Recruiting Insight Reports Key Reasons for Agent Departures in Q3 2026

SEATTLE, Oct. 20, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Recruiting Insight, a firm that helps residential real estate brokerages recruit, hire, and retain agents, has released its latest Agent Migration and Brokerage Model Performance Report for Q3 2026. The report, which tracks 109,176 producing agents and $688.6 billion in annualized sales across four of the nation's largest multiple listing services, reveals key insights into why agents leave their brokerages and how brokers can identify and address potential departures.

According to the report, one in eight producing real estate agents changes brokerages each year. This means a brokerage with 100 agents should plan to replace about 12 agents annually. The report also found that 35 out of every 100 recruits had no closing in the quarter after they joined, and only four had moved again. This suggests that a significant portion of new hires do not immediately contribute to the brokerage's performance.

The report highlights that 41% of the production that changes firms is carried by the top 10% of movers. Additionally, agents who changed firms in the past year are 1.7 times more likely to move again. The real warning signs, however, are not in the numbers but in the agent's history and the environment around them. When an office loses 20% or more of its agents to rivals, the agents left behind are nearly twice as likely to follow. Mark D. Johnson, Managing Partner of Recruiting Insight and author of the report, emphasized that brokers should focus on identifying these signals and creating a watch list to reach at-risk agents before they decide to leave.

Money is one of eight reasons agents leave, according to the report. Exit interviews surfaced eight drivers, including leadership direction, training, culture, and compensation. Five of these factors never show up in closing data, so brokers can only learn about them by asking. The report also reveals that the biggest winners drew nearly 40% of their recruits from two rivals. Lone Wolf Technologies, a North American leader in residential real estate software, added 131 net agents in Q3, its eighth straight quarter of gains. Franchise brands have lost agents in all eight quarters tracked, though their losses are narrowing. Independents gained production from national brands for seven straight quarters before a one-quarter blip in Q3, when four large exits briefly reversed the flow; the momentum still favors independents.

The report also notes that the biggest producers are moving more. In Q3, 87 agents producing $20 million or more a year changed firms, the most in eight quarters and up from 73 in Q3 2025. Despite the overall decline in total moves, about $14.4 billion in annualized production changed firms in Q3 alone. The full report includes a scoreboard for 13 major brands, 13 questions answered with recommended actions, and a 90-day plan for brokerages.

The findings suggest that brokers should focus on understanding the history and environment of their agents to predict and prevent departures.

The full report, including the 13 major brands as descriptive personas, is now available at Recruiting Insight's website.