Can you sell your real estate book of business in Calgary?

by Michael Smith

In the Michael Smith Team's Legacy Program, clients are not sold. Each client agrees in writing before you introduce them to a named agent, and you earn a referral fee, paid through Real Broker.* On an illustrative $700,000 Calgary listing, a 25% referral pays about $2,656 per deal, before GST and Real's per-transaction fees (September 2026).* Enquiries are confidential.

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Confidential. No obligation. Call 403-919-2247 or email Michael@mstrealty.ca.

Can you sell your real estate book of business in Calgary?

In the MST Legacy Program, we don't sell clients. Each one agrees in writing before you introduce them to a named MST agent. When they buy or sell with MST, you earn a referral fee, paid through Real.* A referral fee is a share of the commission, paid to the agent who sent the client.

A book of business is the group of clients you have built up over the years. We see it as a royalty, not a cash-out. You earn when your clients choose MST, for as long as you keep your licence active with Real.*

Two rules sit behind this. RECA's rules (as of September 2026) say a client's information can only be passed on with the client's authorization. They also say referral money goes through your brokerage, not person to person. For both, read how the fee is paid and kept legal. For the steps, read how the client handoff works.

What does one deal pay?

On an illustrative $700,000 listing in September 2026, a 25% referral pays about $2,656 for one deal.* The steps are in the table below. The commission is an example, not an MST rate. Real Broker's 15% comes off first, and your 25% is worked out on what is left.

A "side" is one half of a deal: the listing side or the buying side. The example follows one side.

Step	What happens	Amount
1	Sale price (illustrative)	$700,000
2	Illustrative example commission: 7% on the first $100,000 ($7,000) plus 3% on the other $600,000 ($18,000)	$25,000
3	One side of the deal (half the commission)	$12,500
4	Real Broker's 15% comes off first	-$1,875
5	Left after Real's 15%	$10,625
6	Your 25% referral fee	$2,656 (rounded)
7	Left on the MST side, before the team and agent split	$7,969 (rounded)

Illustrative example only. Before GST and Real's per-transaction fees. Commission shown is an example, not an MST rate.

Why does Real's 15% come off first?

Real Broker is the brokerage, and referral money goes through it. So Real takes its 15% before anyone else is paid. Your fee is then worked out on what is left, not on the full $12,500 side. In the example, that is 25% of $10,625.

Real Canada lists 15% of commission paid to the company until an agent reaches the company cap. Real lists no monthly fees, but other fees apply. The example above shows none of these. Check Real Canada's fee page for the current list. Your own numbers may differ.

What could you earn in a year?

It depends on how many deals your clients do with MST. At 25%, 5 deals pay about $13,281, 10 deals about $26,563 and 15 deals about $39,844.* Founding members earn more, at 30%. These are examples, not promises.

Deals per year	25% (every member)	30% (founding members)
5	$13,281	$15,938
10	$26,563	$31,875
15	$39,844	$47,813

Per deal, that is $2,656 at 25% and $3,188 at 30%. Yearly totals use the exact cents ($2,656.25 and $3,187.50 per deal), so they can differ by a few dollars from the rounded per-deal figures. Illustrative example only. Before GST and Real's per-transaction fees. Commission shown is an example, not an MST rate.

What is the difference between 25% and the founding 30%?

Every member earns 25% of the side after Real's 15%. The first 10 agents to join, our Founding Legacy Members, earn 30%. On the $700,000 example, that is about $3,188 per deal instead of $2,656.* There is no deadline for now.

Founding members get three extras on top: a career tribute video, a retirement celebration and a permanent Founding Member profile page on our website.

What is the $1,000 first-referral bonus?

When a member's first referred deal closes, we pay a $1,000 bonus through Real.* Every member gets it, not only founding members. It is paid once, for that first deal only. The yearly examples on this page leave that bonus out.

How does this compare with retiring the usual way?

Retire with no referral set up, and there is no referral fee to collect. Your income from those clients is $0. With the MST Legacy Program, the same clients could earn you about $26,563 a year at 10 deals, or $31,875 for founding members.*

	Retire the usual way	MST Legacy Program*
Income from your clients at 10 deals a year (illustrative)	$0	$26,563 at 25%, or $31,875 at the founding 30%
Who looks after your clients	Nothing is set up	A named MST agent for every client, with a reply within one business day
Staying in touch	Nothing is set up	Every legacy client hears from MST in writing at least 3 times a year
Your name	Nothing is set up	Your name stays on co-branded updates

What counts as your book?

Your book is your named past clients and your sphere. The list is updated each year. Your sphere is the people who know and trust you, like friends, family and neighbours, not only people you have sold to. Each person agrees in writing before their details are shared.

We tag each person in our CRM, the tool we use to keep track of clients. When one is ready to buy or sell, you pass on the name. We do the rest: showings, media and marketing. Each referral comes with a written note telling the client a fee may be paid.

How is the free Legacy Income Estimate worked out?

We use the same steps as the table above. Deals per year, times your side commission minus Real's 15%, times 25%. Founding members also see the number at 30%. We run your last 3 years of closings through this math. It is free, confidential and comes with no obligation.

Estimate	Formula
At 25% (every member)	deals per year x (side commission - Real's 15%) x 25%
At 30% (founding members)	deals per year x (side commission - Real's 15%) x 30%

Example with the numbers above: 10 x ($12,500 - $1,875) x 25% = 10 x $10,625 x 25% = about $26,563. At 30%, the same steps give $31,875.*

After that, we offer a confidential 20-minute chat to go over your numbers.

What is the catch?

There are a few conditions, and we would rather you hear them from us first. Fees are paid for as long as you hold an active Alberta licence with Real Broker, under the terms of your MST Legacy Program agreement.* The numbers on this page are examples, not guarantees.

Keep your licence active. Alberta real estate licences expire every September 30 unless renewed. See how the fee is paid and kept legal.
Real's other fees apply. The example does not show them.
Commissions are negotiable and vary by transaction.*
Clients must agree in writing before their information is shared.
RECA can change its rules. We checked them in September 2026.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check your own situation with RECA or a lawyer.

Frequently asked questions

Is the $2,656 example a guarantee?

No. It is an illustration, not a promise.* We picked a $700,000 sale and an example commission to show the steps. Commissions are negotiable and vary by transaction. Your real number depends on how many of your clients buy or sell with MST, and when. The free Legacy Income Estimate uses your own closings instead.

Do I need to give you my client list to get an estimate?

No. We build the estimate from your last 3 years of closings and the math on this page, not from a client list. Client details are a separate step. A client's information is shared only when that client authorizes it, and in our program each client agrees in writing first. Enquiries are confidential.

What about deals from my sphere, not just past clients?

Yes. The program agreement covers named past clients and your sphere, updated each year. Your sphere is the people who know and trust you, like friends, family and neighbours. Each person still agrees in writing before their details are shared with MST. A referral fee is earned only when a deal closes.

Does the 30% founding rate ever drop to 25%?

No. Founding Legacy Members keep the 30% rate for as long as they keep their licence active with Real, under their program agreement.* Founding spots are for the first 10 agents, with no deadline for now. On the $700,000 example, that is $3,188 per deal instead of $2,656.

Does the example include all of Real's fees?

No. The example takes off Real's 15% and stops there. Real Canada also lists a company cap and other fees, such as a sign-up fee, a yearly brokerage fee and a per-transaction fee. Check Real's fee page for the current list. The example is before GST and before Real's per-transaction fees.