I was a Compass agent. There are talented people there and I respect the agents who built their businesses under that brand. But in 2025, more and more of those agents are calling me. Not because of the off-market controversy (though that is real). They are calling because the numbers stopped making sense.
What does a Compass agent actually keep?
Compass does not offer a commission cap. That means no matter how much you produce, you never hit a ceiling where you keep 100% of your commissions. Standard Compass splits run 80/20 at best for top producers, with new or mid-level agents on worse terms. Add E&O (Errors and Omissions) insurance fees, transaction fees, and desk fees, and the actual take-home on a $12,000 commission check is often $8,500 or less before your own business expenses.
At eXp, there is a cap. Once you hit it, you are at 100% for the rest of your anniversary year. That shift in income is not incremental. For a team doing 20-30 transactions a year, it is tens of thousands of dollars.
What does a Compass agent own?
At Compass, you work for Compass. Your CRM data, your pipeline, your branding — all of it lives inside their platform and under their corporate umbrella. The tools are nice. The branding is sleek. But none of it is yours.
When I made the move to eXp and launched the Shaina McAndrews Team under MontCo Living, I owned my business for the first time. My brand. My database. My systems. If I ever chose to move again, everything I built comes with me.
What is the corporate feel really like?
Compass has grown into a large corporate brokerage. That comes with layers of management, corporate directives, and decisions made at a national level that affect your local business. The culture that may have attracted you when you joined changes as the company scales.
Independently branded teams at eXp operate differently. There is no corporate culture to conform to. You build the culture you want for your clients and your agents.
Why I launched my own team instead of just switching brokerages
The move to eXp was not just about the splits. It was about building something with equity and upside. eXp has a revenue share model that means agents I bring onto the platform generate passive income for me over time. I also received stock in the company at closing. My business is not just a job anymore. It has actual long-term value.
Launching the Shaina McAndrews Team gave me the ability to set my own standards, hire agents who share my values, and build a brand in Montgomery County that is distinctly mine. We have planted over 1,000 trees through our transactions, built a team of talented agents across PA and NJ, and created a business I am genuinely proud of.
Is this the right move for every agent?
No. If you love the Compass tech stack and the split works for your volume, that is a legitimate choice. But if you are doing solid production and watching a significant portion of every commission walk out the door with no cap in sight, it is worth running the math.
If you are feeling like just another agent at a corporate brokerage instead of a business owner, it is worth a conversation.
Thinking about making a move?
I am happy to walk you through exactly how the numbers work at eXp versus where you are now. No pressure, no pitch — just a real conversation about whether it makes sense for you.
Or visit: montcoliving.com/join-team
