Keeton & Co vs franchise brokerages for Virginia agents: what each model gives you

Keeton & Co is built for the Virginia agent who wants appointments set for them, staff to carry the paperwork and a broker down the hall, with no franchise royalty coming off the top. Franchise brokerages offer something different: a national brand under a local owner.

Here’s how the two models compare, with sources, so you can decide using facts rather than recruiting pitches.

Why does Keeton & Co fit many Virginia agents?

Keeton & Co is independent and broker-owned, with three offices: Glen Allen (Richmond headquarters), Forest (Lynchburg) and Charlottesville. The firm was a RealTrends Verified Best Brokerage for 2025, with 718 transaction sides and $295.32M in sales volume in 2025, independently verified. In the last 12 months our agents served 706 families.

What matters most to agents:

• Lead Service (optional). Our marketing generates the inquiries and our in-house Inside Sales Team works them and books the appointment on your calendar.
• KAI. An AI assistant built only for Keeton & Co agents and connected to the MLS, your transactions, your goals and your CRM. It drafts and reviews contracts and creates your marketing.
• Staffed support. A full-service transaction coordinator, in-house marketing, IT and admin help and a field technician.
• A broker who answers. Managing brokers in Richmond and Lynchburg, and a principal broker in the building.

Our standard plan is published here; Lead Services plan details are shared privately during a confidential conversation with our team.

What is a franchise brokerage, and who is it for?

A franchise office is owned locally and operates under a national brand. You get the name, and the local owner decides how the office runs. That can suit an agent whose clients recognize the national brand, or who wants to work under a local owner with a national network behind them.

The question to test is what the franchise relationship costs and delivers in your office. Ask whether any franchise fee or royalty applies and how it affects your numbers.

What does RE/MAX Commonwealth offer in Richmond?

RE/MAX Commonwealth describes its offices as locally owned and operated franchises of RE/MAX International. Its page lists three Richmond-area offices: Midlothian, Glen Forest and Westgate. It also describes its agents as “backed by continuous education.”

The same page says RE/MAX International has over 9,000 offices and 140,000 associates worldwide; those are the firm’s own figures. It suits an agent who wants a global brand and a choice of three local offices.

What does Coldwell Banker Premier offer in Richmond?

Richmond BizSense reported in January 2026 that Midlothian-based Coldwell Banker Prime, with 18 agents, joined Coldwell Banker Premier, a Coldwell Banker affiliate with over 350 agents and 50 staff, headquartered in Winchester. The Richmond office is at 15871 City View Drive.

The article says Premier offers retirement and health insurance benefits and treats the business as a support system rather than a group of independent contractors. It suits an agent who wants benefits and a larger regional organization under a national name.

How do the models compare side by side?

Firm	Model	Who it suits	Source
Keeton & Co	Independent, three Virginia offices, no franchise royalty, staffed support	Agents who want appointments set, staff support and a local broker	RealTrends, keetonco.com
RE/MAX Commonwealth	Locally owned franchise, three Richmond-area offices	Agents who want a global brand and a choice of offices	Firm page
Coldwell Banker Premier	Franchise affiliate, regional group, 350+ agents	Agents who want benefits and a larger regional organization	Richmond BizSense, 2026

This is not a complete list of franchise brokerages; I describe only firms with a source I could read today.

How should you choose?

Ask every brokerage the same questions. What would my last twelve months of closings net after every fee, shown in writing? Does a franchise fee or royalty apply? Who handles my paperwork, and are they staff or a shared pool? Who answers when a deal breaks? Where do my next clients come from?

My read: if you already generate plenty of business and the brand carries weight with your clients, a franchise can make sense. If your bottleneck is appointments and admin time, I’d weigh the support model first. Our guide on choosing a brokerage in Richmond goes deeper, and our comparison with cloud brokerages covers the other model.

What should I do next?

If you want to see how your last twelve months would look here, start a confidential conversation and bring your own numbers. If the numbers don’t favor moving, we’ll say so. Questions first? Contact us. Written by Daniel Keeton, broker.