From Intern to Broker: Career Paths Illustrated by Century 21 and REMAX Moves

Hook: Stuck between listings and leadership? Use recent broker moves to plan your climb

Many aspiring agents, interns, and early-career brokers hit the same wall: you can close deals, but you don’t know the exact steps to reach management or franchise leadership. That gap is widening in 2026 as consolidation, franchise conversions, and rapid tech adoption reshape opportunities. Recent moves — including Kim Harris Campbell’s appointment as CEO of Century 21 New Millennium and REMAX’s conversion of two large Royal LePage brokerages adding roughly 1,200 agents and 17 offices — show how transitions create predictable ladders and openings. This article maps a practical real estate career path, illustrates the roles created by franchise conversions, and gives a step-by-step playbook interns and agents can follow to reach broker leadership.

Why 2026 matters for real estate career progression

Late 2025 and early 2026 accelerated trends that will define career paths for the next decade. Two developments matter most for anyone planning a career in brokerage:

• Consolidation and franchise conversions — large conversions like REMAX’s intake of the Risi-led Royal LePage firms show franchisors are actively recruiting established teams to scale regionally and globally.
• Leadership mobility — executive hires and role reshuffles (for example, Todd Hetherington moving to the chairman role while Kim Harris Campbell steps in as CEO at Century 21 New Millennium) demonstrate how founders and senior agents shift into governance and strategic roles, freeing operational pathways for new leaders.

For interns and agents, that means more entry points into operations, training, regional management, and brand leadership — but only for those who build the right skills and metrics.

Two real-world case studies and what they teach about career ladders

Case study 1: Century 21 New Millennium — an executive handoff that signals new roles

In early 2026, Kim Harris Campbell, with a background at Compass and other corporate real estate roles, was named CEO of Century 21 New Millennium. The firm’s co-founder moved to a newly created chairman role and a strategic board. The move highlights two pathways to the top:

• Direct executive track: experienced corporate operators moving into CEO roles — often requiring demonstrations of company-level strategy, tech integration, and M&A experience.
• Founder-to-board transitions: founders step into governance, creating senior operational openings for external executives and internal operators to ascend.

'Serving as chairman allows me to stay actively involved and support Kim as she leads the company,' said the founder after the transition — a reminder that leadership changes can preserve institutional knowledge while creating promotional lanes.

Case study 2: REMAX conversions — scale brings leadership slots

REMAX’s conversion of two Risi-led Royal LePage firms added about 1,200 agents and 17 offices, largely within the Greater Toronto Area. The Risi family kept operational leadership while affiliating with a global brand. Lessons for career planners:

• Conversions create new structure: Regional directors, onboarding leads, training managers, and marketing ops roles often appear during and after franchise conversions — and successful integrations increasingly depend on lightweight tech and governance patterns like those described in micro-apps at scale.
• Leaders with local credibility win: Owners who bring their teams into a new brand often stay in leadership roles — but they also need operators and managers who can integrate systems and scale recruitment.

'Their decision reflects the strength of the REMAX brand and reinforces our strategic direction,' said a REMAX CEO — underlining that brand- and tech-driven growth strategies create operational jobs you can aim for.

Typical career progression in a brokerage (mapped)

Below is a typical ladder you can expect in most franchise and independent brokerages. Each stage lists expected milestones, responsibilities, and the skills you must show to advance.

Intern / Administrative Assistant

• Primary responsibilities: transaction coordination, client intake, marketing support, open-house logistics.
• Milestones to advance: completion of a real estate internship project, basic licensing coursework completed, documented contributions to lead conversion.
• Skills: CRM basics, communication, calendaring, MLS familiarity.

Licensed Agent / Sales Associate

• Primary responsibilities: generating listings, client representation, negotiating offers.
• Milestones to advance: consistent monthly leads, first 6–12 closed transactions or target Gross Commission Income (GCI), clear referral pipeline.
• Skills: listing presentations, negotiation, social marketing, local market expertise.

Top-Producing Agent / Team Leader

• Primary responsibilities: scaling transactions through assistants, recruiting buyer/seller specialists, building a brand within the brokerage.
• Milestones to advance: running a team with assistants, bringing in repeat business, mentoring junior agents, recruiting 1–5 agents.
• Skills: leadership, delegation, KPI tracking, P&L awareness.

Managing Broker / Branch Manager

• Primary responsibilities: compliance, agent coaching, office P&L, hiring, and retention.
• Milestones to advance: holding a broker license, achieving regional retention targets, improving office productivity metrics by measurable percentages.
• Skills: HR basics, financial management, operational systems (transaction management, lead routing).

Regional Director / Franchise Owner

• Primary responsibilities: scaling multiple offices, executing franchise strategy, recruitment at scale.
• Milestones to advance: leading multi-office integrations, delivering revenue growth, successful franchise conversion experience.
• Skills: M&A familiarity, strategic partnerships, brand management.

Executive Leadership / CEO / Board

• Primary responsibilities: company strategy, investor relations, global expansion, governance.
• Milestones: track record of scaling revenue, operational excellence, successful cultural integration across regions.
• Skills: board governance, capital strategy, industry relationships.

Actionable roadmap: how interns and agents climb the ladder (30 days to 5 years)

This section turns the ladder into a practical timeline with measurable goals and daily habits.

First 30 days — Get visibility and learn systems

• Complete your brokerage’s onboarding and CRM training; be the person who knows the platform better than the average agent.
• Shadow transactions end-to-end: ask to follow 3 closed deals and document the workflow.
• Start a simple KPI tracker: calls, appointments, follow-ups, showings.

First 90 days — Produce measurable outcomes

• Set targets: 10 client meetings, 30 sphere touches, 3 listing leads.
• Complete at least one continuing education module relevant to your market or niche.
• Volunteer to run an open house or lead a small training for newer interns — visibility builds leadership potential.

First year — Build a book and specialty

• Goal examples: 8–20 transactions, or $X GCI depending on your market.
• Choose a specialty: first-time buyers, rentals, luxury, or commercial. Get a certification (e.g., ABR, SRS, or an equivalent).
• Document a repeatable lead system in your CRM and bring at least one new technology/process to your office.

Years 2–3 — Scale to team or management

• Start hiring: a transaction coordinator or buyer agent to increase capacity.
• Begin mentoring interns and junior agents — formalize a 90-day training playbook you can show leaders; if you need a model for workshops and cohort-based training, see how to launch reliable workshops.
• Pursue a broker license if your state requires it for management roles. Understand local licensing timelines and exams.

Years 4–5 — Move into operations or ownership

• Take on responsibilities beyond sales: P&L oversight, recruitment targets, office-level budget management.
• Lead or participate in franchise conversion projects — conversions are high-leverage activities that create leadership roles.
• Build a public profile: publish market reports, speak at associations, or run agent development workshops.

How to position yourself during a franchise conversion or leadership turnover

Conversions and executive changes are moments when firms restructure roles and create new needs. Be the person who fills them.

• Volunteer for integration tasks: onboarding checklists, training modules, CRM mapping, marketing transition plans.
• Document wins: quantify how your client systems improved transaction speed or conversion rate; numbers persuade new leadership.
• Offer pilot programs: propose a small recruiting incentive, a training cohort, or a regional marketing strategy. If accepted, you demonstrate initiative and execution.
• Learn the franchisor’s toolkit: new brands bring proprietary technology and marketing — championing those tools positions you for trainer/ops roles.

Advanced strategies for aspiring broker leaders

If you aim for managing broker, regional director, or CEO, pair sales success with operational fluency.

• Get certified in brokerage management or pursue an MBA/real-estate-focused graduate certificate to learn P&L and capital management.
• Lead profitable pilots: run a lead-nurture program and show conversion lift; run a microsite campaign and show cost-per-lead improvement.
• Develop recruiting packages: create clear value propositions for new agents (training, split structures, marketing support).
• Gain M&A experience: help with due diligence or integration efforts during acquisitions or conversions.
• Build cross-border fluency if you operate in markets with international buyers (REMAX’s Toronto example shows that regional scale often ties to global brand strategy).

Metrics and KPIs hiring managers and CEOs track in 2026

To move into broker leadership, speak the language of KPIs. In 2026, leadership evaluates candidates on measurable business impact:

• Agent retention rate and average tenure
• Year-over-year GCI growth per office
• Recruitment yield (contracts signed per recruiting event)
• Unit economics for marketing spend (cost-per-lead, conversion rate)
• Technology adoption rates (percentage of agents using CRM workflows, transaction platforms)

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Relying only on lead-gen platforms: diversify your pipeline with sphere, referral, and niche marketing.
• Ignoring compliance and licensing timelines: managing brokers get promoted based on reliability and legal competence.
• Skipping the broker-license step: many operational roles legally require it; start coursework early.
• Underestimating the business side: you need P&L fluency, not just sales skills, to run offices and franchises.

Practical checklist: 12 things to do this quarter

1. Enroll in one broker-license prep course or CE module.
2. Map your top 100 sphere contacts and create a 12-week nurture cadence.
3. Document three transactional process improvements you made in the last 6 months.
4. Run one pilot social campaign with tracked KPIs.
5. Volunteer to train or mentor at least one intern.
6. Compile a one-page recruiting pitch you could present to a prospective agent.
7. Attend a local association networking event and collect five business cards.
8. Shadow a managing broker for two full transactions.
9. Publish a short market insights post and measure engagement.
10. Practice a 5-minute presentation on 'how I'd improve onboarding' for your office.
11. Ask for feedback: initiate a 360-style review with peers and leaders.
12. Track your weekly activities in a CRM and review conversion every 30 days.

Resources to build your broker leadership profile

• State real estate commission websites — licensing requirements and exam guides.
• Local REALTOR® associations — leadership programs and mentorship pairings.
• Broker management certificates (look for those with P&L, HR, and compliance modules).
• Proptech training resources — CRM, transaction management, and AI lead-scoring tools.
• Industry reports — track consolidation, franchisor growth, and conversion case studies to spot opportunities.

Final lessons from Century 21 and REMAX for career climbers

Two concrete takeaways from recent 2025–2026 shifts:

• Leadership transitions create seats: When a founder moves to a board role or a new CEO arrives, they often need a mix of internal operators and external executives — prepare to be the internal operator by building operational credibility.
• Franchise conversions scale opportunity: When firms like the Risi-led brokerages affiliate with a global brand, they bring systems, marketing, and training investments — these integrations create operations, training, and regional management roles you can aim for.

Call to action

Ready to turn deals into a leadership career? Start by documenting your contributions, enrolling in broker coursework, and volunteering for integration or training tasks at your office. If you want a tailored 5-year plan based on your current role and market, download our free real estate career map or browse verified listings for internships, agent roles, and management openings today — then take one concrete action this week: document three ways you improved a transaction process and share them with your manager.

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