Key takeaways:
- eXp Realty offers higher commission splits, no brick-and-mortar overhead, and a revenue share model that traditional brokerages simply do not have.
- Traditional brokerages offer in-person offices and local brand recognition, but agents typically keep less of each commission and have no path to passive income.
- For Peoria agents evaluating a move, the right sponsor matters as much as the brokerage itself — your sponsor determines the mentorship, training, and systems you actually get access to.
- Riley Hextell, ranked #1 at eXp Realty Illinois for total transactions in 2025 and top 50 of 80,000-plus agents companywide, sponsors agents across Illinois and nationwide.
For Peoria agents comparing options, the core differences come down to four things: how much of each commission you keep, what tools and training you receive, whether you have any path to income beyond your own deals, and who is actually in your corner helping you grow. eXp Realty wins on the first three by a meaningful margin. Whether it wins on the fourth depends entirely on the sponsor you choose when you join.
What eXp Realty Actually Offers Agents
eXp Realty is a cloud-based brokerage, which means there is no physical office you are required to maintain or pay desk fees to access. The business model is built around agents keeping more of what they earn, collaborating across a virtual platform called eXp World, and participating in a revenue share program that creates income streams independent of any single transaction.
The core financials work like this: agents start at an 80/20 split and cap at a set amount each year, after which they move to a 100 percent split for the remainder of that anniversary year. That cap resets annually. Once capped, agents pay only a small per-transaction fee. Compare that to how most traditional brokerages in Peoria structure deals — splits that may never fully favor the agent, desk fees regardless of production, and no mechanism for building income outside of closed deals.
Beyond the split, eXp gives agents access to kvCORE (a robust CRM and lead-gen platform), Skyslope for transaction management, the full curriculum of eXp University with live and on-demand training, and an equity stake in the company through the ICON agent program for those who hit production targets. These are infrastructure tools that independent agents or agents at smaller traditional shops would otherwise pay for out of pocket or go without entirely.
How Traditional Brokerages in Peoria Compare
Traditional brokerages — whether a local independent shop, a regional franchise, or a national brand with a Peoria office — offer real advantages that are worth naming honestly. You get a physical office to meet clients, face-to-face collaboration with local colleagues, and the brand recognition that comes with an established name in the market. For brand-new agents who want to walk into a building, sit next to experienced people, and absorb culture organically, that environment has genuine value.
The trade-off is financial. Most traditional brokerages collect a portion of every commission indefinitely. Even at competitive splits, you are typically paying desk fees, E&O fees, technology fees, and franchise fees that chip away at what you net per transaction. And when you have a great year, there is no compounding effect — your income is linear, tied directly to how many deals you close yourself.
There is also a ceiling on growth that the traditional model does not address. If you want to build a team, mentor newer agents, or create income that is not entirely dependent on your own production volume, a conventional brokerage structure does not offer a path there. The revenue share model at eXp does.
The Revenue Share Advantage
This is the structural difference most agents at traditional brokerages do not realize they are missing until they see the math modeled out. At eXp, when you sponsor an agent into the company — meaning they join and list you as their sponsor — you earn a portion of eXp's take on that agent's transactions. This is not a pyramid scheme and it is not income taken from the sponsored agent's commission; it comes from eXp's share. It extends up to seven tiers of agents you have directly or indirectly brought into the company.
For a Peoria agent who closes 20 to 30 transactions a year and also mentors or refers a few productive agents into eXp, that revenue share can meaningfully supplement take-home income over time. It also creates a retirement conversation that traditional brokerages never have — if you step back from production, your revenue share continues as long as the agents you brought in are active.
You can also explore eXp's stock award program, which allows agents to receive company equity as part of their compensation, and the ICON agent program that can result in your full cap being returned in stock if you hit the qualifying production threshold.
What You Actually Get Under Riley Hextell's Sponsorship
Choosing eXp is one decision. Choosing who sponsors you is a separate, equally important one. Your sponsor does not take anything from your commission — they are simply the agent who brought you in and who is accountable, at least in spirit, for your growth. In practice, most sponsors do very little. Riley operates differently.
Riley Hextell is ranked #1 at eXp Realty Illinois for total transactions in 2025 and sits in the top 50 of more than 80,000 eXp agents companywide. He was named the 2024 Chicago Association of Realtors Rookie of the Year. He is based in Illinois and sponsors agents across the state and nationwide — working with agents remotely is a normal part of how eXp functions, and it is a normal part of how Riley works with his network.
What agents who join under Riley get in practice:
- Weekly group training calls covering lead generation, conversion, scripts, objection handling, and business systems — built around what is actually working in his own production.
- One-on-one access to discuss your specific market, pipeline, or business model questions. Peoria has its own dynamics, and Riley approaches sponsorship as a working relationship, not a sign-up transaction.
- Lead generation frameworks that can be adapted to your local market. Riley's production at the top of eXp Illinois was not built on luck — it was built on repeatable systems that he shares with agents in his network.
- Accountability structures so that you are not left to figure things out alone after you make the move. Changing brokerages is a disruption; having a sponsor who checks in and helps you through the transition makes a real difference.
- Revenue share education — Riley explains how the model works, how to think about sponsoring agents yourself, and how to build that layer of income intentionally rather than accidentally.
For agents who are also veterans, Riley's background as a U.S. Navy veteran gives him a particular fluency in the discipline and structure that often translates well to building a real estate business, and he brings that perspective into how he mentors agents.
If you want to read more about how Riley built his own career at eXp, the full story behind the 2024 Rookie of the Year award is worth the read — it gives real context for the approach he now brings to sponsorship.
Side-by-Side: eXp Realty vs a Traditional Brokerage
- Factor: Commission split; eXp Realty: 80/20 to 100% after cap; Traditional Brokerage: Varies; often 70/30 or lower, may never fully cap
- Factor: Desk / office fees; eXp Realty: None (cloud-based); Traditional Brokerage: Common; vary by brokerage
- Factor: Technology included; eXp Realty: kvCORE, Skyslope, eXp World; Traditional Brokerage: Varies; often limited or extra cost
- Factor: Revenue share; eXp Realty: Yes, up to 7 tiers; Traditional Brokerage: No
- Factor: Stock / equity program; eXp Realty: Yes (ICON and stock awards); Traditional Brokerage: Rare or nonexistent
- Factor: Physical office; eXp Realty: Virtual; no required location; Traditional Brokerage: In-person office available
- Factor: Ongoing training; eXp Realty: eXp University + sponsor training; Traditional Brokerage: Varies widely by brokerage
- Factor: Mentorship from sponsor; eXp Realty: Depends on sponsor chosen; Traditional Brokerage: Depends on managing broker
The table above gives you the structural picture, but the mentorship row is where the real divergence shows up for agents in Riley's network versus the typical eXp experience. The platform itself is consistent — what varies is what your sponsor adds on top of it.
Is eXp Right for Every Peoria Agent?
Not necessarily. If you are in your first six months and need daily, in-person supervision from a managing broker sitting across a desk from you, a traditional brokerage may provide that more practically. eXp has a built-in mentorship program for brand-new agents, and Riley's training fills a lot of that gap, but the environment is virtual and self-directed by nature.
If you are a producing agent — someone who has closed deals, has a process, and is now looking at what you are leaving on the table every year in split, fees, and missed revenue share — the math tends to move strongly in eXp's direction. Agents who are comparing options across Illinois can also look at the eXp Realty vs Compass breakdown for Springfield agents to see how similar questions play out in another Illinois market.
The question for a Peoria agent is not really "is eXp good?" — the company's scale and the financial model make that argument on their own. The question is whether the people around you at eXp will actually help you build. That is exactly where choosing the right sponsor changes the outcome.
To reach Riley directly: 815-545-7476 | [email protected] | rileyhextell.com
Have a question about your situation?
Want to see how your current split and fees compare to what you would net at eXp under Riley's sponsorship? Send him a message and he will walk through the actual numbers with you side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does switching to eXp Realty mean I lose my current listings or clients?
No. When you transfer your license to eXp, your active listings and existing client relationships move with you. The process involves paperwork through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and Riley walks agents through the transition so nothing falls through the cracks during the move.
How does eXp's revenue share actually work for agents in Illinois?
When you sponsor an agent into eXp — meaning they list you as their sponsor when they join — eXp shares a portion of its own revenue from that agent's transactions with you. This comes out of eXp's side of the split, not the sponsored agent's commission. It extends through multiple tiers of agents you bring in directly or indirectly, and it continues as long as those agents are active and producing. It is not multi-level marketing; it is a profit-sharing model built into the brokerage's structure.
What is the eXp cap, and how does it compare to what I pay now?
eXp agents work on an 80/20 split until they reach an annual cap, after which they keep the full commission minus a small per-transaction fee for the rest of their anniversary year. The cap resets each year. Compared to traditional brokerages that take a split indefinitely and layer in desk, tech, and franchise fees, most producing agents net more per transaction at eXp once they understand the full cost comparison. Riley can model this out specifically for your current situation.
Can I work with Riley Hextell as my sponsor if I am based in Peoria?
Yes. Riley sponsors agents across Illinois and nationwide. eXp is a cloud-based brokerage, so geography is not a barrier — training, accountability, and mentorship all happen virtually, which is exactly how the platform is designed to work. Agents in Peoria, Springfield, Rockford, or anywhere else in Illinois can join under Riley and access everything he offers his network.