Learning Paths were a big focus of this year’s EXPCON and on Wednesday, a lineup of eXp Realty’s top leaders and former independent brokerage owners shared their personal stories and strategies on why they joined eXp and what it takes to attract top talent to eXp.
“Center of the Solar System” was the theme for Learning Path 4, which was geared to agents who are focused on recruiting big teams and indie brokers to eXp Realty.
> See 15 reasons why independent brokerages are flocking to eXp
Chuck Fazio Spoke of Going From an Independent Brokerage to Total Freedom
Chuck Fazio was the founder of the Arizona powerhouse independent brokerage Revelation Real Estate Group and the largest independent to ever join eXp. He explained how he transitioned from an indie to “total freedom” with eXp Realty. On the panel with Chuck was Oklahoma’s Peter Levinson, who is newly joining eXp, and Andrew Franklin, from the Franklin Team, a high-production team based in Houston.
“I believe in this company and the agents at this company. We owned the largest single brokerage with 906 agents. We literally closed it down to join eXp. People asked ‘why did I do that?’ Sometimes you need to make tough decisions to help those around you. You’re put in a position to help people.
“We made the move for multiple reasons. I watch the world and watch how every major industry changes. Real estate is still built on an archaic platform. It can only scale so much. I can only help agents as much. We were limited. With eXp, it’s on a platform that gives multiple opportunities to grow. As a leader, how can I help these agents change their lives? This is not a 9 to 5, one job world. Times have radically changed.”
Andrew, whose Franklin Team was with RE/MAX for 32 years and with eXp for four, said joining eXp was “truly one of the best business decisions we’ve ever made. It has truly changed our lives and our agents’ lives. The value is priceless.”
Chuck reflected on why he and his wife closed their indie to join eXp.
“We were making money, but we weren’t happy. We were dealing with a lot of crap. Brokerages operate on a thin margin. At least half of them are on the verge of going out of business each month. When sales become less, do these people feel vulnerable? Absolutely. Here’s the coolest part with eXp: There is no boss and you’re not limited. I’m in every state in the U.S. and in several countries. Even India!”
Andrew: “We left RE/MAX because the value didn’t make sense for what we were paying. Also, eXp gave us an opportunity to capitalize on my relationships and the relationships I didn’t yet have. We spend 5 hours a week on rev share. We’ve been able to grow to over 1,000 people, 30 states and several countries.
“I’m up to 20 conferences with eXp and I don’t think I ever went to one with REMAX.”
Chuck: “I don’t like events, but with eXp, I do. We literally pour into each other. The energy here is so different. That’s because we all care about each other. What does a KW agent in Florida care about an agent in California?”
Andrew: “Financial alignment is what makes this company so great. Only 20% of the company takes advantage of rev share, but 100% benefits from it. Everytime we sell a house, we get stock. That sharing is the brilliance that Glenn created. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
Peter: “Authenticity is the difference. Here, people are asking ‘how can we help your business? If you need help, let me know.” Every conversation is authentic.”
Andrew: “You need to ask … ‘what keeps brokers-owners up at night?’ Lawsuits. I sleep better at night and enjoy the upside. Glenn solved a lot of those pain points. The model has a lot of depth to it. You really need to take it slow and explain it in multiple perspectives. There are so many success stories at eXp.”
Peter on truthfulness: “If you are authentic, your heart will bleed out. I sense those who are just trying to get that check. I call it “commission breath.” Do I really care about this person?’ It will show. If you’re only thinking about your own selfish benefit, it will show.”
Curtis Johnson, Ige Johnson, Mike Incorvaia Sr. and Alicia Trevino Headline Second Session
The second Learning Path 4 panel was led by Arizona eXp Realty agent Curtis Johnson. He was joined onstage by Houston’s Ige Johnson, a top-performing agent who moved her 35-agent team to eXp Realty in August 2022, Ohio’s Mike Incorvaia Sr., who moved his 35-agent team in September 2022 and Texas’ Alicia Trevino. The theme for the workshop was “Infinite Possibilities.”
Curtis spoke about how to grow a massive organization: “It’s not about personal production and awards, but helping other people get to the top of the mountain. This is the new version of real estate.”
He also shared an analogy of teaching a dog to fetch. There are some dogs that are better than others, such as a black lab, which is always eager to fetch. “Those are the types of folks you want to attract – not the ones who are not eager to put in the work. Spend your time focusing on your dream partner. That’s how you build a huge organization.”
Alicia Trevino on why she joined eXp: “I’ve always been on the cutting edge of doing things differently. Over time, I went independent. Technology started taking over and one reason I came to eXp is for the collaboration.”
Ige on why she joined eXp: “For me, I love helping people. I know agents trust me to lead them down the right path. That is a big part of my ‘why.’ I was introduced to the model in 2018, but timing is everything. It wasn’t the right time.
“I’m having so much more fun and it’s so much easier here. The technology is so exciting and my agents are excited for the infinite possibilities and multiple streams of income and tools that are available. My ‘why’ is for everyone else who trusted me.”
Mike: “At exp everyone has opportunities. I saw a train coming down the tracks and didn’t want to get run over by it — that was eXp.”
Alicia: “I thought eXp was disconnected. How can it be connected if it’s all virtual? Just a bunch of avatars. But now I realize, it is a much closer-knit company than C21 and Coldwell Banker. I did not expect that. It was one of my biggest aha moments.”
Ige: “I started paying attention (to eXp) when the billion-dollar brokerages moved over to eXp. I thought ‘if they are making this move, let me pay attention.’ Then I met my amazing partners (Terrence Murphy and Elizabeth Riley). Once you see it, you cannot unsee it. It’s the most collaborative model I’ve ever seen.”
Mike Sr: “I was aware of eXp all along, but didn’t want to admit there was something better out there. We regret that we didn’t make the move last January. For whatever reason, we have a lot of people reaching out to us. It’s just a model that fits what we want to do.”
Alicia: “It’s all about disruption. Realtors are not going away, but brokerages are going to change. eXp is the disruptor. It is the future. I am able to show my agents how to make money in multiple ways. I’m going to help you build and build big. The opp is endless. Share where the disruption is.”
Curtis: “The eXp model is attractive to big players. It’s actually attractive to organizations that are big because there are more pain points.”
Mike Sr: “I couldn’t sleep at night without thinking about eXp. We just love to be involved in something new and exciting and for the first time in a long time, we are excited.”
Al Stasek and Andrew Gage Lead Final Panel ‘Accelerate Momentum’
eXp Realty agent Jammie Garlock of Tampa, who has been with eXp for 4.5 years and is licensed in five states, moderated the final session with eXp Realty agents Al Stasek and Andrew Gaydosh, both from Ohio.
For some background, Al is a longtime real estate agent, being named Rookie of the Year with Century 21. He now leads over 12,000 agents in 50 states and 5 in Canada with eXp. He heads the uber popular Honey Badger Nation group.
Andrew is a former RE/MAX agent, was named on NAR’s “30 Under 30” list, has appeared on HGTV, is a triple diamond award winner and has completed $100M in sales on 350 transactions with 15 agents. He has a downline of 200+ agents.
On how to build community within a downline:
Andrew: “Community and culture are among the most important things you need to do. Provide value and what they want in their lives. We create culture with events and opportunities. It’s the camaraderie of enjoying each other.”
Al: “The first EXPCON is when it first began. The first thing is to figure out was what kind of community? What platform? Facebook. The No. 1 goal was to win if we can add more value than anyone else. We are just always trying to add the most value to be able to scale the most.”
We pour into people who want to be poured into. We do live teaching. We meet every Tuesday.
We’re always trying to innovate and solve problems.
Al on keeping agents engaged in community: “Events are a big part of everything we’ve done. The catch-22 is they are very heavy. Prior to eXp, all those events were 100% on our shoulders. It was a big lift. But now, we just leverage other people to do these events. We are demonstrating we are helping them, by helping them. We give away our best marketing strategies for free.”
Andrew: “One of the biggest mistakes we all make is not leveraging events that are already planned. There are so many wonderful events all the time. In person or online. Zoom calls. Become a professional inviter. You don’t have to do the heavy lifting.”
Some tips to share on agent retention:
Al: “First thing we do when we are sponsoring agents, we learn their pain points and help solve them. For 90 days, I will call them once a week to keep them engaged.”
Andrew: “Every agent goes through the same cycle. At the end of day, communication is so important as leaders. The buck stops with you. You have to dial in. If they are not mocking you for what you say, you are not saying it enough. The reason why we are all here today: To change the real estate business.”
Al: “Become a good inviter. I have a big board and there’s a sign at the top: ‘Who are you going to invite to what today?’ Who are you inviting to what? Get them into our community and create an environment for success. Let them experience it.”
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