Why I Left a Traditional Brokerage for Real, and What the Numbers Show Three Years Later

Published September 29, 2026 | By Charles King, Charles King Group | Source: Charles King Group production records, 2022–2026 year-to-date

In February 2023, I made a move that a lot of people around here questioned. I left a traditional, uncapped brokerage for Real Brokerage, a capped, cloud-based model that almost nobody on the South Shore had heard of at the time. Three and a half years later, I have the numbers to show agents across Massachusetts and New England what that decision actually did for my business, from Hingham and the South Shore to Boston, Cape Cod, Metro West, Northern Middlesex & the Merrimack Valley, and Bristol County.

The short version: we produced slightly less in year one and still netted more than $292,000 more. In 2026, with a full quarter still left, we’re up 31% in volume over my last full year at the old brokerage.

Here’s what happened, and what I think it means for other agents taking a hard look at their business this fall.

What did the first year on a capped model actually look like?

I compared my first year at Real Brokerage against 2022, my last full year at a traditional brokerage.

Source: Charles King Group production records, 2022 vs. first year at Real Brokerage (beginning February 2023).

By every production measure, year one was a little slower. We sold slightly less, earned slightly less gross commission, and closed a few fewer deals. But the team kept far more of what it earned.

What it means: Production alone doesn’t tell you how well your business is doing. What you keep after the brokerage takes its share can matter more than what you gross.

Why would a team net more money on slightly less production?

It comes down to two structural differences.

The split stops. At a traditional brokerage, the split never stops. Every deal in December costs you the same percentage as every deal in January. On a capped model, once you hit your cap, your company split ends for the rest of your cap year. For a productive agent or team, that means a meaningful share of the year’s closings pay out at a much higher rate.

You’re not paying for someone else’s overhead. Traditional brokerages fund physical offices, branch staff, and local infrastructure, and agents pay for it through their split whether they use it or not. Because Real is cloud-based, that cost isn’t built into what I pay. I decide what my team needs and pay for that.

That flexibility changed how we run the team. We build it our way, invest where it matters to us, and plan further ahead because we can predict what we’ll keep.

What it means: On a capped, cloud-based model, your costs have a ceiling, and every dollar above it goes back into your business instead of someone else’s.

How has the Charles King Group grown in 2026 compared to 2022?

The first year proved the model. The years since have shown what happens when you reinvest what you keep.

Source: Charles King Group production records, 2022 full year vs. 2026 year-to-date as of September 2026. The 2026 figures do not yet include Q4.

Since joining Real in 2023, the Charles King Group has also grown to more than 145 agents serving six regions across Massachusetts. That growth wasn’t possible under the old structure. It happened because keeping more meant we could invest more in our people, our marketing, and our systems.

What it means: The extra money from a capped model compounds. What starts as savings in year one becomes the capital that funds growth in years two, three, and four.

Where does the extra money go?

For us, keeping more has meant investing more in three places: our business, our families, and our future.

On the business side, it’s funded team growth across the South Shore, Boston, Cape Cod, Metro West, Northern Middlesex & the Merrimack Valley, and Bristol County. On the personal side, it’s meant more stability and the ability to plan years out instead of quarter to quarter. Those two things feed each other. A team leader who isn’t worried about the split can focus on building something that lasts.

What it means: The real benefit of the model isn’t a single year’s number. It’s control over where your income goes.

Is a capped, cloud-based brokerage right for every Massachusetts agent?

No, and I’d be doing agents a disservice if I said otherwise.

Growth comes with risk. If you rely heavily on a physical office, daily in-person management, or brokerage-supplied leads, a traditional model may still fit you better. Some agents do their best work with that structure around them, and that’s a legitimate choice.

The capped model rewards agents who run their business like a business. That includes team leaders building something bigger and solo agents who already generate their own clients and want to keep more of what they earn. The honest way to decide is to put your actual numbers side by side: your current split, your fees, what you use from your office, and what a cap would mean at your production level.

What it means: The right brokerage is the one where the math works for your business. Everyone’s answer is different, which is why you should run the numbers yourself.

What does this mean for agents across Massachusetts and New England?

When I made this move in 2023, cloud-based brokerages were still largely unknown on the South Shore. That’s changed. Agents from Hingham to Harwich, and from Wellesley to Newburyport, are asking the same questions I asked: What am I paying for? What am I actually using? What would I keep on a different model?

Our team now spans a wide range of Massachusetts markets, including high-volume suburbs, urban condo neighborhoods in Boston, seasonal second-home towns on the Cape, and growing communities in Bristol County and the Merrimack Valley. The model has worked across all of them because it doesn’t depend on a local office. It depends on the agent.

For agents elsewhere in New England, the same logic applies. If you’re running your own business, you should be able to see exactly what your brokerage costs you and what you get in return.

What it means: Where you work matters less than how you work. A cloud-based model travels with you across towns, regions, and state lines.

What does this mean for buyers and sellers?

If you’re buying or selling a home, you hire the agent, not the building. An agent or team that keeps more of what they earn has more to invest in the things that serve you directly: marketing your home, responding quickly, and having the right people on your team in the right towns.

What it means: When your agent’s business is healthy, the client benefits from the reinvestment.

Q4 2026 Outlook

Q4 is the right time for any team leader or solo agent to take an honest look at every model and brokerage available to them. You have nearly a full year of real numbers to work with, and a decision made now gives you time to settle in before the spring market builds.

If you want to see how the math would work for your business, send me a message. I’m happy to walk through it with you, with no pressure and no pitch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Real Brokerage, and can Massachusetts agents join it?

Real Brokerage is a cloud-based, capped-commission brokerage that operates in Massachusetts and across New England, with no requirement to work out of a traditional branch office. The Charles King Group has been brokered by Real Broker MA, LLC since February 2023, and the team has grown to more than 145 agents serving the South Shore, Boston, Cape Cod, Metro West, Northern Middlesex & the Merrimack Valley, and Bristol County. Source: Charles King Group team records, February 2023–September 2026.

What is the difference between a capped brokerage and a traditional split?

At a traditional uncapped brokerage, the agent pays a percentage of every commission to the brokerage all year, no matter how much they produce. On a capped model, the agent’s company split stops once they reach a set annual cap, and they keep their full split for the rest of the cap year. A cloud-based model also means agents aren’t funding office overhead they may not use through that split.

Did Charles King make more money after moving to Real Brokerage?

Yes. In the first year at Real Brokerage, compared with 2022 at a traditional brokerage, the team’s volume was down 0.5%, GCI was down 1.7%, and sales were down 5%, yet the team netted over $292,000 more. The difference came from the cap and lower overhead, not from higher production. Source: Charles King Group production records, 2022 vs. first year at Real Brokerage (beginning February 2023).

How much has the Charles King Group grown since joining Real Brokerage?

Through September 2026, with a full quarter still left in the year, the team’s volume is up 31% over 2022 ($53.2M to $70M+), GCI is up 28% ($1.17M to $1.5M+), and transactions are up 40% (58 to 81 closed and pending). Source: Charles King Group production records, 2022 full year vs. 2026 year-to-date as of September 2026.

Is Q4 a good time to switch brokerages in Massachusetts?

Q4 is the best time to evaluate a switch because you can compare a nearly full year of real production numbers against every model available to you. A decision made in the fall also gives agents time to transition before the spring market builds. For South Shore, Boston, and Cape Cod agents, that means being settled in before the busiest listing months of the year.

Is a capped, cloud-based brokerage right for every agent?

No. Growth comes with risk, and agents who rely heavily on a physical office, daily in-person management, or brokerage-supplied leads may prefer a traditional model. The capped model rewards team leaders and solo agents who run their business like a business and want control over how they reinvest their income.

How can a Massachusetts agent see how the math would work for their business?

Agents can contact Charles King at 617.549.8542 or [email protected] for a side-by-side comparison using their own production numbers. The conversation covers current split, fees, and overhead against a capped model, with no pressure to make a move.

Production data sourced from Charles King Group internal records, 2022 full year vs. 2026 year-to-date (as of September 2026).
Published by the Charles King Group, Hingham, MA.

Charles King Group is a top-producing real estate team serving the South Shore (Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Hanover, and surrounding towns), Boston, Cape Cod, Metro West, Northern Middlesex & the Merrimack Valley, and Bristol County. Brokered by Real Broker MA, LLC. Ranked in the top 1.5% of agents nationwide by Real Trends.