Discover Keller Williams: Elevate Your Real Estate Career

The real estate industry is competitive. As a realtor looking to excel and trump the competition, joining a real estate brokerage is essential. Here, you'll connect with experienced real estate professionals and get a hold of tips and tricks critical to your success as an agent. The habits forged at your chosen real estate brokerage determine whether you can develop a thriving business.

As such, it's best to choose a brokerage company that permits growth in an energizing and positive environment. However, with over 106,000 brokerages in the United States, many agents find it challenging to uncover the spot that suits their needs.

If you're a real estate agent seeking a brokerage offering excellent perks while letting you thrive, now's the time to consider a unique brokerage like Keller Williams Realty.

But why join Keller Williams Realty? Most agents who have set sail with this company have had successful careers. Nonetheless, more reasons exist why joining Keller Williams Realty is recommended in the saturated real estate sector. And in this guide, we'll be looking at five of them. 

Ready to know more? Let's dive in!

Keller Williams Realty: All You Need to Know About This Real Estate Brokerage

We know you'd like to get in sync with the merits of Keller Williams Realty immediately. However, before we go into the reasons why you won't regret learning how to join Keller Williams Realty, let's take a quick peek at this company's background.

Keller Williams Realty has been in the real estate industry for almost 40 years, commencing operations in 1983. The company's founders — Garry Keller and Joe Williams — started this real estate company from a single office in Austin, Texas.

Touted as the world's largest real estate technology franchise company by agent count, Keller Williams currently has 1,070 offices and 190,000 associates. Ranked #1 in units and sales volume in the US, Keller Williams Realty is the perfect brokerage to kick-start your real estate career. 

In 2019, Keller Williams Realty appeared on CareerBliss's list of 50 Happiest Companies in America. With the average real estate agent encountering stress daily, Keller Williams aims to negate that and provide an atmosphere where everyone's relaxed and happy. To date, the brokerage remains committed to workplace happiness. In fact, Keller Williams' rating at CareerBliss is an astonishing 4.3/5.0 stars from 194 employee reviews. 

Keller Williams Realty is revered for investing in the latest technological add-ons to provide impeccable service to its ever-expanding clientele. Although these technologies are costly, the realty brokerage goes the extra mile to incorporate associated functions. These investments have yielded positives, attracting clients and promoting repeat patronage for new and experienced agents within the firm.

Why Join Keller Williams Realty? Five Reasons to Spur Your Decision

Most realtors ask the evergreen question — why should I join Keller Williams Realty? Here are reasons to join the Keller Williams bandwagon in 2023 as a real estate agent:

1. Keller Williams Commission Split

One of the most common queries real estate agents looking to join Keller Williams Realty ask revolves around the company's commission split. 

Keller Williams has a competitive commission split compared to what you'll find at a traditional brokerage. At this real estate company, all the agents are treated equally. For context, each realtor is on a 70/30 commission split. Real estate agents will receive 70% of the commission gotten from facilitating a realty transaction, while 30% goes to the broker. 

However, since Keller Williams Realty is a franchise, agents will pay a 6% franchise fee on each transaction. The value accompanying Keller Williams' franchise fee maxes out at $3,000.

As such, the Keller Williams commission split structure is regarded as a 64-30-6 system. Here, 64% goes to the real estate agent, 30% to the brokerage, and 6% for franchise fees. 

The commission split model at Keller Williams dictates that real estate agents will receive 100% of their commissions if they "cap." What does cap mean? The cap represents the yearly value a realtor reaches where they aren't required to do a commission split with the broker and franchise.

So, what's the cap at a large firm like Keller Williams? This amount relies on prevailing economic conditions, operational charges in the market center, and the median values of homes within the agent's target area. Using these metrics, the cap at Keller Williams usually amounts to selling eight to ten homes each year. Once you've reached this milestone, you'll earn 100% of your commissions until the next anniversary year begins.

Due to the uniqueness of Keller Williams' commission split model, let's give an example that shows how all the above caveats come together:

John got his real estate license and kick-started his realty career at Keller Williams some years back. As a new agent, he had to conform to Keller Williams' 70/30 commission split model. After doing some groundwork, John helped a client sell an aesthetically-pleasing single-family home for $200,000. 

John got a 6% commission from this amount, which translates to $12,000. Upon receipt, he took 64% ($7,680) and gave 30% ($3,600) to the brokerage. The remaining 6% ($720) was paid as royalty fees to the franchise.

Although John did well in his first year at Keller Williams, he couldn't meet his market center's cap of $25,000. Nonetheless, his gross commission income (GCI) from deals during this timeline was stellar and an incentive to work harder in the subsequent year.

The following year saw John firing from all cylinders. He fostered relationships with many experienced agents and adopted tricks gleaned from their conversations. Before his anniversary year, John had conducted numerous deals and exceeded the $25,000 market center cap. Once he'd attained this benchmark, he received 100% of all commissions until his next anniversary year started in two months. 

The subsequent years saw John reaching the cap four to five months to the start of another anniversary year. Thus, he made astronomical amounts without fuss as he got the total commission available without splits during this timeframe.

As seen from John's example, the commission split model at Keller Williams is incentivizing. Although selling homes to reach the cap might prove daunting, doing so before another anniversary year starts makes you eligible for 100% of all commissions. What's not to love?

2. Unique Profit Share System

To spur existing real estate agents to recruit other agents into Keller Williams Realty, the company has built an incentivizing system called "Profit Share." This system is tailored to give all the agents at Keller Williams a shot at passive income.

But what's the Keller Williams profit share program all about? For starters, it's a seven-tier system that grants agents a select percentage of the profit the market center makes. However, it's important to note that the amounts you'll receive depend on the sponsored agent's transaction margins alongside the brokerage's company dollars.

Oh! That might be a lot to process. Let's unpack the unique profit share system further.

Each Keller William agent has a unique profit share tree divided into seven levels. This system means that agents will earn a select percentage from the realtors they refer to the brokerage. They'll also receive a specified amount in returns from agents recruited by their recruits. 

Here's a quick example of how the profit share system at Keller Williams works:

Larry joined Keller Williams for financial success as an agent a year ago. Six months after joining, he recruited his friend Stephen into the real estate brokerage. This recruitment made Stephen part of Larry's first-tier profit share tree. Afterward, Stephen recruits a lady called Jessy to Keller Williams. So, while Jessy is part of Larry's second-tier profit share tree, she'll be part of Stephen's first-tier profit share tree. 

This scenario goes on until Larry creates a profit share structure that's seven levels deep. Once Larry gets to this point, he won't earn profits from subsequent recruits.

Each profit share tree level has a special percentage bonus attached. In the first tier, you'll receive 50% of the profits made by your direct Keller Williams recruit. 

Here's a table highlighting the profit share percentages you're eligible for on recruits in your profit share tree:

But guess what? The wonders of Keller Williams' profit share system keep on giving! If you're working for Keller Williams as an agent and retire, you'll still receive passive income from the activities of recruits. Talk about the perfect retirement package.

3. Agent Leadership Council

If you're among the agents asking the question — why join Keller Williams Realty? — one reason to do so is the real estate company's Agent Leadership Council (ALC) unit. The ALC comprises 20% of agents in each Keller Williams office. This council spearheads company growth while indoctrinating suggestions made by other agents within the organization.

Members of the ALC are directly involved in shaping the company's policies to foster increased profitability and production within the brokerage. Since these caveats are created with other Keller Williams agents in mind, each office can formulate strategies to promote growth in all market stages.

ALC meetings at Keller Williams' market centers occur once a month. 

During these meetings, the following are discussed:

• Office (market center) guidelines and policies
• Concerns about how the office conducts real estate transactions
• Standards for the market center
• Resolutions for prevailing issues
• Strategies to grow the office's existing business plan

4. Technology Reigns Supreme

Since its 1983 inception, Keller Williams has become a top-tier real estate technology company. The technological add-ons used by Keller Williams agents are incomparable to iterations available at other brokerages.

Keller Williams is the first-ever brokerage to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) for its operations. This system, or KW Command, is an integrated tool suite that helps real estate agents connect with clients meaningfully. KW Command also allows realtors to organize and categorize contracts for lead generation and automated follow-up. Using SmartPlans, agents can design unique communication plans for each prospect.

Another significant technological tool agents at Keller Williams have access to is the KW App. Available on the App Store and Google Play Store, the app lets realtors create lead-generating web pages. The KW App also aids brand promotion and client acquisition.

But that's not all:

The app also serves as your assistant, keeping you updated with your personal growth and other essential metrics. Your clients can also communicate with you via the application.

Keller Williams makes real estate transactions seamless for realtors and their clients via the aforementioned technological tools. As such, it's unsurprising many new agents are joining the KW bandwagon to utilize these revolutionary add-ons to win and retain patrons.

5. Great Training and Education

If you'd like to know what else constitutes Keller Williams benefits for agents, take a trip to its training and education segment. 

Spoiler alert — it's all shades of encompassing! 

In 2017, Keller Williams received an award for being the Best Training Organization in the World. This feat is credited to the real estate company's course writers, coaches, researchers, support members, and editors. Keller Williams' path to training reverence began with The Millionaire Real Estate Agent — the brokerage's first bestselling book.

Compared to other brokerages, Keller Williams has expanded its training résumé over the years. Notable mentions include:

• KW Ignite

KW Ignite is an educational training program spread across four weeks (one calendar month). This course is for realtors who want to know more about the modern real estate market. 

Program instructors deliver hints on how to start your real estate business on a high. Additionally, new agents get invaluable insight into finding realty properties, client negotiations, and customer service.

• KW Connect

KW Connect is another educational program created by Keller Williams. This training gives real estate agents the knowledge to build rock-solid connections, seamlessly collaborate and communicate with other agents, and hone their expertise to the zenith.

On KW Connect, you'll find video interviews of successful agents. These clips highlight how you can build a profit-yielding real estate career and business.

• KW MAPS

If you're not satisfied with KW Ignite and KW Connect, it'll be best to seek help from a mentor. This advice is available via Keller Williams' unique Mega Achievement Productivity System, also tagged KW MAPS. 

The KW MAPS training seeks to help realtors harness their strengths to build their careers. Coaches in this program are attentive, listening to your reservations and complaints from start to finish. 

Once you're done venting your concerns, you'll get expert help to uncover your strengths and weaknesses as a realtor. With this insight, you can showcase a positive demeanor and execute realty-themed activities suited to your strong points. 

Parting Shot

Keller Williams Realty is one of the best real estate brokerages in the United States. This reverence isn't coincidental. Since its 1983 inception, this company has constantly tweaked its policies to help realtors excel beyond their wildest imaginations.

If you're looking for great commissions, automated workflows via AI-themed add-ons, and comprehensive educational programs, make Keller Williams your go-to brokerage. By putting the work in at this real estate company, becoming a successful agent in record time is 100% achievable.