Three Toronto agents who switched to Summitly in late 2025 share what changed in their business in the six months that followed. Sarah went from a 70/30 Royal LePage office in Forest Hill, Marcus from a Re/Max Hallmark team in midtown, and Priya from an independent boutique in Roncesvalles. Their combined data: 47% increase in inbound enquiry response times, 34% reduction in admin hours, and an average $34,000 increase in retained GCI on identical transaction volume.
Sarah's story: 11 years at Royal LePage, then six months at Summitly
Sarah spent 11 years building a Forest Hill and Lawrence Park practice at a Royal LePage office that gave her brand pull, decent mentorship in her early years, and a 70/30 split with a $36,000 cap. By 2025 she was closing 19 transactions per year at an average GCI of $18,400 per side, generating $349,600 in gross income. After cap, royalty, and desk fees, she netted roughly $258,000 before personal taxes and expenses.
She switched to Summitly in October 2025 for two reasons: the math, and the technology. "I was paying about $91,000 a year in brokerage fees for an office I was rarely in, a sign that didn't materially help my luxury practice, and tech tools I was supplementing with my own subscriptions."
What changed at Summitly
- Brokerage cost dropped from $91,600 to $9,405. Net income on the same 19 deals increased by roughly $82,000.
- CMA preparation time per listing fell from 90 minutes to 18 minutes. Zara handles first draft; Sarah edits and validates.
- Inbound enquiry response time fell from 6 hours to 14 minutes. Platform routing and pre-qualification eliminated phone tag.
- Listing presentation conversion held steady at 71%. The Royal LePage brand pull was less critical in luxury than expected.
What she would do differently
"I waited two years too long. I kept thinking the brand was worth what it cost. In my segment, the Forest Hill and Rosedale clients I work with care about my track record and my service, not the sign on the door. I should have run the math in 2023."
Marcus's story: leaving a high-performing Re/Max team
Marcus was the third producer on a six-person Re/Max Hallmark team in midtown Toronto, closing 24 transactions in 2024 across central neighbourhoods like Leslieville, Riverdale, and the Beaches. The team structure gave him admin support, lead distribution, and weekly coaching, but his net per transaction was lower than he wanted because the team took 40% of GCI before brokerage split.
"The team taught me a lot in my first three years. By year five, I was generating my own leads from social and past clients, but still paying 40% of GCI to the team plus 30% to the brokerage. I was effectively keeping about 42% of every commission."
He left in November 2025 after a six-month evaluation of three brokerage options: a smaller team, an independent flat-fee brokerage, and Summitly. He chose Summitly because the platform replaced the team's admin support function with AI, removing the largest reason he'd stayed.
The six-month results
- Transactions held at 22 in his first six months. Slight dip during transition, expected.
- Net per transaction increased from $5,750 to $12,930. Removing the team layer plus the brokerage layer.
- Personal brand on Instagram grew from 4,200 to 11,800 followers. Time freed up by Zara went into content.
- First-time buyer business grew. FHSA-focused content connected with younger Leslieville and Riverdale buyers.
The hard part of the transition
"Losing the team daily energy was harder than I expected. I miss the office banter and the spontaneous deal-strategy conversations. Summitly's agent community helps, but it's not the same as walking past someone's desk. I had to build new rituals: morning coffee with a peer, weekly mentor calls, and quarterly meet-ups with other Summitly agents in my area."
Priya's story: from a Roncesvalles boutique to AI-first
Priya joined a 14-agent boutique brokerage in Roncesvalles in 2021 after getting her RECO licence. She loved the neighbourhood culture and the broker of record's availability. Her practice grew steadily to 12 transactions per year by 2025, mostly in the $1.1M-$1.6M Roncesvalles and Bloor West Village segments.
"The boutique was great in my early years. I had a real mentor, weekly broker office hours, and a tight community. But the tech was 2019. Our CRM didn't talk to our transaction management. We were still using paper FINTRAC binders."
She moved to Summitly in September 2025 after watching three of her listings lose buyers to faster-responding agents at AI-enabled brokerages. "I'd send a buyer enquiry to my CRM, get to it four hours later, the buyer had already booked a showing with someone else. I couldn't compete on speed without the platform."
What changed in her first six months
- Listing conversion improved from 58% to 79%. Faster turn-around on presentation requests and modern listing materials.
- Buyer enquiry conversion improved from 18% to 31%. Pre-qualification by Zara screened serious buyers.
- Time spent on FINTRAC and TRESA paperwork dropped 62%. Auto-populated templates and integrated workflow.
- She maintained her Roncesvalles community presence. Local hangouts, school events, business sponsorships unchanged.
What she keeps emphasizing to peers considering the move
"The platform isn't about replacing the human relationship. It's about removing the friction that was preventing me from showing up fully for clients. I have more time for actual neighbourhood expertise: knowing which Roncesvalles streets have the right lot widths for additions, which schools are catchments for which homes, which restaurants are about to expand. The AI handles paperwork; I handle the human work." Browse browse Roncesvalles listings to see the platform Priya uses with her clients.
The patterns across all three stories
Three patterns repeat across Sarah, Marcus, and Priya despite very different starting points.
First, the math favors flat-fee economics above 10 deals per year. All three agents had production high enough to make traditional split structures economically painful. Below 10 deals, the math reverses; brand pull and mentorship from traditional brokerages can be worth the higher fees.
Second, AI is a time multiplier, not a relationship replacer. All three agents reported deeper client relationships after the switch because removed paperwork friction freed time for what clients actually value. Zara handles routine work; the agent handles judgment and connection.
Third, the transition is harder than the math suggests. Sarah missed certain Royal LePage referral patterns. Marcus missed his team's daily energy. Priya missed her broker of record's casual drop-in office hours. Each had to deliberately rebuild rituals to replace what they gave up.
What to consider before making the same move
Six questions separate agents who thrive after a Summitly transition from those who struggle.
- Are you doing 10+ deals per year? The math gets compelling above this threshold.
- Do your leads come from your sphere and brand, or from brokerage floor calls? SOI-driven agents transfer better.
- Are you comfortable with AI as a thinking partner? Resistance to AI is the biggest predictor of struggle.
- Do you have community infrastructure outside the brokerage? Mastermind groups, peer mentor relationships, association involvement.
- Can you build rituals to replace office daily energy? Working remotely requires more intentional structure.
- Are you in a market where Summitly has critical mass? Strong in TRREB, OREB, RAHB, WRAR; growing elsewhere.
Use a free instant home valuation to feel the consumer experience, read our buying guides and selling guides to see the content depth, and Ask Zara any question about your specific scenario.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the income improvement take to show up after switching?
The fee reduction shows up immediately. Closing a transaction the week after transfer costs $495 instead of whatever your old split would have charged. The volume and conversion improvements take 60-120 days to compound, as you build comfort with the platform, AI tools become familiar, and pre-qualified leads from the Summitly platform start flowing. Most agents see a clear improvement in monthly net by month four. The full impact typically lands by month eight as you optimize your specific workflow.
Did any of these agents lose clients during the transition?
Sarah retained all 11 active listings; eight followed her to Summitly, three chose to stay with their original Royal LePage office and were assigned new agents. Marcus retained 92% of his active buyer relationships; some pre-construction buyers chose to stay at Re/Max because their assignment contracts had specific brokerage clauses. Priya retained 100% of her active relationships because she handled communications with extreme care during the transition. Retention rates vary based on relationship depth and how clearly the agent communicates the move.
What kind of agent should NOT switch to Summitly based on these stories?
Agents in their first 18 months who need traditional classroom training, agents whose business model depends heavily on franchise brand pull (luxury Markham Chinese-market agents, certain Oakville Indian-market specialists), agents who haven't built independent lead generation, and agents who fundamentally distrust AI involvement in client work. Summitly works for self-directed, AI-comfortable agents with mature spheres. It's not a fit for everyone, and the recruitment process is intentionally honest about that.
How did the three agents handle communicating the move to their past clients?
All three sent a personalized email to past clients within 48 hours of the public transfer, explaining the move in two paragraphs, emphasizing service continuity, and inviting questions. None of them used mass marketing announcements like LinkedIn posts or Instagram stories until after the personal emails went out. The order matters: past clients hear from you first, then your network, then the public. This sequence respects relationship priority and avoids the awkward situation where a past client learns about your move through social media.
Does the AI ever make mistakes that affect deals?
Yes, occasionally, which is why every Zara output is reviewed by the agent before client delivery. Zara has misread a property tax assessment, suggested a comparable from the wrong street, and once auto-populated a TRESA Information Guide with last year's regulation version. Each error was caught at the editorial review step. The brokerage's quality controls assume the agent is the final reviewer, and the platform is designed to make review fast (typically 30-90 seconds per AI output). Treat AI like a junior associate whose work always needs sign-off.
Key takeaways
- The math favors Summitly above 10 deals per year. Below that, weigh brand pull and traditional mentorship more carefully.
- AI is a time multiplier, not a relationship replacer. All three agents reported deeper client connections post-transition.
- The transition has emotional costs. Plan to rebuild community rituals deliberately.
- Client retention requires careful communication. Personalized email first, social second.
- Editorial review of AI outputs is non-negotiable. Treat Zara like a sharp junior who needs sign-off.
- Try the platform before deciding. Get a free instant home valuation, browse the Summit Realty brokerage page, and Ask Zara a real question.
