Should you be at a big brokerage or a small one? Most of the advice on this comes from brokerages, including me. So let's start with the data and be honest about what it can and can't tell you.

The National Association of REALTORS® asked firms whether agent retention is one of their biggest challenges over the next two years. In its October 2026 analysis, the answer climbed with size:

• Firms with 1 to 10 licensees: 8%
• Firms with 26 to 99 licensees: 45%
• Firms with 500 or more licensees: 53%
• Single-office firms: 14%. Firms with three offices: 44%.
• Firms doing $500 million to $1 billion a year: 57%

Firms with more offices also reported more departures. In 2024, firms with three offices reported a median of two agents leaving. Firms with four or more offices reported a median of four.

I'm Rob Bergeron, Owner–Realtor of Winner Realty, a 7-agent independent brokerage in Louisville. I've worked at big shops and small ones. Here's how I'd read this.

What the numbers mean, and what they don't

A small firm has fewer agents to lose, so it naturally worries less about losing them. That doesn't prove small brokerages are better places to work. What it does show is where the churn lives. Big, multi-office, high-volume firms are constantly gaining and losing people.

It also matches where agents are landing. A Q3 2026 report from Recruiting Insight and Lone Wolf Technologies found 53% of agents who leave national brands end up at independent firms. And according to NAR's 2026 Member Profile, as reported by RISMedia, 53% of Realtors already work for an independent company.

What a big brokerage does well

• Name recognition, especially with relocation and out-of-town buyers
• Structured training programs for brand-new agents
• Large referral networks across markets
• Lots of in-house services under one roof

If you're in your first year and want a classroom, a big firm can be a fine place to start.

What a small brokerage does well

• You can reach the broker, and the owner, directly
• Decisions happen fast, and policies can bend for real situations
• You aren't one of hundreds competing for the same company leads
• The culture is the people you actually work with every day

The tradeoff is real. A small firm has to be honest about what it can't provide, and you should ask it directly.

Questions that matter more than size

• Who answers when a deal is falling apart at 7 p.m.?
• Where do leads come from, how many are there, and what do they cost you?
• What do you pay every month, whether or not you close?
• What support do you get from contract to close?
• How many agents left last year, and why?

That last one is fair to ask any firm. Here's my full list: Questions to Ask a Brokerage Before You Join.

Where Winner Realty fits

We're small on purpose. Seven agents, one office, licensed in Kentucky and Indiana. What we try to do is give a small-firm agent the reach of a bigger one:

• Residential and commercial leads in your inbox every morning at 6:30, without buying portal leads
• A commercial arm, Winner Commercial, for agents who want to work 2+ unit and commercial deals
• Broker support from Lisa Tucker and contract-to-close support from our COO, Colleen Reilly
• Extra income streams through Winner Services
• Three pay plans, from 100% at $595 a month down to a 60/40 plan at $50 a month

Book a time with me here, or text or email me at (502) 305-8915 or Rob@thewinnerrealty.com. You can see all three of our plans on our Join page.

For the bigger picture, read Why Real Estate Agents Switch Brokerages: What the 2026 Data Shows.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to work at a small or large real estate brokerage?

It depends on what you need. Large firms offer brand recognition and structured training. Small firms offer direct access to leadership and more flexibility. NAR data shows retention worries are far lower at small firms (8% of firms with 1 to 10 licensees vs. 53% with 500 or more), but small firms also have fewer agents to lose.

Do agents leave big brokerages more often?

Big firms see more departures in raw numbers. In 2024, NAR found firms with four or more offices reported a median of four agents leaving, compared with two at firms with three offices. Bigger and higher-volume firms are also more likely to call retention a top challenge.

Where do agents go when they leave a national brand?

Mostly to independents. A Q3 2026 report from Recruiting Insight and Lone Wolf Technologies found 53% of agents who leave national brands land at independent firms.