Fees, E&O, MLS dues, cancelling and switching
The practical questions agents ask once they are past the headline number. If you want the background on what a sponsoring broker is and how the transfer works, that is on the Texas broker sponsorship page.
Fees
What exactly do I pay CapTex?
$100 per month for membership, and a flat $99 broker-compliance fee on each closed transaction. There is no percentage commission split, no desk fee, no franchise fee and no monthly transaction minimum.
What do I pay that is not on that list?
MLS dues, REALTOR® association dues, lockbox and Supra key fees are paid by you directly to those organizations. So are your own business costs: marketing, CRM, photography, signage, license renewal and continuing education.
Those are not CapTex fees and we do not mark them up. We list them because $100 a month is the brokerage cost, not your total cost of doing business.
Is there an annual plan?
Not at the moment. CapTex membership is billed monthly at $100, plus $99 on each closed transaction. There is no annual option.
When is the $99 transaction fee paid?
It applies to each closed transaction and is taken at closing, through title. You are not invoiced for it separately.
When does billing start?
After you apply, have a 30-minute fit call and are approved. No payment is taken from the website and no membership begins from the application form.
Errors & omissions insurance
Is E&O included or is it extra?
Included. CapTex Realty carries a $1M errors and omissions policy, and coverage applies to your transactions at no additional fee. There is no separate E&O charge and no per-transaction E&O add-on on top of the $100 per month membership.
Who pays for it, and is there a deductible?
CapTex Realty carries the policy and pays the premium. There is no E&O charge to you, monthly or per transaction.
There is a deductible of $2,500 per claim, and that is the agent's responsibility. It only ever applies if a claim is actually made on one of your transactions.
MLS and association access
Which MLS can I work in?
CapTex Realty operates in the Austin metro through Unlock MLS, the MLS of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, and in greater Houston through the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR). You can work either market, or both, under a single $100 per month sponsorship.
See the Austin page and the Houston page for what each one covers.
Does the $100 cover my MLS dues?
No. The $100 per month CapTex membership does not include MLS dues. MLS and REALTOR® association membership is held in your own name and those dues are billed to you directly, as are lockbox and Supra key fees. Current fee schedules are published by Unlock MLS and HAR.
What if I want to work a market outside Austin and Houston?
Ask on the fit call. Whether we can support a transaction outside those two MLS areas depends on the specific situation.
Cancelling and leaving
Is there a long-term contract?
No. CapTex membership is month to month at $100 per month, with no long-term contract and no early-termination penalty. The notice period, how a final partial month is handled and what happens to a transaction already under contract are set out on the membership terms page.
What happens to my listings if I leave?
They go with you. Automatically, with no release fee, and CapTex takes no cut of your future commission on them.
Most brokerage agreements treat listings as the brokerage's property and negotiate their release. Worth reading what your current one says before you compare.
Do brand new agents get different terms?
No. A brand new agent with no closed transactions pays the same $100 per month and the same $99 per closed transaction. There is no mentor split, no reduced rate and no fee waiver in either direction.
Worth being straight about the trade: CapTex is built for agents who already generate their own business. If you need structured new-agent training and daily coaching, a brokerage that takes a split in exchange for that may serve you better.
Switching brokerages
How does the switch actually work?
Four steps. You apply, take a 30-minute fit call, and if it is a fit both ways you are approved and sign the independent contractor agreement. The TREC sponsorship change is then submitted, and CapTex handles that paperwork with you. Membership billing at $100 per month begins after approval, not before.
Processing time is set by TREC rather than by CapTex.
Can I keep my own branding and my own clients?
Yes. At CapTex Realty you can build your own brand or operate under CapTex branding, and your clients and your database are yours. Advertising still has to meet TREC advertising rules, which apply to every Texas agent regardless of brokerage.
Am I an employee?
No. CapTex Realty agents are independent contractors, not employees. Membership does not create employment, and CapTex does not pay a salary, wage or draw. You are responsible for your own taxes and business expenses.
Do I get leads from CapTex?
No. CapTex is built for agents who already generate their own business, and there is no company lead programme. That is a large part of why the cost is $100 a month instead of a percentage of every commission you earn.
Next step
See what a no-split brokerage would actually cost you
Send us your numbers and we will come back with a confidential, side-by-side comparison against what you pay now. If it is not clearly better for you, we will say so.
The form takes about two minutes. If you would rather just talk, book straight into the calendar. Either way, no payment is taken and no obligation is created at this stage. Prefer to call? 512-810-9685. Prefer email? join@captexrealty.com.