From military service to real estate leadership
Jorgenson’s path to real estate began at a pivotal time in his life and the economy.
In 2009, while serving in the Army and deployed during the Great Recession, he decided to transition to civilian life and explore a new career.
“I was in Southern California, so I separated from the military and walked into our local Keller Williams office,” he said. “There was a husband and wife team and I basically said, ‘Hey, I want to learn the industry,’” he said. “I offered to work as an intern for free and said I was planning to move to Texas in about nine months – so I interned for them for a little less than a year doing everything I could do.”
After moving to Texas, Jorgenson became licensed within the state in 2010 and began building what would become the Jorgenson Group within Keller Williams.
Over the next fifteen years the team grew steadily; it developed its own systems and processes while remaining connected to the national franchise.
Why become independent now?
The decision to leave Keller Williams was not abrupt, Jorgenson said. He added that the past year was spent evaluating the sector and studying the direction real estate is heading amid rapid technological change.
“[The past year involved] trying to remove the prejudices we had, and look at the sector as a whole, [as well as] Look at what’s happening with Compass and their acquisition, and with the battle between them and Zillow,” he said.
Jorgenson said the pace of innovation – especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and technology integration – was a key factor in starting his new brokerage.
Large brokers, he said, often struggle to implement changes quickly enough to stay ahead.
“There are all these new AI tools coming out,” says Jorgenson. “With the speed at which everything seems to be happening, we looked at it and didn’t feel like large companies could implement things quickly to keep up with what’s happening. I don’t think most large companies can do this.”
Benefits and obstacles of the transition
While independence offers flexibility, moving from a team to a brokerage brought both benefits and challenges.
Financially, Jorgenson said the numbers worked in the company’s favor – from insurance costs to eliminating franchise-related fees. Culturally, this move energized agents who wanted to be part of something new.
“I would say some of the easier parts have been that the financial numbers are much more favorable when you break down the costs of a policy (errors and omissions) and things like that,” he said. “Many money-saving decisions have been made that ultimately benefit us in a good way.”
The more difficult part, he said, was building compliance and operational systems that were previously managed by a larger brokerage. The transition required approximately 45 days of intensive work and process building.
“We didn’t know what we didn’t know, and so we learned as we went through it,” Jorgenson said. “We’ve had to stay organized and get rid of the to-do list to do that. There have been more to-do lists and processes and all the little adjustments we have to make – working long hours to make those adjustments.”
Advice for colleagues, market prospects
For other team leaders considering a similar move, Jorgenson emphasized the importance of understanding dependencies and seeking perspectives outside of a single brokerage firm’s ecosystem.
“I would first look at what systems depend on the brokerage they work with, and figure out if there is a way to recreate them,” he said. “I would encourage people to go to broker-agnostic events. I like Jeff Glover and Glover University. Find broker-agnostic places that interview and talk to a lot of different people and get a broad perspective.”
Looking ahead, Jorgenson remains cautiously optimistic about the central Texas market, which includes Round Rock and areas north of Austin.
Inventory levels indicate equilibrium, but buyer behavior tells a more cautious story.
“I think 2026 will be slow and steady, with an optimistic outlook and hopefully a rebound at the end of the year, in the third and fourth quarters,” he said. “If interest rates continue to fall, this will help move things in that direction.”
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