AXEN Realty And NEXA Lending Partnership Takes Off

Chase Lance launched AXEN Realty, a national real estate company, in June 2025 with a goal of providing agents with “more money, support, and freedom,” he said. Built in partnership with NEXA Lending, AXEN Realty aims to disrupt the industry and counter what Lance describes as the dominance of large tech firms and corporate brokerages that “squeeze out” agents.

The launch comes at a volatile time for the housing industry, as the aftermath of the NAR settlement and rising costs of doing business leave many agents searching for new income models.

Although Lance believed his mission would draw interest from struggling real estate agents, he didn’t expect his brokerage to onboard more than 500 agents within its first 90 days.

For Lance, a former branch manager for NEXA Lending and former chief financial officer for Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty, the mission is deeply personal. He describes AXEN as a “sigh of relief” for agents feeling squeezed by rising fees, algorithmic lead platforms, and falling commission splits. “We just looked at what all the other real estate companies were doing and said, okay, what do agents not like here?” he said. “The answer was everything that eats away at their pay and their control.”

Following that momentum, Lance is confident that AXEN Realty will achieve licensing in all 50 states by the six-month mark — an expansion pace that, he notes, “has never been done before.”

Agent Compensation & Transparency

AXEN uses a flat-fee model instead of a commission split, charging a set fee per sale so agents keep more of each transaction. Instead of taking a share of each transaction, AXEN charges a set fee per sale and redistributes 100% of that back to agents through a four-level revenue share system. That approach, Lance says, has helped keep attrition at zero so far.

“We’re being transparent on the front end — no surprises about comp plans, no false promises about training or payouts,” he said. “We’re not gonna have a complicated revenue share system… we’re just giving it all the way back to the agents.”

Transparency is central to AXEN Realty’s culture, Lance says, contrasting his model with competitors that fail to deliver on training and compensation promises. He points to Realtor.com, Zillow, Homes.com, and Redfin as major culprits in agent attrition. “Those companies are the ones that are ultimately taking all the agents’ listings that they put in the MLS, and then selling them back their own leads for 40% splits,” he said.

For agents working with Zillow Flex Leads, the commission split is heavily affected by a 40% referral fee to Zillow. The remaining 60% is divided between the agent and their brokerage or team leader in accordance with their agreement contract.

Redfin’s commission split is typically 40/60 with the company taking the larger cut when the agent uses a Redfin-provided lead. However, under the Redfin Next program, agents can earn up to a 75% split on deals using self-generated leads. The exact split varies by market, transaction volume, and accelerator bonuses.

Lance says these companies, “worth tens of billions,” are more of a threat to agents’ earnings, than the fallout from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement in 2024, which disrupted the industry’s long-standing commission structures. He positions AXEN as the antidote, built around a culture-driven, agent-first philosophy.

But beyond lead platforms, industrywide shifts are reshaping how agents get paid. That broader industry upheaval was the focus of National Mortgage Professional’s March 2025 feature, ‘Doubling Down: The Rise of Dual-Licensed Agents,’ which explored how the NAR settlement pushed Realtors to reinvent their business models. At the time, nearly one-third of agents were exploring the path towards mortgage licensing to offset shrinking commissions. AXEN’s flat-fee compensation structure and simplified four-level revenue share directly target the same pain points.

“Since June of 2022, it’s been tough for agents,” said Lance, when housing inventory jumped almost 20%, marking the largest increase since Realtor.com began keeping track of the data. That lengthened the average time it took to sell homes on the market, which has since increased due to higher interest rates, worsening affordability, and “What we’re seeing now is a sigh of relief — and a new excitement they haven’t seen in three years.”

The NEXA Connection

Bigger pay can also bring bigger risks. As some compliance attorneys warned earlier this year, dual roles in real estate and lending can raise questions under RESPA, LO Comp, and conflicting FHA and USDA rules.

AXEN’s structure appears to anticipate those pitfalls: While affiliated, Lance emphasized AXEN Realty and NEXA Lending are separate companies. Their integration allows AXEN agents to offer clients NEXA Lending products with faster turn times while maintaining freedom of choice for mortgage partners. The shared ecosystem is intended to provide a seamless consumer experience, leveraging AI and unified communication platforms to ensure all parties can work together effectively.

“Starting with the number-one mortgage brokerage, we already have access to more products, the lowest rates in the industry, and the fastest turn times,” Lance said. “Then we just couple that up with an amazing platform for Realtors to win. It really just puts everybody in the driver’s seat to let all parties get that five-star level of service they’re looking for.”

The partnership also caters to professionals who want to become dual-licensed as originators and real estate agents — as long as it doesn’t conflict with state regulations. In Doubling Down, 32% of agents said they were pursuing or planning to obtain an MLO license, and another 42% were considering it. MBA President Bob Broeksmit predicted that lenders might soon license loan officers as agents “and offer the buying-agent service for less than a 3% fixed-fee point.” 

Lance echoes that sentiment by encouraging agents to become licensed originators. “If you’re going to be successful in the next 2 to 3 years and still be in business, I would highly recommend getting not just your real estate license or just your loan license,” he said. “Without getting both, you’re really behind the eight ball.”

Local Focus, National Vision

By the end of 2025, Lance expects 1,500-2,000 agents to join AXEN Realty. Within a year, he’s targeting 10,000 agents, and by year three, 100,000 agents.

But AXEN isn’t relaxing its standards to fuel that growth. Similar to NEXA Lending’s benchmark of two loans per month for every originator, every agent is expected to sell at least one home a month.

Still, Lance says those ambitious goals won't get in the way of providing quality service to home shoppers. AXEN Realty’s model relies on presence, not headquarters. “I personally travel to every single state and every single market we open up in,” he said. “People want to work with local businesses. That’s why our technology and AI are working so well — it’s not just a 50,000-foot view.”

That commitment to local insight is what differentiates his brokerage from more corporate brands. “We’re finding out what this looks like whether it’s a rural area, a suburban area, [or] major metropolitan,” he said. “That’s probably the biggest differentiator to win locally — thus, winning nationally.”

Finally, the recruiting calculus has shifted. In “Doubling Down,” U.S. Mortgage Corp. CEO Steven Milner warned that lenders without dual-capacity options risk losing long-standing agent referral partners. AXEN’s explosive onboarding — 500 agents in its first 90 days and plans for nationwide coverage within six months — speaks to that same competitive urgency. With each agent expected to close at least one home a month, the company’s growth strategy mirrors the industry-wide talent flight toward models promising both higher compensation and career control.

Bottom Line: AXEN Realty’s rapid expansion signals how market pressures are reshaping both real estate and lending. Agents are seeking new income models — including dual licensing — that give them more control over commissions and client relationships. Firms offering competitive compensation, integrated mortgage partnerships, and better technology stand to attract that talent.

As more real estate and lending partnerships begin to take form, the most competitive players will be those who can operate compliantly across both sides of the transaction while maintaining the trust of consumers.