Why I stopped running an agency — and started selling again

Why I stopped running an agency — and started selling again

For years I carried the cost of running my own agency and brokerage. Office rent, staff, systems, marketing, insurance, fidelity fund certificates — it easily ran into the tens of thousands of rand every month, whether we'd had a good month or not.

The money was only part of it. The admin took the rest. Holding principal status with the PPRA means you're responsible for compliance across the whole business. Trust accounts need constant attention. Annual audits need preparation, paperwork and patience. None of it is optional, and none of it sells a single property.

Here's what I learned: if you're a strong salesperson and an entrepreneur at heart, every hour spent on compliance and overheads is an hour not spent meeting people, listing homes and building relationships. The business owns you, instead of the other way around.

At eXp Realty I still run my own business — but without the brick-and-mortar costs or the weight of carrying the principal's load alone. The tech stack, the training and the support are already there. My time goes back to where it earns: people, properties and networking.

If you're running your own agency and quietly wondering whether it's still worth it, I'd be glad to have an honest, no-pressure conversation. Sometimes the smartest move is to keep the entrepreneurship and drop the overheads.

— Mike Walters, eXp Realty South Africa