Left to save the 30% split, spent most of it on being my own broker

Short version for anyone thinking about this. I was on a 70/30 doing about $120k of gross commission a year, so I was handing over roughly $36k. That number sat in my head for a year until I did something about it.

Got my broker license, opened a one-person shop. Here's what the year actually cost. MLS participation and association dues as a firm rather than an agent, about $2,600. E&O policy in my own name, $3,100. Entity setup and the accountant who does the returns, $2,400. Bookkeeping and a compliance filing service, $3,600. Business insurance and workers comp because I eventually took on an assistant, $2,900. Signage, website, phone, another $2,200. Around $17k before I've spent one hour on anything.

The part I didn't price was the coordinator I no longer had. My old shop reviewed every file and caught things. I closed 13 deals and I personally chased every signature, every disclosure, every deadline. Two deals nearly fell out because I was the only backstop.

Supervision and trust account rules vary a lot by state and mine has specific requirements about record retention and who can sign what, so check yours with someone licensed there before you assume it looks like mine.

So I saved $36k, spent $17k, and gave up maybe 100 hours of selling time to admin. It roughly washed. What I'd do differently is only make this move with a plan to add agents, because a solo brokerage is just a more expensive version of being an agent.