Way-Too-Early Predictions About the Broker-Team Relationship of the Future

I want to pull back this week and give a 30,000 ft view.I reached out to Jeff Levine because he’s served in nearly every role in the industry.High producing agent, team leader, broker, even association leader at multiple levels.In our conversation he called out several key, long-term disruptive trends that are shifting the landscape right underneath brokers, agents, brands and associations.“There has to be a shift. We have to realize things are not always going to be the same as they were. And this goes even back to agents. Agents have to realize that what worked for the last 10, 15, 100 years is not what the next 10, 15, 100 years are going to look like for this industry.” - Jeff LevineSo let’s get into the…Non-Obvious Insights & PredictionsFor Brokers, the Commission Split Model is Broken“There’s lots of things that brokerages offer. Now, there’s a lot of ancillary businesses that tie into that too. So there is the profit margins or the profitability of a brokerage might look different in the future, but it’s always fueled by production. All the entities are fueled by production. So the more production you have within your ecosystem, the more that you have potential to do ancillary business with.”This is creating all sorts of friction between brokerages and teams, with some brokerages being very anti-team, and some being very pro-team.And if you’re on the coaching side, with high producing agents or team leader clients, you need to keep these dynamics in mind. A poor fit with a broker leads to poor relationships, friction and ultimately, distraction from the agent’s or team’s growth.This also creates opportunities for content - helping agents and teams cash in on ancillary services, find a brokerage that aligns with their vision, and how to build good relationships with their broker so they can focus on production.Teams Are Beginning to Serve as “Farm Systems” for Brokerages“There’s an opportunity there too, right? Because we know that…if 10 agents come into the business, we’re looking at 1-2 actually survive. Well, with having teams in place, it probably raises those numbers to 3-4 to survive within the brokerage. There’s volume, there’s additional leads, there’s assisting, there’s lots of other things that could happen.”I love this point because I’ve been around real estate teams enough to know he’s right about the core idea. Teams give new agents a better chance to succeed than the traditional brokerage model (like the one I experienced in my 20s).If agents eventually leave their team but stay within the brokerage, there’s an opportunity to create a new (and better) relationship between team and broker. That’s where Jeff sees the broker/team relationship heading, where the broker focuses on serving teams.“So I think the brokerage model needs to shift a little bit and become all those, anything that the team needs or needs support or is lacking, or there’s a gap, that’s where the broker should be able to come in and show value to the teams.”For content creation, this can be spun in multiple ways. For brokers, this “farm system” shift might be good, and you can certainly create content around that shift. But content that speaks to agent retention within the team will reach team leaders.Interstate Migration is Bringing New Competition“Traditional real estate brokerages and agents here in Florida that have been basically entrenched in the market for up to 100 years…they haven’t had this outside competition…Boutique agencies you might know from the NYC, Chicago, or California that never had a footprint here in Florida…that now DO have a footprint because of their investors and their people moving to Florida.”I hadn’t thought about this side of demographic migration in the US. Basically it’s creating competitive invasions where boutique brokerages follow their clients into new markets, forcing 100-year-old local brands to compete against out-of-state brands they’ve never faced before.For content creation, show agents, teams and brokerages how to differentiate. How to find their strengths, claim a position based on those strengths, and sharpen their message to the consumer.Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Or Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeing!Ask This:Are you creating content on the trends that will shape 2026?Now is the perfect time to make content around trends and predictions for the year.Quick Links & ResourcesConnect with Jeff on FacebookConnect with Jeff on InstagramHuge thanks to Jeff for this fun, wide-ranging conversation! Make sure to connect with him on Facebook and Instagram, and keep him in mind for guest features on other shows!-MattAgency Founder & Author of MicroFamousPS Here’s how we can help…Done-for-You Content Strategy & Production - From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors. We turn raw footage into polished YouTube videos, podcasts and email newsletters, all with zero overwhelm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com