Realtor · Burlington, Ontario · REAL Broker Ontario Ltd.

Built my career.
Then built my real estate business.

I'm Melinda Tarantino, a Burlington Realtor who came to real estate after years in a demanding professional career. I didn't get my licence to chase a top-producer title. I got it to build meaningful income for my family, and to serve the families I work with at a standard that has nothing to do with the hours on my calendar.

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Burlington, Ontario Dual-career agent Nearly $10M closed
Melinda Tarantino, Burlington Realtor
My real estate journey

Real estate wasn't my first career. It was my next one.

Like a lot of women I know, I already had the skills this business runs on: communication, organization, negotiation, and the ability to hold a high standard while juggling a full life. Three years ago I got licensed, joined Berkshire Hathaway in Oakville, and got to work. Since then I've closed nearly ten million dollars in transactions while running a dual career, and I've learned exactly what a brokerage does and doesn't do for an agent like me.

At my previous brokerage, the model assumed real estate was your whole life. Training ran on someone else's schedule. There was an unspoken expectation to dress up and show up at the office, whether it served my clients or not. Collaboration was scarce, mentorship was hard to find, and between high splits and steep monthly fees, I was paying a premium for a structure built around face time instead of results.

What I wanted was simple to say and hard to find: the flexibility to run a dual career and do real estate well, time at home with my kids, better economics with no monthly fees, a broker I could actually reach, and a community of agents who share instead of compete. What mattered most to me was refusing to accept that working differently meant working at a lower standard.

Page 2 · Why I Moved

Why I chose REAL Brokerage

What I was looking for

A brokerage that treats a dual-career agent as a professional, not a hobbyist. Real flexibility, no monthly fees, a stronger split, a broker I can reach when a deal gets complicated, and a collaborative community.

What stood out to me

A community of like-minded people, genuine collaboration between agents, and training I actually needed, available when I could actually attend it.

What made sense for my business

I built a career before real estate and I still carry professional commitments alongside it. REAL Brokerage's model lets me serve clients at a full-time standard, keep learning with real mentorship, and tap strong connections that help my clients actually buy and sell.

What surprised me most

How forward-thinking the company is. REAL Brokerage moves fast, and its recently announced acquisition of RE/MAX, creating a global platform serving more than 180,000 real estate professionals, told me I'd joined a brokerage building the future of this industry rather than defending its past.

What has changed since joining

My business finally has room to breathe. I serve my clients well in the hours I actually have, learn from agents across the country without leaving my kitchen table, and keep more of what I earn without a monthly fee ticking in the background. Real estate stopped competing with the rest of my life and started working alongside it.

An honest note

Every agent's journey is different. REAL Brokerage has been the right fit for how I work and what I'm building, but it may not be the right fit for everyone, and I'd rather help you figure that out honestly than talk you into anything.

Page 3 · The technology

Technology that helps me run my business

Here's something that surprises people: I don't run a big tech stack. I run a lean one, and that's the point. REAL Brokerage's included platform does the administrative heavy lifting, so a dual-career agent doesn't need six subscriptions and a virtual assistant to deliver full-time service. My entire business runs on reZEN, Leo, and my phone.

Transaction management: reZEN

REAL Brokerage's proprietary platform runs my deals from offer to closing. Every document, deadline, signature, and payment lives in one place I can check from anywhere, so nothing slips while I'm between commitments.

AI support: Leo

Leo is REAL Brokerage's AI assistant, and it's my after-hours back office. Brokerage questions, transaction status, and policy answers on the spot, which matters when my real estate hours don't match office hours.

Client relationships: my phone

I keep my client follow-up personal and direct rather than automated. With reZEN handling the administrative side, my systems time goes back into actual conversations with the families I serve.

Marketing tools

Branded design templates and marketing resources are included through the platform, so listing marketing and social content don't require a separate design subscription.

Collaboration and communication

The agent community lives in REAL Brokerage's workspace, where I can ask a question and get answers from agents across Canada within minutes.

Analytics

Real-time dashboards for production, cap progress, revenue share, and equity, all in one place, with no spreadsheet maintenance on my end.

Traditional versus cloud-based, in practice

Traditional brokerageCloud-based brokerage
Where work happensOffice-centred, set hours, face time expectedAnywhere, on your schedule, judged on results
Monthly feesDesk fees, franchise fees, tech feesNo monthly fees at REAL Brokerage
TrainingFixed times, often in personLive and on demand, replayable
Broker accessWhoever is in the officeManaging brokers reachable by phone and chat
Growth upsideCommission onlyCommission plus revenue share and equity programs
Page 4 · Culture and community

The community behind the brokerage

REAL Brokerage is cloud-based, but it is anything but distant. The culture is summed up in the company's own words: work hard, be kind. Here's what that looks like in practice.

Training

Real Academy offers live and on-demand courses led by producing agents, from fundamentals to advanced negotiation, so learning fits around your calendar.

Mentorship and new agent support

Support here doesn't depend on being assigned to one person. The Real Academy Vault includes the New Agent Starter Series, a 12-week program hosted by Carl Silva that walks new agents through the fundamentals and strategies for building a strong foundation and launching a rewarding real estate career. My role is the connecting piece: I plug you into the community, our managing brokers, and the people who can actually answer your questions.

Agent collaboration

Agents share strategies, templates, and referrals openly, and real opportunities circulate daily: hosting open houses, picking up paid showings, and receiving leads from other agents. None of it is guaranteed, but the revenue share model means agents genuinely benefit from each other's success rather than competing for it.

Referral opportunities

A network of tens of thousands of agents across Canada and the US means warm referrals in nearly any market your clients move to or from.

Masterminds and events

Virtual masterminds, local meetups, and the annual RISE conference bring the community together to learn and connect.

Leadership accessibility

Provincial managing brokers are reachable when deals get complicated, and company leadership shows up regularly on open calls.

Support

Broker, transaction, and technology support are built into the platform, so help doesn't depend on who happens to be at the front desk.

Page 5 · Building wealth as an agent

Beyond selling real estate

REAL Brokerage gives agents ways to participate in the company's growth beyond commission income. No hype and no promises here, just how the programs work and why they appealed to me. Results vary by agent, and all programs are subject to REAL Brokerage's official terms.

Revenue share

When an agent introduces another agent to REAL Brokerage, the company shares a portion of its own commission split with the introducing agent. It's paid by the company, not by the agent you welcome, and it rewards helping the community grow.

Stock opportunities

REAL Brokerage is a publicly traded company. Agents can direct a portion of commission toward purchasing shares through the stock purchase plan, and can earn share awards for milestones like capping, subject to program terms.

Ownership mindset

These programs exist because REAL Brokerage wants agents to think and act like owners of the company they're building, not tenants paying rent to a brand.

Agent attraction

Growth here isn't recruiting for its own sake. It's sharing an honest experience with agents who are looking for what you were looking for.

Why this matters to me

Revenue share builds income that isn't tied to trading hours for dollars. For a dual-career agent, that means breathing room for my family instead of pressure to squeeze in one more deal.

Ownership matters because I'd rather build equity in the company I'm helping to grow than simply pay fees to one.

My long-term vision is freedom: the ability to work from anywhere, and income that funds real time and real travel with my husband and daughters, without lowering the standard of service my clients receive.

Page 6 · Is REAL Brokerage a fit for you?

Who thrives at REAL Brokerage?

This might be a fit if you

  • Came to real estate after succeeding somewhere else first
  • Are building income for your family, not chasing a leaderboard
  • Hold yourself to professional standards, not part-time standards
  • Are growth-minded, coachable, and collaborative
  • Are comfortable with technology, or willing to become so
  • Want to build a business, not just close transactions

This may not be the best fit if you

  • Want a daily physical office and in-person desk culture
  • Prefer highly structured, manager-led daily accountability
  • Are most comfortable in a traditional brokerage environment

And that's genuinely okay. The right brokerage is the one that matches how you work best.

Page 7 · Frequently asked questions

Straight answers about REAL Brokerage in Canada

What are the fees?

A one-time $249 CAD sign-up fee, no monthly fees, and a $1,200 CAD annual brokerage and risk management fee paid from your first three transactions each anniversary year. Each transaction carries a $40 compliance and broker review fee. Up to three personal transactions per year are processed at $275 each.

How does commission work?

Agents keep 85 percent of gross commission, with 15 percent going to the company until reaching a $15,000 CAD annual cap ($7,500 for team members). After capping, agents keep 100 percent of commission minus a transaction fee of $375 per sale or $125 per lease, reduced further for agents who reach Elite status.

What technology is included?

The reZEN transaction platform, the Leo AI assistant, Real Academy training, marketing and design tools, and production dashboards are all included with no monthly technology fee.

How does support work?

Provincial managing brokers, transaction support, and technology support are available through the platform by phone and chat, alongside a national community of agents who answer questions in minutes.

How does training work?

Real Academy runs live and on-demand courses led by producing agents, including the Real Academy Vault and the 12-week New Agent Starter Series, plus masterminds, so training fits your schedule rather than the other way around.

How does revenue share work?

When you introduce an agent who joins REAL Brokerage, the company shares a portion of its own 15 percent split with you across a five-tier network. It's paid by the company and never comes out of the other agent's commission.

What is the culture like?

Collaborative and down to earth. The company motto is work hard, be kind, and the community genuinely operates that way, sharing strategies, referrals, and encouragement openly.

Can new agents join? Can experienced agents? Can teams?

Yes to all three. New agents can build their foundation through the New Agent Starter Series, experienced agents keep their independence with better economics, and teams join with reduced caps for team members.

How do referrals work?

With tens of thousands of REAL Brokerage agents across Canada and the US, agent-to-agent referrals are simple to place and receive, which means better outcomes for relocating clients.

Page 8 · Book a call

Let's have a conversation

If you're curious about REAL Brokerage and want to learn more about my experience, I'd be happy to share my journey and answer your questions. No pitch, no pressure, just an honest conversation between professionals.

Book a discovery call hello@melindatarantino.com 905 466 1704 Instagram: @heyitsMelindahomes