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After you pass
Choosing your first Hawaii brokerage
By Josh Lin, licensed Hawaii real estate agent · updated 21 August 2026 · figures from the Hawaii Real Estate Commission FY2025 report
There are 3,534 licensed brokers and 1,699 corporate or partnership entities in Hawaii, so there is no shortage of places to hang a license. The differences that matter to a new agent are rarely the ones in the recruiting pitch.
The five questions worth asking, in order
- What is the split, and when does it change? Ask for the cap and the anniversary reset in writing. “Competitive” is not a number.
- What do I pay whether or not I sell? Desk fees, franchise fees, technology fees and E&O insurance are the costs that hurt in a slow first year.
- Who actually trains me, and how often? Ask to speak to an agent who joined within the last year rather than a top producer.
- Do leads exist, and what do they cost me? A referral fee on a brokerage lead can be higher than the split.
- Whose name is on the marketing? Some brokerages require all agent marketing to run through their platform, which decides whether you are building your own name or theirs.
Where the brokerages are
The concentration follows the licensees. Oahu holds 2,017 of the 3,534 licensed brokers; Hawaii Island 531, Maui 530, Kauai 219. On Molokai there are eight and on Lanai three, which changes the calculation entirely if that is where you live and work.
| Island | Licensed brokers | Salespersons |
|---|---|---|
| Oahu | 2,017 | 4,932 |
| Hawaii Island | 531 | 1,186 |
| Maui | 530 | 1,338 |
| Kauai | 219 | 516 |
| Molokai | 8 | 11 |
| Lanai | 3 | 6 |
Source: Hawaii Real Estate Commission FY2025 annual report.
Before you sign anything
Confirm the brokerage and the broker are currently licensed and in good standing. The Commission publishes licensee status, and checking takes a minute: Hawaii Real Estate Branch.
Your website, from the people who wrote this guide
Whatever brokerage you join, the website with your name on it should be yours and not theirs. We build it free, and $29/month puts it on a domain you own so it moves with you.
Starter
$1 for 7 days
then $29/month
- ✓ Everything in Free
- ✓ A domain you own, not a fynesite.com address
- ✓ Badge removed — it reads as yours
- ✓ Cancel any time, from the dashboard
Card required. Cancel any time before day 7 and you are not charged the $29.
Free
$0/forever
- ✓ Built for you, live in minutes
- ✓ Stays online at no cost
- ✓ Edit it by describing what you want
- — on a fynesite.com address
- — small FyneSite badge
No card asked for.
What “free” means, in full: the site is built for you and stays live at no cost on a fynesite.com address with a small badge. No card is asked for. $29/month buys a domain you own and removes the badge. Nothing expires and nothing converts to paid on its own. FyneSite is our own product — we are the seller, not an affiliate.
We do not rank or recommend individual Hawaii brokerages, and no brokerage pays for placement here. Licensee counts are from the Hawaii Real Estate Commission FY2025 annual report.
Common questions
Do I need a brokerage to hold a Hawaii real estate license?
Yes. A Hawaii salesperson license is active only while associated with a Hawaii-licensed real estate broker.
How many brokerages are there in Hawaii?
The Commission counted 3,534 licensed brokers and 1,699 corporate, partnership or LLC entities in FY2025, with 2,017 of the brokers on Oahu.
What should a new Hawaii agent ask a brokerage first?
The split and when it changes, the fees payable whether or not you sell, who actually trains new agents, what brokerage leads cost you, and whether your marketing builds your own name or the brokerage's.