Updated October 6, 2026
A note on the numbers. The listing-pool figures in the original version of this post could not be verified and have been replaced. The verified first-week-of-October snapshot is in the October 6 market pulse: Crow Wing County's median sale price is $342,000, up 5.0% year over year, Brainerd's median sold price is $399,900, and 397 lake-property listings sit on the market in the county. The per-deal math below uses the verified numbers.
Crow Wing County's median sale price was $342,000 in August 2026, up 5.0% year over year, and Brainerd's median sold price was $399,900 in July with about 74 days on market. At a typical 2.5% commission, a county-median sale puts roughly $8,550 on the table per side and a Brainerd deal puts about $10,000, before splits and expenses. That per-deal math is the honest reason this market rewards agents who can win listings, and it is the number I bring to every recruiting conversation: the money is here, the question is who has the system to capture it.
I lead Elevate Group inside eXp Realty in the Brainerd Lakes Area, so this is the market I work and recruit in every day. This post is written for licensed agents who want the earnings math without the hype: what a deal actually pays in this market, what the industry's own data says about solo versus team income, and what joining a team like ours changes about your share of the pool.
The Commission Math, Straight
Crow Wing County's median sale price is $342,000, up 5.0% year over year, and Brainerd's median sold price is $399,900. A county-median sale puts about $8,550 on the table per side at a typical 2.5% rate, and a Brainerd deal near $399,900 is about $10,000. NAR's 2026 Member Profile shows the typical agent closed 9 sides with a median gross income of $59,200, while team-based agents reported a median of about 32 sides. At the county median, 9 sides is roughly $77,000 in gross commission income and 32 sides is about $274,000, before split and expenses. The market is not the problem in central Minnesota. The system to capture it is.
What one deal actually pays in this market
Let the sourced numbers do the talking. Crow Wing County's median sale price was $342,000 in August 2026, up 5.0% year over year, and Brainerd's median sold price was $399,900 in July with about 74 days on market. With 397 lake-property listings on the market in the county, the waterfront appointments are where the premium deals live: this is a market where a single lakefront listing can be worth two or three county-median closings.
| Deal type | Price point | Gross commission at 2.5% |
| County-median sale | $342,000 (Aug 2026 median) | ~$8,550 per side |
| Brainerd city sale | $399,900 (Jul 2026 median) | ~$10,000 per side |
| Lake-property listing | 397 active in Crow Wing County (Sept 30) | Premium deals above the county median |
| Typical agent year | 9 sides (NAR 2026 Member Profile) | ~$77,000 GCI at county median |
| Team-based agent year | 32 sides (NAR 2026 Member Profile) | ~$274,000 GCI at county median |
The commission math is honest at any rate environment, because the rate does not change the percentage. A 7.28% mortgage rate changes how many buyers can qualify, which changes how many sides you close, but it does not change what each closed side pays. That is why the income conversation in central Minnesota is really a deal-count conversation, and why the industry's own data on teams matters so much.
The industry's own numbers on solo versus team income
NAR's 2026 Member Profile, covering 2025 activity, is the industry's own scoreboard. The typical REALTOR closed 9 transaction sides and earned a median gross income of $59,200. Agents with 16 or more years in the business earned a median of $88,500. About 21 percent of members now work on a team, with a median team size of 4, and team-based agents reported a median of about 32 transaction sides. Run those sides at the county median and the spread is roughly $77,000 versus $274,000 in gross commission income before split and expenses.
The honest caveat: team splits are real, and the split-for-leads trade only wins when the leads are real, exclusive, and followed up fast. That is why we publish the team vs solo calculator and the Team Value Scorecard: run your own numbers, score your current setup, and decide with math instead of a pitch. The difference between 9 sides and 32 sides is not working four times as hard. It is the lead engine, the follow-up system, and the shared marketing that sit behind a team.
Why solo agents leave the pool on the table
The market is deep, and the solo capture rate is low, and the gap is structural, not personal. A solo agent in the Brainerd Lakes Area spends the same hours as a team agent but carries the whole business: prospecting, follow-up, marketing, transaction coordination, tech, and the seasonal winter slowdown, all alone. In a market where 397 lake-property listings sit active in Crow Wing County and Brainerd deals run about 74 days on market, the listing conversations are there, but the time to work them is consumed by everything else.
Winter is the sharpest version of the problem. The lakes area is seasonal, and the agents who run a year-round lead engine keep closing while the solo agents prospect from an empty calendar. The seasonal lead question is the most asked question we hear from licensed agents here, and the answer is a system, not a lucky month.
What joining Elevate Group changes about your share
Elevate Group is a team inside eXp Realty built around one idea: agents should not have to choose between a big-brand brokerage and a team that actually supports them. The full case is on the why join page, and the honest economics of eXp are in the eXp breakdown. In short, joining changes five things that move your share of the pool:
Leads and appointment support. Buyer and seller opportunities come through the team, and so does the system to work them: appointment support, follow-up structure, and a shared workflow, so your hours go into real conversations instead of guessing what to do next.
Training and education. Onboarding, team sessions, skill practice, and the sourced market updates you need to stay sharp, from your first year to your tenth.
Mentorship. A real person to ask. Mentors and teammates who have done the deals help with pricing, negotiations, listing presentations, and the questions that come up every day.
Marketing and creative. Listing marketing, design tools, and professional brand pieces that make you look strong in front of sellers and buyers from your very first client.
A supportive culture. Low drama, high support. Wins get celebrated, newcomers get mentored, and the person next to you genuinely wants you to do well. Your growth is the team's growth.
The path is the same one on the home page: Launch, Generate, Convert, Track, Serve, Scale. Ninety-day onboarding, a database launch, partner leads and prospecting, a shared CRM with AI and ISA support, dashboards and accountability, transaction coordination, and then revenue share and eXp's equity programs as you scale. The 90-day launch plan shows the first quarter in detail, and the business assessment finds the bottleneck in your current setup before you ever talk to us.
The Bottom Line
The market is real and it is here. Crow Wing County's median sale price is $342,000, up 5.0% year over year, Brainerd's median sold is $399,900, and 397 lake-property listings sit on the market in the county, with a county-median deal worth about $8,550 per side at a typical 2.5%.
The capture rate is the variable. The typical agent closes 9 sides a year; team-based agents report a median of about 32. At the county median that is roughly $77,000 versus $274,000 in gross commission income before split and expenses.
A team changes the math, and you can check ours. Run the team vs solo calculator, score your current setup, read the honest eXp economics, and then decide. A confidential conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
The money in this market is not hypothetical. It is sitting in 397 lake-property listings and a $342,000 county median right now, and the agents who capture it will be the ones with a system: a lead engine that runs in November, marketing that wins the listing appointment, and teammates who have already priced the hard deals. If you want to see what that system looks like from the inside, bring your numbers to a conversation, or start with the income goal calculator and see what your goal actually requires.
Where These Numbers Come From
Noah Goedker
Team Leader, Elevate Group at eXp Realty
Noah Goedker is a third-generation real estate agent and lifelong resident of the Brainerd Lakes Area who leads Elevate Group inside eXp Realty. He publishes the honest income and market math for central Minnesota agents because he believes the number that wins the conversation is the one you can back up, and the agent who shows up with the market is the agent who leaves with the listing.