As brokerages consolidate and new models reshape the industry, team leaders face a growing challenge: scaling without giving up control.
For many of HomeSmart’s most successful team leads, the answer is finding the right balance between autonomy and support.
“The 100% model gives us the ability to control expenses and compensation…We want our agents to make money.”
For Bill and Kim Bisset, founders of The Bisset Team, finding a brokerage model that supports growth without compromising independence was a priority. It paid off: in seven years, the team grew from two to 22 agents, and is HomeSmart’s top-ranked team in Ohio.
Bill Bissett says having operational control means more than profit: it’s essential for long-term goals.
He explains, “The business model, the fee structure…it allows us to have freedom, grow and build our brand. My whole family is on the team. Leaving a legacy…that’s pretty important.”
“Why not create a model that empowers agents to be the star of their own business?”
Second generation Arizona REALTOR® Phil Sexton brought over 20 years of experience to the founding of his team, NEXT, choosing HomeSmart for its agent-first approach. A long-time team leader and mentor, he knows building an individual identity — even as part of a team — is essential to success.
“I don’t want my last name to be the star. I want the brand to be the REALTOR® — the one that has trust with their database,” he says. “A lot of clients have no idea who the team is. They know who the agent is.”
For Sexton, brand autonomy is non-negotiable. “Everything we do is to help agents build their business.”
“We’re able to see individual agent production — so we can hold them accountable.”
As teams grow, centralized technology can reduce administrative burden and create operational consistency.
Recently named a 2026 Inman Future Leader in Real Estate, Ujjal “Breeze” Singh and his brother Raj built Team Singh, now 20 agents strong, from the ground up in their Sacramento, CA market.
Singh points out that HomeSmart’s RealSmart Agent platform is designed with transparency in mind — offering teams access to the same in-depth and real-time insight behind brokerage-level operations, so they can analyze every aspect of their business.
“I can check everything in one place, approve commissions and see which of my team members are producing,” he says. This helps him evaluate which agents may need additional coaching.
Or, “If there are kudos to be given, we can give that.”
The tech also streamlines marketing. Kate Swensen of the CORE Home Team, HomeSmart’s number one team in Colorado, explains that HomeSmart’s Marketing Design Center saves her agents time and effort.
“You have your headshot and team logo already uploaded — It takes five minutes to make a flyer,” she says.
“It saves time…I’m able to do things the way I want without thinking too hard about it.”
“I love collaborating with other teams around the country”
From broker guidance on transactions and compliance to a nationwide peer network, accessible expertise helps teams navigate market challenges.
Retired LA County Deputy Sheriff Davin Emmons created Davin Emmons & Associates to improve work-life balance, but found something more at HomeSmart: a community.
“From top to bottom, it’s a family feel,” Emmons, a HomeSmart Top 50 agent, explains. “That’s how I run my organization as well.”
A coast-to-coast network of team leaders has proven invaluable in employing strategic business tactics. “We bounce ideas off one another. The opportunity to collaborate nationally is so important because something going on in Arizona may not have made it to California yet, and it might give me a tactical advantage,” he shares.
As modern teams evolve, success increasingly depends on finding a model that balances independence with support.
For many HomeSmart leaders, that’s exactly what they’ve found.
“It feels like home,” Emmons said.
Learn more about how HomeSmart supports independent teams in a shifting real estate landscape.
Founded in 2000 with a revolutionary 100%-commission, full-service model, HomeSmart is a top national real estate enterprise powered by its proprietary end-to-end technology platform. HomeSmart exists to unlock the transformative power of real estate for everyone, providing integrated solutions to agents, franchise partners and, ultimately, consumers.
HomeSmart’s footprint covers over 25,000 agents across 250+ offices in 48 states.
