The Exchange: Kuba Jewgieniew, Founder and CEO, Realty ONE Group
After launching his real estate career in 2004, Kuba Jewgieniew saw an opportunity to challenge the industry’s traditional brokerage model. He founded Realty ONE Group in 2005 with a 100%-commission model designed to put real estate professionals at the center of the business. Today, the company has grown into a global brand with more than 20,000 professionals across 450-plus locations in nearly 30 countries.
In this edition of The Exchange, Jewgieniew discusses how Realty ONE Group is using technology and AI to support agents without sacrificing the personal relationships that drive real estate transactions. He also shares his perspective on improving agent-lender collaboration, serving equity-rich and older buyers, navigating affordability challenges, and preparing for a potential resurgence in housing demand.
Q: You built Realty ONE Group in 2005 on a 100%-commission model. Looking back, what part of that original bet do you think the industry still hasn’t fully caught up to?
Jewgieniew: The commission split, 100%-commission model, was only one of the reasons I created Realty ONE Group. The bigger bet was that real estate professionals are entrepreneurs, not employees, and that if you treat them that way, give them a real business they own, and support them along the way, they’ll build something bigger than any brokerage could build for them.
A lot of the industry copied the model but can’t truly replicate and execute the philosophy behind it. You can’t cut splits and call it innovation if you’re not also investing in the coaching, technology, and support that makes agents achieve greater success faster.
That’s the part I don’t think the traditional brokerage playbook has caught up to yet: agent ownership isn’t a threat to the business because they are the business.
About Realty ONE Group International
Realty ONE Group International is one of the fastest growing, modern, purpose-driven lifestyle brands in real estate whose ONE Purpose is to open doors across the globe – ONE home, ONE dream, ONE life at a time. The organization has rapidly grown to more than 20,000 real estate professionals in over 450 locations across nearly 30 countries and territories because of its proven business model, full-service brokerages, dynamic COOLTURE, superior business coaching through ONE University, outstanding support and its proprietary technology, ZONE. Realty ONE Group International has been named the number ONE real estate brand by Entrepreneur Magazine for three consecutive years and continues to surge ahead, opening doors, not only for its clients but for real estate professionals and franchise owners. To learn more, visit www.RealtyONEGroup.com.
