Editor’s note: The following is the September cover story in RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine.
In 2000, HomeSmart entered the real estate space with a clear and compelling mission: to give agents more control, more transparency and more efficiency in their day-to-day business. At the time, most brokerages offered high splits, little to no technology and limited guidance on compliance or how to get paid. Agents were left to navigate fragmented processes with minimal support.
As an agent himself, Matt Widdows had seen firsthand just how much time and income agents lost to outdated systems and disjointed operations. He had also worked under one of the early conceptual flat-fee models in the 1990s—Dan Schwartz Realty—and saw enormous potential in evolving the idea into a more modern, tech-enabled brokerage experience.
That simple idea sparked the creation of HomeSmart: What if agents could keep 100% of their commission dollars, operate from professional, well-equipped offices and have the benefit of powerful, tech-enabled tools—all without sacrificing support?
It was a model that caught on quickly. And in 2008, the journey came full circle when HomeSmart acquired Dan Schwartz Realty, the very company that had influenced its foundation.
Serving as home base for over 25,000 agents across nearly every state, HomeSmart has consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally on RISMedia’s Power Broker Report, and has been No. 1 in Phoenix by volume, units sold and agent count for 13 years and counting.
Leading with 100%
2025 has presented a somewhat stagnant housing market, with stubborn mortgage rates and low inventory. Facing these obstacles—along with shifting regulations, legal concerns and leaps in technology—many agents have left the industry altogether. Those who stayed are confronting lower production and increased time and financial commitments to marketing their services.
Traditional split models not only remove 10% – 30% of an agent’s commission from play—they also typically tack on transaction fees and other “junk” charges, further eroding income and slowing down wealth-building at a time when every deal counts.
Many agents who made the leap to revenue-share brokerages aren’t faring much better. Statistically, only around 5% of agents participating in revenue-share programs make more than $1,000 annually—and often continue to pay a commission split plus transaction and additional fees. On top of that, many devote a significant amount of time and energy to recruiting and managing a downline, which can distract from the core of their business.
Conversely, Widdows fervently believes that giving agents 100% commission is the first step to putting more power in their hands to shape their own careers.
“Allowing agents to keep more of their hard-earned commission gives them the power to invest those saved dollars where they choose—whether that be in their own brand marketing, an assistant or even an investment into a rental property to help build their personal wealth, which they otherwise may not have been able to,” says the CEO.
And in today’s market especially, agents need to capitalize on every sale and every commission dollar that they can.
“We’re in one of the toughest markets I’ve ever seen, and it blows my mind when I see agents giving away excessive commission dollars to their brokerage that could otherwise be used by the agent for their own purposes in a time when every dollar counts,” adds Widdows.
“The real estate market has gone through some really significant shifts, and agents are feeling that pressure,” says HomeSmart Chief Operating Officer Katie Cooper, who explains that now, more than ever, agents need more of their commission.
“As markets tighten, our model further showcases just how important it is to be with a brokerage that puts agents first. And that doesn’t have to come at the cost of their hard-earned commission dollars,” she adds. “They need to know that they have a brokerage that won’t just weather the storm with them, but will also help them navigate it more competently.”
While giving agents what they need to succeed both now and in the future is the overarching premise under which the model—powered by technology and systems—operates, HomeSmart Chief Industry Officer Todd Sumney notes that today’s market is continually presenting new obstacles for agents and their
consumers.
“HomeSmart was formed because agents deserve it,” says Sumney, who wholeheartedly believes that agents need HomeSmart’s 100% model, dedicated leadership and support now more than ever. “Not only do the agents do the majority of the work, but they’re the ones who have the relationships. And they’re running a business within a brokerage—and they need a brokerage that understands this and provides the environment to succeed.”
Leading with 100% is more than just a mantra at HomeSmart, setting the tone for other methods of empowerment across the board.
Investing heavily in innovations to give agents an edge when others are pulling back, HomeSmart has been modifying and perfecting its model over the last quarter century in order to continue to grow and provide agents with the tools to thrive in any market.
Dedication to leadership and support
Throughout 2024 and into 2025, there has been an imperative need to guide agents through a period of uncertainty and change: shifting NAR regulations amid legal challenges, inflation, shifting consumer perspectives, the affordability crisis, etc. Many agents found themselves questioning how to proceed with their business goals, or questioning their careers in general.
HomeSmart’s response was to tackle this head-on with consistent communication from leadership, with Widdows himself providing updates to the community as events unfolded, and broker teams doubling down on phone calls, emails, text messages and even in-person consultations. Senior leadership collaborated on new consumer guides, workshops and resources for agents to use with their clients, to walk them through new processes and procedures.
All of this amounts to a reflex of HomeSmart’s agent-first commitment that has persisted from the company’s inception.
“Our agent-first commitment is the foundation of HomeSmart—and it’s exactly what will propel us into the future,” says Widdows.
Doubling down on its agent-first commitment and leaning into market changes begins with making bold decisions in order to give agents the freedom, flexibility and powerful systems they need to adapt quickly and thrive in any environment.
“The future belongs to agile, empowered agents backed by a brokerage that puts them first,” adds Widdows, pointing to the brokers, support teams and corporate staff behind the technology and systems who bring everything together and deliver exceptional service at scale.
But even with dialed-in automated processes, the linchpin to HomeSmart’s entire support structure remains its live team members. When agents and brokers call in, they find real people on the other end of the line, with an impressive 97% of calls answered without going to voicemail.
Committed to making agents’ lives easier so that they can focus on selling homes and serving their clients, HomeSmart’s broker support ranks high among agent satisfaction levels—and is often cited in surveys as a top reason agents either join or return to HomeSmart.
“We’re often told by our franchise partners and agents that we’re extremely accessible, and that our support teams are fantastic,” says Cooper, underscoring the importance of finding new and innovative ways to continue to grow while keeping that support intact.
Across the system, brokers strive to make themselves available and foster close working relationships with agents, nurturing a supportive, collaborative community where everyone is invested in each other’s success.
“We know that agents wake up every single day with a choice of which brokerage they want to partner with, so it’s our job as a leadership team to ensure that HomeSmart continues to be their brokerage of choice for years to come,” adds Cooper.
Having joined the company one year ago, HomeSmart Vice President of Marketing Lauren Fox has had her ear to the ground from the get-go to determine what today’s agents are seeking when looking for a model—and in a much more narrow scope, what HomeSmart agents are saying.
“Having been in and around the industry for a number of years, I know what companies promise, but at HomeSmart, we’re truly committed to making agents’ lives easier by removing any and all friction in order to optimize the process,” says Fox.
“By listening to our agents, we’re giving them the power they want and deserve,” adds Sumney. “Not only do we ask for feedback on a daily basis, but we also listen and take action on both the easy items and hard challenges.
“We want to affect and help and benefit as many agents as possible,” he adds, “and so we’re 100% committed to learning, adapting aggressively, executing initiatives and providing continual innovation.”
All-inclusive business tools
HomeSmart’s RealSmart Agent and RealSmart Broker all-in-one platforms have been the backbone of the brokerage’s operational efficiency, and staples of the product suite offered to professionals at no additional cost.
RealSmart Agent houses everything from transaction management and day-to-day tasks to marketing and beyond, while RealSmart Broker gives franchise partners a base for transaction review, recruiting, marketing, accounting and productivity tracking.
HomeSmart Client and HomeSmart Agent mobile apps give consumers and agents (respectively) transparency into transactions and provide opportunities to connect, collaborate and eventually conduct business.
Over the years, these systems have been refined and built upon in the spirit of providing agents and brokers the resources and tools they need to run their business without the burden of additional platforms or operating costs.
“What’s special about HomeSmart is that we have our own proprietary technology, which allows us to invest in meaningful innovation and stay true to who we are,” says Cooper. “We don’t have to chase the next best thing. We can continue to be on purpose about what we’re changing, what we’re shifting and what we’re coming out with next that actually has a purpose for our agents.”
In fact, HomeSmart’s all-inclusive tech ecosystem plays a critical role in helping both agents and the brokerage operate with speed and
precision.
“From digital transaction management to eSign to our Marketing Design Center, we’ve built a platform that eliminates friction and empowers agents to focus on what they do best,” says Widdows.
Enhancing agent capabilities even further through smart integrations (see sidebar on page 29), RPR data has been directly embedded into the RealSmart Agent platform to give agents instant property insights and reports, while SmartSigns connect yard signage to real-time listing data and lead capture tools, helping agents respond faster and win more business.
“All of these tools are connected through a seamless backend that allows us to support thousands of agents with exceptional consistency. That operational efficiency is what makes our model scalable, cost-effective and incredibly agent-centric,” adds Widdows.
Focus on the future: what’s next
In October, HomeSmart will host its annual Growth Summit event in Scottsdale, minutes from company headquarters and right in the heart of the Valley where it all began 25 years earlier.
Agents attending the event will have a lot to celebrate—decades of growth and success, an enduring community, a legacy of innovation and change and just perhaps…a glimpse of what shape the brand will take in years to come.
And while HomeSmart has rocked the industry by scaling the nation’s first 100% model, one thing is certain: the HomeSmart team isn’t resting on its laurels. It’s eager to prove it knows the 100% model better than anyone, and is ready to lead the charge to adapt it to meet the needs of agents in today’s market, and beyond.
“It’s exciting to be part of a team that, rather than being satisfied with the status quo, continues to challenge one another while seeking out new opportunities,” says Sumney.
“HomeSmart has built something really special, but we’re done being the best-kept secret,” concludes Fox, who is laser-focused on ensuring everything they put out into the market reinforces their identity as a modern, agent-first brokerage that leads with innovation. “I’m ready to spill the beans and make sure agents, consumers and the industry as a whole know who we are and why we’re a leader in our space.”
Continual innovation
There’s a saying in the industry: “Technology won’t replace agents, but agents who use technology will replace those who don’t.” Currently, AI and automation are huge focal areas for new tools and integrations—and HomeSmart is doubling down on both.
Earlier this year, HomeSmart brought on a new senior product leader to spearhead the integration of AI into the company’s core transaction processes and proprietary agent portal. This initiative is now underway, with a strong focus on enhancing speed, accuracy and overall user experience through intelligent automation. From simplifying documentation workflows to embedding smart prompts and communication tools, these enhancements aim to help agents work faster, smarter and more efficiently—without added complexity.
Several high-impact products have launched in 2025, reinforcing the company’s reputation for forward-thinking innovation:
New marketing design center
The most impactful release of 2025 so far has been the launch of HomeSmart’s new MLS-integrated, feature-packed Marketing Design Center platform. Housing powerful AI and data automation, this new studio completely transforms the real estate marketing experience.
HomeSmart was able to deliver everything agents and brokers had been requesting, and then some: an intuitive, user-friendly design interface, a copyright-free image and music library, video editing, social media and email integrations, QR-code generation, AI content and image editing and much more.
It also takes property marketing to the next level with automated listing packages that can be generated instantly from any MLS listing—customizable bundles of flyers, social media posts, mailers, emails and more—all created in seconds.
The launch was highly anticipated by HomeSmart’s franchise partners as well, since the additional integrations and editing functionality allow owners to effortlessly copy and customize campaign templates to supplement and boost their own recruiting, retention and consumer marketing efforts.
eSign contract management
With the launch of eSign in HomeSmart’s SmartDocs contract management tool, agents now have the ability to upload, map and prepare any document for signature.
Agents can assign signees, schedule reminders, pre-set expiration dates and add additional recipients like team leads or transaction assistants for maximum transparency.
This new feature, also now available on the HomeSmart Agent mobile app, eliminates the need for any third-party eSignature subscriptions like DocuSign and allows users to immediately and securely attach documents to a transaction once signed.
RPR integration
HomeSmart is the first national brokerage to integrate data from Realtors Property Resource® (RPR), one of the largest, most extensive property databases covering over 160 million residential and commercial U.S. properties to provide agents with invaluable analytical power, directly into its RealSmart Agent platform.
Licensed Realtors®, who are members of the National Association of Realtors®, can access their free RPR accounts via single sign-on through their dashboard and instantly generate key property reports through embedded deep links in their listings view.
SmartSigns
These innovative “scan/tap” yard signs employ QR code and NFC (near field communication) technology to give prospective homebuyers immediate access to property details and photos.
Users are directed to HomeNearMe.com, which uses geolocation technology to pull up the listing and connect them to the listing agent. Shoppers can also use this tool to view nearby listings from any location.
For more information, please visit https://homesmart.com.
