RealTrends Verified Jorgenson Group presents an independent Texas brokerage
From military service to housing leadership
Jorgenson’s path to real estate began at a pivotal time in his life and finances.
In 2009, while serving in the military and working during the Great Depression, he decided to transition into public life and explore a new career.
“I was in Southern California, so I left the military and went to my office at Keller Williams,” he said. “There was a husband and wife group, and I basically said, ‘Hey, I want to study this field,'” he said. “I offered to work for free as an intern and said I was planning to move to Texas in about nine months – so for less than a year, I studied for them and did everything I could.”
After moving to Texas, Jorgenson was licensed by the state in 2010 and began building what would become the Jorgenson Group within Keller Williams.
Over the next decade and a half, the team grew steadily – improving its systems and processes while always working with the national franchise.
Why are you independent now?
The decision to leave Keller Williams was not a whim, Jorgenson said – adding that the past year was spent evaluating the industry and learning where wealth is headed amid rapid technological change.
“[The past year involved] trying to remove any bias we had, and looking at the industry as a whole, [as well as] look at what happened with Compass and its acquisition, and the battle between them and Zillow,” he said.
Jorgenson said the pace of innovation — particularly around artificial intelligence (AI) and technology integration — has been a major factor in launching his new venture.
He said that large brokerages tend to struggle to make changes quickly to stay ahead.
“There are all these new AI tools coming out,” Jorgenson said. “With the speed at which everything seems to be happening, we looked at it and we didn’t feel like the big companies could act fast enough to keep up with what was happening. I don’t think many big companies could do it.”
Benefits and barriers to change
While being independent offers flexibility, moving from a team to a sales company came with both advantages and challenges.
Financially, Jorgenson said the numbers work for the company — from insurance costs to eliminating franchise-related fees. Traditionally, the movement empowered agents who wanted to be part of something new.
“I would say some of the easier parts are that the finances are more favorable when you break the policy costs (of errors and omissions) and things like that,” he said. “There have been many decisions to save money that end up benefiting us in a positive way.”
The hard part, he said, was building compliance and operational systems that were managed by a large marketing company. The transformation requires about 45 days of hard work and process creation.
“We knew what we didn’t know, so we learned as we went through it,” Jorgenson said. “We had to stay organized and get down on the to-do list with that. There were a lot of to-do lists and processes and all the little things we had to do — working long hours to make those changes.”
Peer advice, market perspective
For other group leaders considering a similar move, Jorgenson stressed the importance of understanding interdependence and seeking ideas beyond a single brokerage ecosystem.
“I will look at what programs depend on any business they have first, and then see if there is a way to recreate them,” he said. “I would encourage people to go to atheist events. I love Jeff Glover and Glover University. Find places for atheist brokers to talk to and talk to a lot of different people and get a broader perspective.”
Looking ahead, Jorgenson remains cautiously optimistic about the central Texas market, which includes Round Rock and areas north of Austin.
Input levels tip the balance, but consumer behavior tells a more cautious story.
“I think 2026 will be slow and steady, optimistic and improving at the end of the year, Q3 and Q4, hopefully,” he said. “If prices continue to come down, it will help things move that way.”
