Momentum Realty Partners Only With “Positive Mindset” Agents — And More Than Doubles its Business

Momentum Realty is a real estate brokerage for the top 20% of performers in Florida markets. Co-Founder Jon Brooks said it's inspiring to be around a tribe of passionate sales advisors who want to make a positive difference and build a big life.

Sometimes, just being a top producer isn't enough.

"Bringing in only positive people who are passionate and have growth mindsets will lift up a community," said Co-Founder and Broker-in-Charge, Brittany Brooks, who was a Top 1% Producer in Northeast Florida by volume and units before creating Momentum.

The nearly two-year old independent brokerage is aimed at agents who already have their footing in real estate sales and are looking to grow rapidly, profitably, and sustainably, while — most importantly — providing a high level of service to the community.

But good luck getting accepted.

Out of nearly 10,000 licensed real estate agents in Northeast Florida, there are approximately 700 who qualify for Momentum on paper from a production standpoint. Many have sought to partner with Momentum, but the brokerage only accepts a handful of producing agents each month and/or newer agents who fit well within its growth culture.

Jon cited an example of one applicant who produced more than $8,000,000 in the prior twelve months, putting him in the top 5% of real estate professionals, but was declined affiliation after expressing that he only wanted to join for the low fees; wouldn’t participate in trainings, events, or personality assessments; and felt he had nothing more to learn from others. Jon knew he wasn’t a good fit.

"We filter out these types of agents pretty aggressively," said Jon. "That's why top producers want to be here. There's no ego stroking at Momentum. We are all dedicated to learning from each other and getting better each day, regardless of the level of production. We are all on this journey together, and we operate as such."

Jon said maintaining high standards is what made Momentum into a Top 10 Brokerage out of 1,206 brokerages in Northeast Florida within 22 months, and earned it Bold City Best’s Real Estate Brokerage 2021. Those standards are also the foundation of Momentum’s huge growth in 2021, expanding its number of agents by 78%, to 141, with less than 2% agent turnover.

For the month of December 2021 alone, even though it currently does no formal recruiting, Momentum received nearly 30 membership applications, most referred by other top agents and online inquiries. In terms of volume, the brokerage grew from $200M to $557M from 2020 to 2021. It’s a level of growth in such a short period of time that is virtually unheard of in the real estate industry.

One of Momentum’s top agents, Chris Moore, said it’s a relief to be around other top producers who push each other to become better each day.

"Momentum is a community where I can have a conversation about paying off debt, investing, and building net worth, which you can't do with most people out in the world," said Moore. He went from producing $3M a year at a Big Box to $12M within 16 months after joining Momentum.

“My business has become more automated, I’m more profitable and focused than ever, and I can see the big picture, including how I’ll get to retirement.” Moore said his previous brokerage didn't have these higher-level, big picture conversations, despite charging its agents higher brokerage splits.

Momentum Realty members take pride in celebrating each other’s successes, investment purchases, consumer debt payoffs, and big sales. The tribe acts as an elite mashup between a personal advisory board and a high-end coaching platform. It also offers unexpected benefits such as phantom stock units to top performers, affectionately dubbed Momentum Champions, along with additional investment opportunities in side projects and, potentially, future ancillary services. In 2021, Momentum rolled out free agent services such as its Focus Program, which helps agents automate their customer touches.

Co-Founding Momentum Agent Michelle Weaver said that many top producing real estate agents sell a high number of units and produce high volume, yet get very little in terms of profit. "We’ve discovered that some top agents are barely getting by, that their success is an illusion. In reality, their lifestyle and health are deteriorating, and their profits just aren't there. At Momentum, we want to change that. And the first step is being open to talking about these issues, not just on an individual agent level, but at the industry level, too."

In fact, profitability is such an important issue that Jon offers seminars on profit and loss, balance sheets, and net worth, as well as monthly one-on-ones with each of Momentum’s members. Every new Momentum agent receives the book, The Richest Man in Babylon, which offers a roadmap to long-term wealth building and defining purpose, something Jon said most agents badly need to address. Michelle admires those efforts as “ just one example of leadership getting on the ground floor with its agents to make a difference."

"We often say that the purpose of real estate is to get out of real estate, and we mean that,” added Jon. “This approach is different from many other brokerages, who want to keep their agents producing year-in and year-out, but with no long-term plan. We want our agents to have an exit strategy and to know what they need to do in order to hit their ideal lifestyle. When you have leadership who care about their agents' financial success, and have achieved it themselves, the conversations come more naturally and are more effective."

Wealth building class taught by Co-Founders, Jon and Brittany Brooks in September, 2021.

Jon, himself, went from a negative $80,000 net worth to becoming a multi-millionaire within five years of selling real estate, while also co-founding Momentum Realty and several other companies. He maintains that anyone can have that type of success if they are in the right environment, put in the effort, and focus on variables that actually matter. “This type of result requires a growth mindset facilitated and fostered by the brokerage,” he said. “ People change over time, one conversation at a time.”

Jon previously worked with two Big Box brokerages that charged high fees, and admits to making many mistakes in the process. “I just didn’t read my contracts carefully, and didn’t pay attention to my splits, and it cost me. At some point I started wondering how the brokerage model could be improved for agents, and eventually we created Momentum. We are proud that it has become an oasis for top performers and their families to flourish."

While Momentum’s high-level training and productivity environment are enough to attract Top Agents, its brokerage splits of 6.6% seal the deal. It has an annual commission cap of $16,000, and team members get half-caps of $8,000. Another draw is that the brokerage has a slew of Showing Assistants ready to help at any time for a modest fee. Momentum’s small, per-sale transaction fee is also reduced by 60% after the cap.

Top 30 Momentum Agent Mastermind at The River Club, downtown Jacksonville, May 2021.

Momentum runs on efficiency, maintaining a small office for group functions, but not for agents to visit daily. Instead, most company work is done virtually.

"The virtual environment is actually preferred by the majority of top producers who work on-the-go,” Brittany said. “We find that training and connection is more effective with virtual options because agents can reduce drive-time. Further, since Momentum’s agent splits are smaller, they have more money in their pockets to rent an office close to home, if they choose."

Despite the virtual focus, Momentum agents build strong camaraderie via frequent social events, agent lunch and dinner meetups, and formal, brokerage-sponsored training and events. In 2021, agents came together in-person and virtually 88 times, from nine different locations throughout Florida, lured by the opportunity to learn and grow from top speakers, investors, and agents.

"For me, it's like having my own board of directors for my life," said 22-year-old Ella Woods, a Momentum Champion, who sold $10M in volume in her first year in real estate, and recently purchased her first property. "With the benefits of Momentum, it makes it feel like a bargain relative to the other options available in the marketplace. And when we sometimes just need a break to blow off some steam, Momentum helps facilitate that outlet, too, with social events such as Top Golf, Happy Hours, and Paintball."

Top Golf meetup sponsored by preferred vendor, Titan Title Services, LLC, in November 2021.

Looking ahead, Brittany noted that she holds herself to some pretty lofty goals for Momentum in 2022.

"I will be spending more time next year developing training programs for newer agents, and identifying additional investment opportunities for our top performers who are quickly getting to the next level of wealth building. Through our programs, support, and growth thus far, we believe that the value we are generating for our members will make Momentum the #1 brokerage in Northeast Florida within five years. And we are just getting started."

To find out more about Momentum or set up a private one-on-one consultation with leadership, visit MoveWithMomentum.com.