Is it really different from other brokerages … or is it just hype? We asked one of Momentum’s new agents, Katie.* She became a realtor in March 2019, worked at a 100% commission brokerage for two months, and then joined a large, independent brokerage last spring. Katie switched to Momentum last month, based on word-of-mouth from other agents who had made the move.  Here’s what she shared:

“I felt like an employee … now I’m my own boss.”

Katie’s old brokerage offered the benefits of training, systems, paid leads, and other essentials, so she could just plug in her business. But there were costs, both financial and personal.

“Everything was very structured. I was required to be in the office a lot, including during specific hours each day. I had to make a minimum number of prospecting calls, including on weekends, and to check in with a progress report every weekday. I was even told what questions I could and couldn’t ask potential buyers on the first call.”

“I was so busy opening doors, and using the phones, and writing contracts, that I didn’t have much time to really work on my business,” she added. “Although I was an independent contractor, I was really more like an employee.”

Katie felt Momentum offered a team platform without those overwhelming obligations. “I can join in Momentum’s weekly team huddles or take their training, or not. I do the same types of things I did at my old brokerage, but it’s on my own schedule and when I need to do it.”

“Jon and Brittany are truly such family-oriented people; you can tell that they care more about their daughter than anything in the world,” continued Katie, who also has a young child. “It made me think about how a big reason we all got into this as agents was to have our own schedules, to be flexible, and have more free time with family. I had been losing sight of that. Now I have that freedom.”

“What mainly struck my interest in Momentum was getting all my money.”

Katie’s not gonna lie: she was largely drawn to Momentum by the chance to keep more of her money. She didn’t want to continue paying half of her commissions to her old broker, but she also didn’t want to return to the impersonal experience she’d had with her first 100% commission brokerage.

“I was just a number in the system for that other 100% commission brokerage, and I didn’t want to go back to that,” she explained. “I wanted a partnership and team aspect, but without the burdensome obligations of my last brokerage. At Momentum, I have training and team camaraderie, and I’m with other like-minded people. I also can call or text for help from Jon and Brittany; I really feel like they want to help, and that wasn’t the vibe I got at my other brokerage. Now I feel like I have a partner, but they aren’t taking half my commission plus fees. For me, that’s a win-win.”

“The best part of Momentum is that Jon and Brittany want us to work smarter, not harder.”

“At my old place, they didn’t want us to ask a prospective buyer, on the first call, whether they were already working with another agent or if they were financially pre-qualified. I wasted so much time shooting in the dark. Now I can get that important information upfront. It’s so much more efficient.”

“Jon and Brittany are very big on not wasting your time,” Katie continued. “For example, I’d never seen a Buyer Loyalty Agreement before. Once they taught me about theirs, and I started using it, it’s been amazing. I used to waste so much time with people who would go with another agent for whatever reason.”

“Jon is a numbers guy, so Momentum is big into numbers and doing everything off that,” Katie pointed out. “Jon and Brittany were financial bankers, so that’s how they do their business. They’re very calculated and exact for a reason -- because they need to be. They helped me get into that frame of mind, to be sure I calculate everything, and write down my goals, and get things done.”

Katie said she doesn’t love doing “the back end of things,” but now sees that it’s necessary. “It’s not stressful, but it’s new. And it feels more like I’m an entrepreneur now.”

“I got more value out of Momentum’s first training session than I did out of all the training I got at my old brokerage.”

“Jon does things in a smart, calculated way,” Katie noted. “He hires smart people, and he gives us value. He shows us how to do it. We all say that the very first training where Jon brought someone in [a nationally known strength finder expert] was amazing. I learned more in that one-hour call than in the whole time with my old brokerage.”

“My income will be higher and I’ll have more family time.”

“I will make more money with Momentum because I won’t have to split my commissions. I did 16 transactions last year and if I do that this year-- although I hope to do even more—I’ll almost double my income.”

“The thing is, Jon and Brittany have been successful agents. They have sold the hundreds of houses I want to sell.  I don’t think my previous brokers were selling the number of homes that they wanted their agents to sell.”

Katie is not under a team with Momentum, but she informally partners with another Momentum agent to share costs. She is interested in some of Momentum’s optional programs, such as its Focus customer touch program, but since it’s only her first month, she hasn’t yet checked them out.   

“If you already have some experience, there is no better place than Momentum.”

Katie’s advice for agents considering moving to Momentum? “Be sure to come with some capital. When you move over, you may want to start with buying some Internet leads. Like Jon tells us, you can’t use Internet leads forever, but they can help you work toward a referral business. That’s what they have done.”

“Teams like at my prior brokerage are good when you’re new,” Katie said. “But they’re not sustainable. Once you get experience, Momentum is the best choice.”

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*Out of consideration for her previous brokerage, we aren’t using our agent’s real name. But if you have questions or would like more information about “Katie’s” experience, contact Jon at  (904) 570-1216.