One of the expenses that rarely gets talked about in real estate is the cost of learning.
Most agents expect to pay for coaching. They pay for conferences, masterminds, online courses, coaching memberships, designation classes, and continuing education. Some of those investments are worthwhile. I’ve invested heavily in my own education over the years, and I don’t regret it for a second.
What I do question is why so many agents are paying those costs simply to get access to the kind of training that should already be available through their brokerage.
When I evaluate a brokerage, I don’t just look at what it costs me to join. I look at what it’s going to cost me to grow.
If I have to spend thousands of dollars every year just to access quality education, that’s part of my business expense whether it’s on my commission statement or not.
One of the things that immediately stood out to me about eXp was the amount of education that was included from day one.
There wasn’t another invoice waiting for me.
There wasn’t a premium membership to unlock better content.
There wasn’t a coaching upsell every time I wanted to improve a different area of my business.
The training was already there.
Through eXp University, agents have access to live training every day covering just about every aspect of the business. Whether you want to improve your listing presentations, learn commercial real estate, understand luxury marketing, build a referral business, use AI more effectively, or simply sharpen your sales skills, there are instructors teaching those subjects every week.
Programs like FastCAP are another great example. New agents don’t have to go searching for expensive coaching just to learn how to build a successful business. The roadmap is already available.
What I’ve found even more valuable is that the education doesn’t start and stop at the corporate level.
Within our Family Tree organization, we regularly bring in some of the best trainers, coaches, and top-producing agents in the industry. These aren’t people teaching theory. They’re actively building businesses, solving today’s challenges, and sharing what’s working right now. Our agents get access to those conversations without paying another registration fee or buying another coaching package.
That creates a very different experience.
Instead of constantly asking yourself whether another $2,000 seminar or $1,000 course is worth the investment, you can focus on actually implementing what you’re learning.
I also think there’s something powerful about learning inside a community that’s invested in each other’s success. The conversations continue long after the class ends. Agents share ideas, ask questions, exchange referrals, and help each other solve problems. That kind of collaboration is difficult to put a price on.
None of this is meant to suggest that you’ll never invest in outside education again. The best professionals never stop learning, and there will always be coaches, books, and conferences worth attending.
The difference is that you’re making those investments because you want to, not because your brokerage left a gap that you have to fill yourself.
That’s a distinction that’s worth thinking about.
If you’re already paying your brokerage a commission split and a cap, it’s fair to ask what you’re receiving in return. Is education treated as an additional revenue stream, or is it viewed as part of the value of being there?
For me, that answer mattered.
I wanted to join a platform that viewed education as an investment in its agents rather than another product to sell them.
How does your brokerage stack up?
The more I looked at the numbers, the more I realized that free training isn’t really free. It’s part of the value you’re already paying for. The question is whether you’re actually receiving it.