An independent team of real estate agents — founded by a former Keller Williams executive — is joining forces with one of the nation's largest brokerages.
The Heller The Home Seller team and eXp Realty announced their partnership Tuesday. The team of 17 agents is "known for its consistency and performance" in the San Diego area, with more than 100 sales each year for the past three decades, according to a news release.
The team's founder, Chris Heller, said "the idea of joining forces has been on the table" since Leo Pareja, now CEO of eXp Realty, started at the company in 2022.
“What drew me in wasn’t just the momentum — it was the model, the structure, the leadership, and most of all, the culture," he said in a statement. "Aligning with a platform built for the future and locking arms with leaders like Leo Pareja — who are driven to innovate, grow, and raise the bar for the entire industry — is great.”
EXp is combating agent attrition with new recruiting strategy
The announcement comes just days before eXp is expected to share an update on its performance during the second quarter of the year. Its last report revealed softer-than-expected earnings and a decline in the number of agents at the brand.
At the time, Pareja said eXp was focused on productivity rather than agent count. Part of that strategy included onboarding teams of agents instead of individuals.
Since then, the brokerage has announced the addition of several teams across the United States. For example, in May, eXp added a team of agents in Arizona, and in June, it tapped a top-producing Southern California one.
Whether the strategy has paid off in productivity and agent retention, though, is yet unknown.