Bear Team vs EXIT Realty: an honest comparison for Orlando agents
EXIT Realty built its brand on a genuinely original idea — sponsoring residuals that pay agents for growing the company. If an EXIT office is recruiting you in Orlando, here's the honest comparison, with one caveat that matters more at EXIT than anywhere else: it's a franchise, so the office you'd actually join sets the real numbers.
The franchise caveat, up front
EXIT corporate advertises splits starting at a minimum of 70/30 with a path to 90/10 — a genuinely competitive range. But each EXIT office is independently owned, and the split path, cap, monthly fees, and transaction fees are set locally. That's not a criticism; it's how franchising works. It just means the recruiting brochure isn't the contract. Whatever an EXIT recruiter tells you, get that office's complete fee schedule in writing — the same advice we give in our 12 questions to ask any brokerage.
Side by side
- Commission split: EXIT — Starts at minimum 70/30, potential to 90/10 — terms set per franchise office. Bear Team — 60/40 graduating to 90/10 on a published ladder.
- Cap: EXIT — Varies by franchise office — ask for it in writing. Bear Team — $16,000 company dollar, then you advance a tier.
- Monthly fees: EXIT — Vary by office; some advertise none. Bear Team — $0 — uniform, published.
- Per-transaction costs: EXIT — Set by each office. Bear Team — $150 flat per closing.
- E&O insurance: EXIT — Varies by office. Bear Team — Covered by the brokerage.
- Structure: EXIT — Franchise network — local owner sets terms. Bear Team — Single boutique Orlando brokerage.
- Recruiting income: EXIT — 10% sponsoring residual paid by corporate, plus retirement/beneficiary residuals. Bear Team — None — value is in the ladder and support.
Where EXIT genuinely wins
The EXIT Formula is real and unusual: sponsor a producing agent and corporate pays you a bonus equal to 10% of their gross commissions — off the top, not out of the recruit's pocket — with reduced residuals that EXIT promotes as continuing into retirement and even to a beneficiary. For agents who love recruiting, that's a durable income stream few brands match. A 70/30 starting split also beats our 60/40 on day one, and a strong local EXIT office with good leadership is a perfectly good home.
Where Bear Team wins
Uniformity and floor costs. Bear Team has one published structure for every agent: the 60/40-to-90/10 ladder with a defined $16,000 cap per tier, zero monthly fees, $150 flat per closing, and E&O covered — no franchise layer, no office-by-office variation, nothing to negotiate or discover later. If you're not planning to recruit, EXIT's residuals are worth close to zero to you, and the comparison becomes fee schedule versus fee schedule — which is exactly the comparison our $0-fee structure is built to win. And the in-person support is the same story as everywhere: a boutique broker who knows your files versus whatever your particular franchise office staffs.
How to actually decide
Get the specific EXIT office's fee schedule in writing, then run your last 12 months through it and through Bear Team's ladder on the calculator. The full Bear Team structure is on the commission page, and if you decide to move — to us or anyone — the Florida switching guide makes it a two-week process, not an ordeal.
Frequently asked questions
What is EXIT Realty's commission split?
EXIT franchise offices publicly advertise splits starting at a minimum of 70/30 with the potential to reach 90/10. EXIT is a franchise system, so the exact split path, caps, and fees are set by each local office — two EXIT offices in the same metro can have different terms, so always get the specific office's schedule in writing.
What is the EXIT Formula (sponsoring residuals)?
EXIT's signature program pays an agent a bonus equal to 10% of the gross commissions earned by each agent they sponsor into the company, paid by EXIT's corporate office rather than deducted from the recruit. EXIT also promotes reduced residuals that continue into retirement and to a beneficiary. Like all recruiting-based income, it pays meaningfully only if you actively sponsor producing agents.
How is Bear Team's model different from EXIT's?
Bear Team is a single boutique brokerage, not a franchise — one published fee schedule, no office-to-office variation, and no franchise economics in the background. The ladder runs 60/40 to 90/10 with a defined $16,000 company-dollar cap per tier, zero monthly fees, a flat $150 per closing, and E&O covered by the brokerage.
Who should choose EXIT over Bear Team?
Agents who value EXIT's sponsoring residuals and plan to actively recruit, or who have a specific EXIT office nearby with strong local leadership and terms they like, can do well there. Agents who want fully transparent, uniform terms with no franchise layer and the lowest fixed overhead tend to fit the boutique model better.
EXIT figures are from EXIT's public materials and franchise career pages as of July 2026; because EXIT is a franchise system, actual terms are set by each office and vary — confirm with the specific office. Bear Team figures are our actual plan. EXIT Realty is a registered trademark of its owner; this independent comparison is not affiliated with or endorsed by EXIT Realty. Not financial advice.
Run both models on your production
The EXIT office's fee sheet and Bear Team's ladder, side by side — then talk it through with Tom. No pressure, just the math.