"I want to make $100K next year" is a good goal. It isn't a plan yet. A plan tells you how many closings that takes, how many appointments you need to get those closings, and how many leads you need to fill your calendar. Once you have those numbers, you know what a normal week has to look like.
This article walks through the math with one worked example, gives you the formula so you can use your own numbers, and shows why your brokerage split matters more than most agents expect.
The formula
You need four inputs:
- Average sale price in your market (or your own past average)
- Commission rate you earn on your side of the deal
- Your split: the share of the commission you keep after your brokerage takes its cut
- Income goal for the year
Then:
- Net commission per deal = average price × commission rate × your split
- Closings needed = income goal ÷ net commission per deal (round up)
- Appointments needed = closings ÷ appointment-to-close rate (round up)
- Leads needed = appointments ÷ lead-to-appointment rate
- Leads per week = leads ÷ 52
Steps 3 and 4 depend on your own conversion rates. Use your real numbers if you've tracked them. If not, start with an assumption and correct it as data comes in.
Worked example: $100K at a $400K average price
Here are the assumptions:
- Average sale price: $400,000
- Commission on your side: 2.5%
- Your split: 70% (the brokerage keeps 30%)
- Goal: $100,000
- Appointment-to-close rate: 35%
- Lead-to-appointment rate: 10%
Step 1: Net per deal. $400,000 × 2.5% = $10,000 gross commission. At a 70% split you keep $7,000.
Step 2: Closings. $100,000 ÷ $7,000 = 14.3. You can't close part of a house, so round up to 15 closings. That's a little more than one a month.
Step 3: Appointments. 15 ÷ 0.35 = 42.9, so you need about 43 appointments. That's every listing presentation and buyer consultation for the year.
Step 4: Leads. 43 ÷ 0.10 = 430 leads.
Step 5: Weekly pace. 430 ÷ 52 = 8.3, so about 8 new leads a week.
The weekly number is the useful one. "Make $100K" is hard to act on. "Add 8 new leads this week" is something you can check on Friday.
The 35% and 10% rates are assumptions for this example, not industry benchmarks. Conversion rates vary a lot by lead source. A referral from a past client usually behaves very differently from an online inquiry. That's one reason to track where each lead came from.
What "$100K" means here
In this example, $100K means commission income after your brokerage split and before your business expenses and taxes. MLS dues, marketing, E&O insurance, mileage, and self-employment tax all come out of that $100K. If you want $100K in take-home pay, set a higher goal, or add your expected expenses to the goal before you run the math.
The free real estate commission calculator shows what a single deal pays you after your split, referral fees, transaction fees, and an estimate for taxes. It's a fast way to check whether your "net per deal" figure is realistic.
Goals and closings at different price points
The table uses the same assumptions as the example (2.5% commission, 70% split, 35% appointment-to-close, 10% lead-to-appointment) and changes only the goal and the average price. All numbers are rounded up.
| Income goal | Avg. price | Net per deal | Closings | Appointments | Leads per year | Leads per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $250,000 | $4,375 | 12 | 35 | 350 | ~7 |
| $100,000 | $250,000 | $4,375 | 23 | 66 | 660 | ~13 |
| $150,000 | $250,000 | $4,375 | 35 | 100 | 1,000 | ~19 |
| $50,000 | $400,000 | $7,000 | 8 | 23 | 230 | ~4 |
| $75,000 | $400,000 | $7,000 | 11 | 32 | 320 | ~6 |
| $100,000 | $400,000 | $7,000 | 15 | 43 | 430 | ~8 |
| $150,000 | $400,000 | $7,000 | 22 | 63 | 630 | ~12 |
| $200,000 | $400,000 | $7,000 | 29 | 83 | 830 | ~16 |
| $100,000 | $600,000 | $10,500 | 10 | 29 | 290 | ~6 |
| $150,000 | $600,000 | $10,500 | 15 | 43 | 430 | ~8 |
| $200,000 | $600,000 | $10,500 | 20 | 58 | 580 | ~11 |
Two things stand out. First, price point changes the workload a lot. The same $100K takes 23 closings at a $250K average and 10 at $600K. Second, the lead count adds up quickly at lower price points. That doesn't make lower-priced markets a bad business. It means your conversion rates and repeat and referral business matter even more there.
If you'd like to skip the arithmetic, the free real estate goal calculator does this for any goal, price, split, and conversion rates, broken down per year, month, and week.
Why your split matters so much
Your split acts on every deal, so small changes add up. Here's the same $100K goal at a $400K average price and 2.5% commission, with only the split changing:
| Your split | Net per deal | Closings | Appointments | Leads per year | Leads per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $5,000 | 20 | 58 | 580 | ~11 |
| 60% | $6,000 | 17 | 49 | 490 | ~9 |
| 70% | $7,000 | 15 | 43 | 430 | ~8 |
| 80% | $8,000 | 13 | 38 | 380 | ~7 |
| 90% | $9,000 | 12 | 35 | 350 | ~7 |
| 100% | $10,000 | 10 | 29 | 290 | ~6 |
Going from a 70% to an 80% split saves about two closings and 50 leads for the same income. Going from 50% to 70% saves five closings.
That doesn't mean the highest split always wins. When you compare brokerages, look at the whole cost:
- Caps. Some brokerages stop taking a split after you've paid them a set amount in a year. If you'll hit the cap, your effective split for the year is higher than the headline number.
- Per-transaction and monthly fees. A 90% split with a large transaction fee and monthly desk fee can leave you with less than an 80% split with no fees at your volume.
- What you get for it. Leads, training, transaction coordination, marketing, and office space all have value. They're worth more when you'd otherwise pay for them yourself.
The fair comparison is your total cost per year at your expected number of closings, not the split percentage alone.
How to use these numbers week to week
A goal only helps if you check it against what's actually happening. A simple routine:
- Set the annual numbers once. Pick your goal, your average price, your split, and starting conversion rates.
- Track every lead with its source. After a few months you'll see your real conversion rates by source, and you can replace the assumptions with your own data.
- Check weekly pace, not just year-to-date income. Commission arrives at closing, often months after the work that produced it. Leads and appointments tell you early whether you're on track.
To do this offline, the free 2027 goal and commission calculator spreadsheet is built for Microsoft Excel. Type in your goal, price, and split, and it shows the closings, appointments, and leads you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is 15 closings a year realistic for a solo agent? It depends on your market, your experience, and how much of your business comes from referrals. Use your own history if you have it. If you don't, the weekly lead number is the best early test of whether the goal fits your schedule.
Should I count buyer and listing sides differently? If your commission rates or average prices differ between sides, yes. Run the math for each side and add them together, or use a blended average.
Turn the plan into a system
Once you know your numbers, you need somewhere to track them. The Solo Agent Business System is a one-time-purchase spreadsheet for Microsoft Excel. It puts your goal planner, lead tracker, deal pipeline, commission tracker, and expense and mileage log in one file, and it shows your actual pace next to your goal. It's $44, or $39 with code LAUNCH39. If you'd also like holiday social posts for your sphere, the Agent 2027 Bundle includes the system plus an editable social kit for $49.