The short answer
For a new Ontario agent, the right brokerage is the one that gets you to real conversations and a first closing fastest without fixed costs you cannot carry. Judge it on mentorship you can name, a written training plan, where leads come from and what they cost, fees in a slow month, and the brand behind you.
Starting out as a new agent: key facts
- To trade in Ontario
- Complete the Real Estate Salesperson Program, be employed by a brokerage, and register with RECO
- Registration cost
- $356 ($306 registration plus a $50 application review fee)
- Mandatory insurance
- $500 plus applicable taxes per salesperson or broker for the September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027 term, unchanged since 2022
- Summitly training
- Onboarding training (when you join, in person at the office, virtual where available); Weekly training (every week, in person at the office, virtual where available; recordings may be provided)
- Summitly mentorship
- 1-to-1 mentorship for every agent from senior brokers — in person at the Vaughan office, with a virtual option where available; no extra charge
- Lower fixed-cost package
- Package B: 90/10, $125 + HST a month, 95/5 after $100,000 GCI
Why Summitly for starting out as a new agent
Mentorship on real deals
1-to-1 mentorship from senior brokers for every agent, at no extra charge.
Tools from week one
Instant valuations, MLS® search with sold history and market reports for your first client meetings.
A recognized brand
Coldwell Banker behind your name before you have a track record.
Our philosophy
The 90/10 rule — and why we build for the 90
We don't just recruit agents. We help them. We don't only teach you how to get leads — we teach you how to close them.
The rule you've heard
90% of agents don't produce. 10% do.
Most brokerages build for these 10 — the agents who already close.
How Summitly works
We focus on the 90 — and we don't leave them alone.
A 1-to-1 mentor for every agent, weekly training, and coaching on how to close — not only how to get leads.
Based on TRREB's annual agent production stats.
Lead to close
From lead to close — where your mentor and weekly training plug in
Most brokerages stop at the lead. We coach every step after it.
Step 1 · Lead arrives
An enquiry lands — from your own sphere, or a Brokerage Lead from summitly.ca, Zara, ads or events.
1-to-1 mentor: Your mentor helps you decide what to say first and how fast to call.
Where weekly training helps: Speed-to-lead and follow-up, worked in the brokerage CRM.
Step 2 · First call
A real conversation: why now, what they need, one clear next step.
1-to-1 mentor: Listen to a call back together and tighten the opening.
Where weekly training helps: Scripts and role-play, practised with the office.
Step 3 · Consultation
They decide whether to trust you: how you'll represent them and how you're paid.
1-to-1 mentor: A senior broker walks you through representation and fee conversations.
Where weekly training helps: Buyer and seller consultations, and RECO's disclosure rules.
Step 4 · Showing or listing presentation
Prepared with sold comparables, days on market and a pricing story.
1-to-1 mentor: Build the pricing story with a senior broker before the appointment.
Where weekly training helps: Listing presentation kits, market-intelligence tools and valuations.
Step 5 · Offer & negotiation
Terms, conditions, deadlines — and staying calm when the counter comes back.
1-to-1 mentor: Talk the offer and your walk-away point through before you send.
Where weekly training helps: Negotiation, offer presentation and multiple-offer situations.
Step 6 · Close
Conditions firm up, the deal closes, and the file is complete.
1-to-1 mentor: A check that nothing is missed between firm and closing.
Where weekly training helps: Deal files, payouts and turning one client into referrals.
Mentorship path
Your path at Summitly: join, learn, get a mentor, close, grow
Every agent walks the same path, with the same 1-to-1 support — whether it is your first year or your fifteenth.
Step 1
Join
Choose Package A or B, and get 24/7 access to the Vaughan office and a dedicated work area.
Step 2
Onboarding training
The CRM, back-end systems and Coldwell Banker marketing and technology tools, with full training.
Step 3
Weekly training
Every week, in person at the office, virtual where available; recordings may be provided.
Step 4
Your 1-to-1 mentor
Senior brokers who help with your real deals — no extra charge.
Step 5
Your first deal
Your mentor beside you from the first call to the closing, and branded social graphics when it sells.
Step 6
Growing
More deals and referrals, a team or an assistant if you want one — and Package B moves to 95/5 after $100,000 GCI in the year.
What new agents actually need in year one
- Conversations: somewhere real buyers, sellers and renters come from, so you practise with real clients.
- Coaching: a named mentor who reviews your pricing, offers and negotiations on live deals.
- Low fixed costs: fees you can carry through the months before your first commission arrives.
- Systems: a CRM, forms and marketing so the paperwork does not eat your week.
- A brand: a name sellers recognize when you have no track record yet.
Questions to ask any brokerage before you join
- Who will my mentor be, how often will we meet, and for how long?
- Is there a written onboarding plan? May I see it?
- Where do leads come from, how are they allocated, and what do they cost me?
- What do I pay in a month when I close nothing?
- Who reviews my first agreements and offers before I send them?
How Summitly supports new agents
The 90/10 rule is the reality of Ontario real estate, and TRREB's annual agent production stats show it every year: 90% of agents don't produce and 10% do. It is the problem Summitly is built around. Most brokerages build for the 10% who already produce; Summitly focuses on the 90%, with 1-to-1 mentorship for every agent, weekly training and coaching on closing, not only on getting leads.
Every Summitly agent gets 1-to-1 mentorship from senior brokers, in person at the Vaughan office, with a virtual option where available. There is onboarding training when you join and training every week, and recordings may be provided. Coaching and office support come at no extra charge.
Alongside it: Zara, Summitly's AI virtual agent, chats and talks with buyers, sellers and renters on the platform around the clock, and instant home valuations, MLS® map search with sold history, city market reports and pre-construction project pages you can put in front of clients from your first week. Summitly's Brokerage Leads are leads the brokerage generates — from summitly.ca enquiries, Summitly apps, Zara AI conversations, ads, social campaigns, call tracking, events — and hands to its agents. They are warm: the person contacted Summitly themselves about buying, selling or renting a home. Each lead goes to one agent only; it is not shared. Leads go to agents on the Leads Plan: $299 + HST a month, no transaction fees, with 90/10 on the business they bring themselves. There is no charge per lead; on a closed sale or lease from a Brokerage Lead the commission is split 50/50, and you work the lead in the brokerage CRM, with coaching to help you convert it.
Licensed agents and people still completing the Real Estate Salesperson Program are welcome to talk to us. Summitly (Coldwell Banker Summit Realty) has two packages for your own business. Package A is a 95/5 split with a $200 + HST monthly fee and $799 + HST on each of your first 4 completed transactions in a calendar year. Package B is 90/10 with $125 + HST a month and $499 + HST on the first 4, moving to 95/5 for the rest of the year after $100,000 GCI. A $500 minimum brokerage share applies per completed transaction, starting with transaction 5 in each calendar year; see your agreement for tax treatment and details. To receive brokerage leads, agents join the Leads Plan: $299 + HST a month, no transaction fees, 90/10 on their own deals, and 50/50 on deals from leads the brokerage provides.
Brokerage Leads
We give you warm leads. Never shared. And we help you close them.
When someone contacts Summitly about buying, selling or renting, we hand the lead to one agent — you. Agents on the Leads Plan ($299 + HST a month, no transaction fees, 90/10 on your own deals) receive them: no charge per lead, 50/50 when it closes, and a senior broker to help you convert. We don't promise a number of leads.
- Warm: they contacted us first
- Not shared: one lead, one agent
- Leads Plan: $299 + HST a month, no transaction fees · 50/50 on close
- Coaching to convert, every step
Book a confidential conversation
Tell us about your business and we'll show you which package fits, how Brokerage Leads work and who your mentor would be — no pressure, fully confidential.
Starting out as a new agent: frequently asked questions
What is the best real estate brokerage for beginners in Ontario?
There is no single best brokerage for every beginner. The right one gives you a named mentor, a written training plan, a realistic source of leads and fixed costs you can carry before your first commission. Ask every brokerage the same questions and compare the answers in writing.
Do new agents get leads at Summitly?
Summitly's Brokerage Leads are leads the brokerage generates — from summitly.ca enquiries, Summitly apps, Zara AI conversations, ads, social campaigns, call tracking, events — and hands to its agents. They are warm: the person contacted Summitly themselves about buying, selling or renting a home. Each lead goes to one agent only; it is not shared. Leads go to agents on the Leads Plan: $299 + HST a month, no transaction fees, with 90/10 on the business they bring themselves. There is no charge per lead; on a closed sale or lease from a Brokerage Lead the commission is split 50/50, and you work the lead in the brokerage CRM, with coaching to help you convert it.
I just got my licence — can I join Summitly?
Yes. Licensed agents and those completing their Ontario real estate licence are welcome. You start with onboarding training and a 1-to-1 mentor, then join weekly training; request a confidential conversation and we will walk you through both packages.
Which Summitly package suits a new agent?
Usually Package B while you build: 90/10 with $125 + HST a month and $499 + HST on your first 4 deals. At four deals a year it costs less than Package A below about $42,000 of GCI, and it moves to 95/5 once you pass $100,000.
What training does Summitly provide?
Every Summitly agent gets 1-to-1 mentorship from senior brokers, in person at the Vaughan office, with a virtual option where available. There is onboarding training when you join and training every week, and recordings may be provided. Coaching and office support come at no extra charge.
How much does it cost to start as a real estate agent in Ontario?
Beyond the Humber program tuition, RECO charges $356 ($306 registration plus a $50 application review fee) to register and the mandatory insurance is $500 plus applicable taxes per salesperson or broker for the September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027 term, unchanged since 2022. Brokerage and board fees come on top and vary.
Sources
- RECO — Becoming a real estate agent (Real Estate Salesperson Program) — checked September 25, 2026
- RECO — Fee schedule (salesperson/broker registration, effective March 1, 2023) — checked September 25, 2026
- RECO — Renew your insurance (professional liability insurance program) — checked September 25, 2026
- Zara, Summitly's AI virtual agent
Summitly is the technology platform of Coldwell Banker Summit Realty, Brokerage, a brokerage registered with the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), 310-3100 Steeles Ave W, Vaughan, ON L4K 3R1. Each Coldwell Banker office is independently owned and operated. Agents join as self-employed, commission-based independent contractors, not employees; terms are those of the brokerage's agent agreement, and fees are before HST. Verify any brokerage or agent on the RECO public register.
