Pat Hays was the No. 1 agent at a small San Antonio brokerage when one day, negative news regarding the brokerage owners surfaced. This was in 2015, after he had worked hard at that office for several years, helping grow it to a thriving group of 65 agents. Hays made a quick risk assessment about his real estate future and knew he needed to find another brokerage, and fast.

That’s when Hays faced a real crossroads. He weighed going to several top brokerages in the nation, including eXp Realty. Even after representatives at one big brokerage offered him “everything in the world,” Hays chose eXp.

“My wife and I knew that with my sales experience and my entrepreneurial mindset combined with real estate, that eXp was perfect for me,” said Hays. “I met with some of eXp’s leadership and they sealed the deal by explaining eXp’s revenue share, equity ownership and lead generation tools.”

Pat Hays and his wife, Angel and their children while on vacation to Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado.

eXp’s lead-generation tools are provided to eXp agents as part of a low monthly fee, whereas it can typically cost $600 to more than $1,000 a month elsewhere. eXp’s platform offers end-to-end, lead-to-contract management, including web and IDX, listing promotion, transaction integration and more.

Hays joined eXp in December 2015, moving his small sales team with him. Over the years, he has also personally sponsored 42 productive agents, growing his virtual team to 2,344 agents in 45 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia.

Currently, Hays is managing his sales team and still personally closes about $6 to $8 million a year. But the true difference-maker is the revenue share he earns from the production of his 2,344-agent virtual team – resulting in an additional income stream that has far surpassed his sales commissions. This opportunity to create leverage through partnering with eXp Realty and helping others succeed has been life-changing. Hays has found that he truly enjoys explaining the benefits of joining eXp to other agents with entrepreneurial mindsets, and has developed his leadership skills at the same time.

“I’m still producing a lot of real estate,” said Hays. “I’m forever grateful for eXp!”

Watch a quick 30-second clip of Hays explaining why he loves eXp:

The San Antonio native was always a go-getter. During his college years at Texas State University where he was an agriculture major, he ran his own landscaping business. But working in sales and real estate held a special place in his heart.

“I remember my first real estate transaction. I had just sold my (senior care) business and invested all of my money into a digital media startup. I lost over $300,000 in six months. I was just getting into real estate and I had to make this work.

“I did open houses seven days a week for over six months and met my first buyer. After multiple offers and multiple terminated contracts, we finally closed the transaction six months later. This transaction taught me so much straight out of the gate that you need perseverance and patience. Real estate doesn’t come easy!”

Despite the hard work and tough times along the way, Hays’ determination and love of helping others reach their goals has made it look easy to those watching from the outside.

“Pat is someone you love to watch succeed,” said eXp President of Growth, Dave Conord. “He works hard with a great attitude, and he has a huge heart for serving others.”