95/5, 90/10 or a Cap? How Florida Agents Can Compare Brokerage Splits

By Firelight Realty Group · 6 min read

Every brokerage leads with its split. But two offers with the same headline can leave very different amounts in your pocket at the end of the year. Here’s a practical way to compare them.

Start with your real numbers

Before you compare anything, write down three figures from the last twelve months: your gross commission income (GCI), your number of closed transactions, and your average commission per deal. Every brokerage model treats these differently, so your own numbers decide which offer actually wins.

The common models

• Fixed split. You keep a set percentage of every commission, such as 90/10 or 95/5, for the whole year.
• Split with a cap. You pay a percentage until you’ve paid the brokerage a set amount for the year, then keep a higher share. Caps reward high producers and cost more for agents who never reach them.
• Flat fee per transaction. You pay a fixed dollar amount per closing, which is attractive for high-priced deals and expensive for low-priced ones.
• Hybrid models mix a split, a cap and per-transaction fees, sometimes with revenue share or stock awards for recruiting.

Then add the fees that don’t make the headline

This is where offers really differ. Ask every brokerage for a complete list of:

• Monthly or annual brokerage fees
• Per-transaction or “admin” fees, and who pays them
• Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance
• Technology, CRM or website fees
• Franchise or royalty fees
• Sign-up or onboarding fees

Board and MLS dues apply at every brokerage, so leave them out of the comparison.

A simple worked example

Say you closed 12 deals last year with $96,000 in GCI.

• At a 90/10 split with no other fees, you keep $86,400.
• At a 95/5 split with no other fees, you keep $91,200. That’s $4,800 more.
• Add a $40 monthly fee and a $250 per-deal fee to the 95/5 offer, and it drops to $87,720. Still better, but by far less than the headline suggests.

Run the same math with each brokerage’s full fee list. For a faster version, use the commission calculator on our Join page.

What you get for the money

A lower cost doesn’t help if you lose support you rely on. Compare:

• Broker access. Can you reach your broker quickly when a deal gets complicated?
• Training. Is it real one-on-one help, or a video library?
• Transaction support. Is there a transaction coordinator, and what does it cost?
• Leads and marketing. What’s provided, and on what terms?
• MLS and board fit. Does the brokerage hold memberships in the boards and MLS you work in?

How Firelight Realty Group compares

Firelight Realty Group is a full-service Florida brokerage. Our founding-agent offer is 95/5 for life, for as long as you hang your license with us. Joining costs $49 a year, and that’s all: no sign-up fee. Agents get 1-on-1 training, a broker who answers, and 20% off our in-house transaction coordinator, Kayla Vartanian.

Our REALTOR® memberships are ORRA, RWorld, Space Coast and Suncoast Tampa, and agents joining FRG need to belong to one of them. On a different board? Let’s talk anyway.

See the full offer and run your numbers, or call (407) 357-0357.