What do you guys thing of Keller Williams RE Firm?

Question

Looking for advice on a RE firm to land at. I'm based in Los Angeles and wanted opinions on Keller Williams. I've been and investor for years, and have had my license for quite a while, but I mostly have used that for access to MLS and other RE services. I welcome your suggestions, thank you.

Marcus Auerbach · Answer

@Evan Grey

Interesting responses you are getting here..!

I will make a strong case for KW, because it serves me very well, but know that I am an engineer and usually make decisions by comparing facts.

I have been an investor much longer than an agent and got licensed after I quit my corporate career in 2016. After analysing the main players it was a very easy decision to sign with KW, they are a little bit like Amazon compared to Sears.

Fastest growing and became largest brokerage in the us with about 180.000 agents. They always have been very training centered (training is it's own division, not just something they do on the side). The training is excellent in my opinion, but has also been ranked #1 of all industries by Training Magazine. Over Visa and Disney etc. A few years ago they announced they would shift into a tech company and what has happened since and what is still to come is profound.

Check out ratings on glassdoor, which is where emplyees rate their employers.

KW supports teams, they want you to run your own biz in your own name.

Your clients and your data are yours, and you can take it with you tomorrow. Most brokerages make it very hard to leave, because all your deals stay with them, so it will cost you an entire pipeline to leave. Not the case at KW.

All agents have the same split of 30% to KW. After you cap, you keep 100%. I cap usually within 2 months each year. This is the same for a young agent as it is for a top producer. No agent is worth more than another.

KW is not an MLM. I have heard that a lot from people who don't understand profit share. Here is how it works in a nutshell: if you help bring on agents you earn more profit share. Here is the key difference to an MLM: the money comes out of the brokerage profit and not from the agents who named me as a sponsor. Profit share is for life, so it is retirement money. In a way KW is agent owned, and the better KW is doing the bigger the profit share.

The culture at KW is very collaborative. We have top producers speak in my office multiple times a week and share best practice. Thats on top of the formal training programs which basically run all the time. We have a local FB group run by our market center, if someone has a question on Sunday night, you post it and have 5 answers in ten minutes - very much like BP.

KW is locally run by market centers. If there is none in your area you can apply for it and them own/run it.

Not every market center is equally great! It depends on the local ownership and I have seen one that KW has pulled the plug on. We have several in town and they are slightly different, depending of course who runs them.

So, as for Charlie's comments below, sounds like he had a terrible experience. Also EXP is kind of a KW knock off formed by a former KW agent and set up on the same principals like cap and profit share.

Hope that helps, any questions let me know!

Bruce Lynn · Answer

Love it....been with two brokerages....one of the blue guys for about 10 years, now KW for about 10 years. It is exciting to be in a company that is profitable, debt free, growing like crazy, growing worldwide..(now about 50 countries), around the very top people in the business no matter what niche you want to be in, in a company where people share and are interested in your growth, in a company that profit shares, in a company where the CEO really cares about your growth and success and has your back, in a company where we're building best in class technology.

Can we get you set up for an interview?.....come sit in on a class...come sit in on a sales meeting. See if you like the culture and the people.

Can we get you set up for an interview?.....come sit in on a class...come sit in on a sales meeting.  See if you like the culture and the people.

Nicole Heasley Beitenman · Answer

Isn't David Green with KW?

Evan Grey · Answer

Thanks so much for this info, I was thinking it seemed like a MLM, but I understand better now. I feel well informed for my interview Wednesday-

Jaquetta T Ragland · Answer

@Evan Grey never been apart of their brokerage firm but I do know they have a lot of available training.

Evan Grey · Answer

thanks you for your input, very valuable. I’ve heard they are like a MLM... i’ll ask those questions for sure.

Really appreciate you taking the time to respond with such detail..

Charlie MacPherson · Answer

@Evan Grey  It's going to vary by market center.

When I relocated from Mass to Maine last year, I initially signed on with KW in South Portland.  It was a nightmare.

The kid they assigned me as sort of a guide was in his 20s (I'm 64) - and he didn't even have his RE license yet.  As my UK friends would say, he was as useless as a chocolate teapot.

I was strongly encouraged to go to a day long program called "Ignite", which I did.  It was a day long pitch to go to a much longer program called "Bold" - which was also $800.  It felt like the Amway pitch where someone invites you over, but won't tell you why.  Then *BOOM* - you're in the middle of the big pitch and wondering how you can politely get up and leave.

When it came time to write an offer for our new home, I went looking for guidance, as the forms, procedures and terminology are different in Maine.  I tried to get help several times but couldn't get answers by phone, text or email.  I was just plain ghosted.

In fact, when I wrote a resignation note to the DMB and my "guide", I never even got a response.

I promise you that you'll find better market centers than South Portland with KW, but do your homework.

Due to the low real estate prices in central Maine where I now live, I'm walking away from residential in favor of business brokering.  That said, if I were to pursue residential, I think EXP has a lot to offer.  That's where I am now and where I would stay.

Evan Grey · Answer

Hello,

You mean RE Investor? Yes, many! living in Los Angeles anything that helps me in finding “deals” is worth it. MLS access and real comps - Zillow and redfin not always as accurate and dependable as MLS (for me anyways)  Additionally selling / listing the property after you fix and flip it -another income stream - There’s more but that’s what i’ve done.

Joseph Odusina · Answer

@Evan Grey

Hi Evan,

May I ask if your RE license had any benefits as a REI? If so, what are/were they?

I’m currently getting my license in Texas, equally for REI and a career change as well.

Thank you for your insight

Evan Grey · Answer

Thank you.

Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard - What RE company are you with now?

What do you guys thing of Keller Williams RE Firm?

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