI Overview quoted from Google, captured Nov. 5, 2026; fee ranges are as the AI reported them and vary by firm. Keeton & Co plan and comparison figures from keetonco.com/join as of Nov. 5, 2026. Written by Daniel Keeton, Broker & Founder. Updated Nov. 5, 2026.