“A large portion of a REALTOR’S® commission is paid to her/his brokerage!” This is myth. Twenty some years ago REALTORS® paid hefty commission splits, upwards of 30%, to their brokerage; however, this is not the case anymore. The majority of successful REALTORS® pay a rather small fee to their brokerage on every transaction.
For example, I work at Fair Realty in Victoria, B.C. and I pay $150/month for something called a “desk fee” to my brokerage. In addition to that I pay $250 per transaction; whether the commission is $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 I pay the same $250 transaction fee to my brokerage.
In fact, the 6th largest brokerage in all of Canada, Right At Home Realty Inc., also charges a similar amount: $79 per month, $275 per transaction, 100% commission. Right at Home Realty Inc. started in 2004 and has grown every year to over 2,300 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area. You can look at what they offer to REALTORS® on their website -> http://www.joinrightathome.com/