eXp World Holdings recently shared its second-quarter performance for 2025, revealing a complex financial landscape. While the company's overall financial results did not meet every expectation, a key positive emerged in the form of a renewed upward trend in agent numbers for eXp Realty. This marks the first time in a year that the brokerage has seen a sequential increase in its agent base, indicating that strategic initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining talent are yielding positive results. Despite a year-over-year reduction in total agent count, the firm successfully enhanced the productivity of its existing agents and reduced churn, particularly among less active participants, underscoring a strategic shift towards a more efficient and effective agent force.
Looking ahead, eXp is not only focused on strengthening its domestic market but is also aggressively pursuing international expansion, with ambitious goals for global agent growth. This worldwide initiative, however, has incurred significant initial investment, contributing to a net loss for the holding company in the recent quarter. Nevertheless, eXp's leadership views these global ventures as vital for long-term prosperity, expecting international operations to achieve profitability within a few years. The North American segment, despite a reduction in year-over-year profits due to broader market challenges, continues to be a cornerstone of the company’s financial stability. The strategic emphasis for the remainder of 2025 will be on bolstering agent productivity, which, while potentially impacting short-term profit margins due to commission structures, is seen as a critical factor for sustained agent retention and overall growth in the competitive real estate market.
Agent Expansion Amidst Market Shifts
eXp Realty experienced a notable resurgence in its agent count during the second quarter of 2025, marking the first sequential quarter-over-quarter growth in a year. This positive trend indicates the effectiveness of the company's strategies in attracting and retaining real estate professionals. Despite a 5% annual decline in total agent numbers to 82,704, the firm saw an encouraging 4% year-over-year increase in sales transactions per agent, highlighting a more productive agent base. Furthermore, agent departures significantly decreased, with 22% fewer agents leaving compared to the same period last year, and a remarkable 31% reduction in the U.S. alone. A substantial portion of these departures (57%) were from less productive agents who subsequently left the real estate industry entirely, suggesting a natural culling that is strengthening the company's agent roster.
The company's leadership views this improved agent retention and productivity as a testament to the resilience and attractiveness of its model, especially in a challenging market. CEO Leo Pareja highlighted that the initiatives designed to foster agent success and loyalty are proving effective. This strategic focus on cultivating a high-performing agent network is expected to contribute to more robust revenue streams and a more stable business environment. The ability to not only attract new talent but also to retain and enhance the output of existing agents speaks to the company's adaptability and its commitment to nurturing a thriving professional community. This emphasis on quality over sheer quantity positions eXp Realty favorably for future growth and market leadership, ensuring that its agent force remains competitive and efficient even amidst economic fluctuations.
Global Ambitions and Financial Outlook
eXp World Holdings is aggressively pursuing global expansion, aiming to establish a significant international presence with a target of 50,000 agents in 50 countries outside the U.S. by 2030. In the first half of 2025, the company successfully launched operations in three new international markets, including Ecuador, with plans to enter Egypt, Japan, and South Korea later in the year. Felix Bravo, Managing Director of eXp International, noted that each new market entry is becoming more efficient, requiring fewer resources and achieving productivity faster. This global strategy is driven by the demand for eXp's agent-centric model, which empowers agents to build their businesses regardless of scale. However, these international ventures are currently in an investment phase, contributing to a $4.2 million net loss for the segment in Q2 2025, which, in turn, impacted the overall $2.3 million net loss for eXp World Holdings, a stark contrast to the $18.537 million net income in Q2 2024.
Despite the current losses from international operations, CEO Glenn Sanford anticipates profitability for the international segment within two to three years, with some countries, like the U.K., already showing positive returns. The North American operations of eXp Realty, while still profitable with a net income of $7.1 million in Q2 2025, saw a 73% year-over-year decrease due to the challenging macroeconomic environment and slower home sales. Transaction side counts dropped 2% annually, though sales volume increased by 1%. The company remains committed to enhancing agent productivity as a key focus for the remainder of 2025. While increased agent productivity could lead to more agents reaching their commission caps, potentially impacting profit margins, CFO Jesse Hill views this as a positive, fostering agent retention and loyalty. This long-term view underscores eXp's confidence in its business model's ability to navigate market downturns and achieve sustainable growth through strategic global expansion and a highly productive agent force.