Ever wonder about the nitty-gritty details of working with eXp Realty? I’m laying it all out there!

I’m a McCall, Idaho–based Realtor® who’s also an entrepreneur, a mom of teens, and a big believer in using social media + AI to grow a modern real estate business. I wanted a brokerage that would let me scale smarter, without giving up family life and where collaboration trumped competition. I also wanted to know the eXp Realty facts, quickly, without scrolling through pages of website copy. So here it is!

Read my whole story of why I switchered brokerages from a classic brick and mortar big brand to eXp.

Below is a straight-to-the-point guide to how eXp works: fees, split, cap, stock, training, and revenue share, so you have the facts and can decide if it’s right for you.

Income matters, but our Powerhoue community multiplies it. The real growth happens when you join people who build differently and that’s why I chose to join eXp within the Powerhouse Community. This is what sets this brokerage apart.

I’d love to connect with you after you read through this, so just schedule some time that works for you when you are ready!

Just the Facts

• Split & Cap: 80/20 split with a $16,000 annual cap. After you cap, you keep 100% and pay $250 per transaction.
• Monthly/Per-Deal Fees (typical):
  • $85/month cloud brokerage fee
  • $25 broker review fee per file
  • $60 E&O/risk management fee per transaction with a yearly cap of $750
  • One-time $149 startup fee. Includes your first month’s cloud brokerage fee as well as onboarding, training and tech startup.
• Tools Included: Cloud brokerage, Your choice of CRM (Boldtrail, Lofty or Cloze) (IDX website + CRM + lead gen), SkySlope (transaction management), large Marketing Center, national training (live classes weekly), and collaboration in a cloud campus.
• Stock/Ownership: Agents can earn company stock (EXPI) via certain milestones and an optional 5% stock purchase at a discount.
• ICON Award: High-producing agents can earn back up to their full $16,000 cap in stock by meeting production & cultural goals.
• Revenue Share: Paid from the company dollar, not the agent’s split. 7-tier model with defined percentages and per-agent caps.

Why I Moved (My Short Version)

I’d been growing fast using attraction marketing content, systems, and AI, but I felt alone as no one in my brokerage was using social media or AI. Plus, I wanted to build a business that didn’t rely solely on transaction income. I wanted:

1. A community of driven women who were already doing the same, and willing to share how.
2. Real ownership upside (stock) for doing what I already do.
3. A comp plan that rewards both production and helping other agents win.

eXp fit those three boxes better than anything else I evaluated.

The Business Model (What Actually Changes for You)

1) Cloud Brokerage = Lower Overhead + Bigger Tool Stack

• Work anywhere. eXp is cloud-based: your broker, accounting, and support teams are in the cloud campus.
• Included platforms. Agents get to choose which CRM system works best for them including Boldtrail, Lofty and Cloze (IDX site + CRM + lead gen) and SkySlope (transactions).
• Training & collaboration. Dozens of live classes weekly from producing agents nationwide (lead gen, social, farming, ops, luxury, teams, etc.). Plus, our Powerhouse community of over 600 ambitious women (mostly) meets every Tuesday for an hour to discuss wins, challenges, and what’s working best.
• Physical options. If you prefer a desk, many agents use flexible office solutions (e.g., Regus-style spaces) rather than fixed brick-and-mortar costs.

What it means for you: You trade a local office lease for national-level systems, training, and reach, which pairs well with social-first, referral-based, and content-driven growth.

2) Split, Cap, and Fees (Typical, Confirm Locally)

• Commission Split: 80/20 until you hit $16,000 company dollar (cap).
• After Cap: You keep 100%, and pay $250 per transaction.
• Monthly Fee: $85 (covers cloud systems, support, many tools).
• One-time Start-Up: $149 (includes your first month).
• Broker Review: $25 per file.
• Risk Management (E&O): $60 Per-transaction fee capped annually at $750.

3) Stock & Ownership (Agent Equity)

eXp is a public company (EXPI). Agents may:

• Earn stock for hitting certain milestones (e.g., first completed transaction each anniversary year, capping, sponsoring an agent who closes their first deal).
• Optional Agent Equity Program: Elect to use up to 5% of each commission to buy EXPI at a 10% discount.

Why it matters: You’re not just paying a brokerage, you can build ownership as you produce.

4) ICON Award (For High Producers)

If you cap and then meet defined production requirements in the same anniversary year, you can earn up to $16,000 back in company stock.

Why it matters: Top agents can transform their “cap cost” into an asset (stock), assuming they meet all ICON criteria.

5) Revenue Share (Different from Profit Share)

• Paid from company revenue, not profit (so it isn’t impacted by a local office’s expense line).
• 7 tiers with published percentages and per-agent caps at each tier.
• Tier 1 (agents you directly sponsor): 3.5% of gross commission up to $2,800 per capping agent/year.
• Tier 2: 4% up to $3,200 per capping agent/year.
• Additional tiers decrease (e.g., 2.5%, 1.5%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.5%) with their own per-agent caps.

Why it matters: If you mentor and attract agents, you’re compensated by eXp’s portion, not by taking money from your agent partners. It aligns incentives for collaboration. This was HUGE for me.

Exact percentages/amounts and unlocking rules (how many frontline productive agents you need to open each tier) can be found here.

What You Get Day One (Agent Experience)

• IDX Website + CRM (your choice between 3 options): Lead gen, smart campaigns, landing/squeeze pages.
• Transaction Hub (SkySlope): Paperless files, checklists, compliance.
• Marketing Center: Hundreds/thousands of templates you can customize using Canva.
• Live Training & On-Demand Library: From real producers across markets.
• Community: Teams, masterminds, specialty groups (luxury, relocation, STR, etc.).
• Optional Benefits: Access to healthcare options in some markets.

Who Thrives at eXp

• Producers who want a clear path to cap + ICON and national training/collab.
• Content & social-driven agents (referrals, relocations, niche expertise).
• Team leaders & mentors who value aligned incentives via revenue share.
• Entrepreneurial agents who want ownership (stock) + multiple income streams.
• Lifestyle-driven agents who prize flexibility (cloud, travel, family).

Quick Comparison Checklist

Use this to stack eXp against your current brokerage:

• Split/Cap: Is your net better after you cap?
• Post-Cap Fees: Are they lower/smarter than what you pay now?
• Tools: Do you currently pay extra for IDX, CRM, transaction mgmt, marketing?
• Training: Are you getting national access to top producers weekly?
• Ownership: Do you earn stock for production milestones?
• Attraction: If you mentor agents, are you compensated by the brokerage (not your agent partners)?
• Top-Producer Perks: Can you earn back your entire cap (ICON-style)?
• Overhead: Are you tied to costly offices you don’t need?

I Saved The Best For Last

When you join eXp Realty through my organization, you’re not just joining a brokerage, you’re stepping into a powerhouse network of innovation and collaboration. You’ll have direct access to me and my marketing brain, my systems, and the social media strategies that built my business, plus a community of over 600 agents nationwide who are building their businesses differently.

These are creative, forward-thinking agents who embrace AI, automation, and modern branding to attract clients, scale smarter, and design lives they actually love. We’re talking multiple streams of income, not just transaction income!

Together, we share templates, ideas, accountability, and proven tools, so instead of trying to figure it out alone, you’ll be surrounded by people actively doing it and willing to show you how.

If this sounds like something you desperately need, schedule some time with me, I’d love to chat.

Or, download my straightforward PDF that walk you through all of this information below.

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I’m Ragan Erickson, Realtor®, marketer, and entrepreneur with eXp Realty, and part of Powerhouse, a community of 600+ who believe in collaboration over competition.

After building and selling a tech company in the wine industry, I brought that same business mindset to real estate, using social media, modern marketing, and AI to grow a brand that attracts clients and opportunity.

Now, I help other agents do the same: build scalable businesses, attract dream clients, and create freedom through multiple income streams, from real estate sales to revenue share.

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