How to Choose a Real Estate Brokerage in Ontario

What actually matters when choosing a brokerage

Many agents choose on the headline commission split alone. The more useful number is total economics: what you keep after the split and every fee, multiplied by the number of deals the brokerage's leads, tools and support help you close.

Evaluate every brokerage across six dimensions: lead generation, technology, marketing, training and mentorship, commission split and fees, and brand. Weight them to your stage — the right mix for a first-year agent is different from the right mix for a twenty-year producer. RECO itself suggests contacting several brokerages to find a compensation structure and environment that fit you, and asking what training and professional development each offers.

• Lead generation — does the brokerage send you enquiries, how are they allocated, and what do they cost you?
• Technology — tools that help you win listings and serve clients (valuations, market data, AI assistants)
• Marketing — what is done for you, and what you pay for yourself?
• Training and mentorship — especially important in your first two years
• Splits and fees — what you keep after desk, transaction, technology and franchise fees
• Brand — does the name help you in a listing presentation?

• Compare brokerage models side by side →
• The fees Ontario brokerages charge agents →

Where technology and AI fit in the brokerage decision

Buyers and sellers increasingly start their search online, so ask every brokerage what happens to an enquiry that arrives at 11pm: who answers it, how quickly, and which agent it goes to. A brokerage with its own platform can capture those enquiries and route them to agents; one without leaves lead generation to you.

Ask to see the tools working rather than a feature list — live MLS® data, home valuations, market reports and an assistant that answers client questions — and ask whether you pay extra for them.

Commission splits and fees in Ontario, explained simply

Ontario brokerages use a mix of models: percentage splits (a 70/30 split means you keep 70% of the commission your brokerage receives on your deal), capped models where you pay the brokerage share until an annual cap and then keep more, and flat-fee or transaction-fee models. None is best in the abstract — the right one depends on your deal volume and how much support you need.

Always model your take-home across a full year, including desk fees, transaction fees, technology fees, franchise fees and the marketing you would otherwise pay for yourself. Ask each brokerage to put the split, every fee and any cap in writing.

New agents vs experienced agents vs teams

New agents should weight training, mentorship and lead flow most heavily — the fastest path from licence to first deals. Experienced agents should weight splits, technology and brand. Teams should weight tools, marketing automation and admin and compliance support that let them scale output.

• What new agents should look for in a brokerage →

Questions to ask Summitly, and every other brokerage

Summitly (Coldwell Banker Summit Realty, Brokerage) is a RECO-registered Ontario brokerage and an independently owned and operated Coldwell Banker franchise, run on the Summitly platform — the Zara AI virtual agent, instant home valuations, MLS® map search with sold data, and city market reports.

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.

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.

Ask every brokerage you are considering the same questions, get the answers in writing, and compare the nets rather than the headlines.

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