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20 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Real Estate Broker and Advice for Newly Licensed Agents
The first step to your successful career in real estate is choosing the right real estate broker to work for and knowing what questions to ask. There are wide differences among real estate brokerages, both in what they will offer you as well as the commission splits, expectations, and culture.
Many new real estate agents base their decision on the best commission split and that usually isn’t the best route, especially when you are new to the industry.
We highly recommend that you meet with at least three different brokerages — and do your research on each one beforehand (see Researching the Best Real Estate Brokers). Once you find the three (or four) that look the most appealing to you, schedule time to meet and ask the following questions.
While you are researching different real estate brokers, be sure to check out what eXp Realty, the innovative cloud-based brokerage voted Top Places to Work by its agents, has to offer!
Ask These 20 Questions When Choosing a Real Estate Broker
FINANCIAL
1. What are your commission splits? (i.e. does the broker get 40% and you take 60% of the commission earned)
2. Are there any franchise fees? Many large real estate brokerages charge a 3% to 8% “franchise fee” on top of the commission split above, so using the example above, the broker would receive 40%, the franchise fee would be 5% and you would receive 55%).
3. Do you offer a commission cap? A commission cap is the maximum amount of commission that the brokerage will keep each year. For example, if the “cap” is $20,000 and you generate $200,000 in gross commission, you will net $180,000. If an agent cap is NOT offered and you are on a 60 / 40 commission split, then $80,000 would go to the broker and you would net $120,000.
4. Are there any other brokerage-related fees? A few common ones include:
- Monthly office fee
- Monthly MLS fee
- Errors and Omissions Insurance (E&O)
- Education fee (often charged for the new licensee course they offer)
- Start-up fee
- Desk fees
5. What other expenses might I be responsible for? Examples include:
- Lockboxes
- eKey (to access property lockboxes)
- Signage
- Business cards
- REALTOR designation (usually $400+ per year)
- Website hosting and IDX (MLS feed)
BROKER BENEFITS & OFFERINGS
6. Do you offer any of the following:
- Business Cards
- Signage
- Lockboxes
- Stand-alone website or page on broker’s website (FYI: a stand-alone is a big plus)
- Are homebuyer or home seller leads provided? If so, ask the following important questions:
- How are they distributed among the agents?
- Is there a referral fee or upfront charge?
- How many leads can I expect each week or month?
- Are the leads website registrations or are they actually inquiring about a specific property?
- What is the typical conversion rate on your leads (i.e. what percentage of the leads end up buying or selling)
- Closing Coordinator
- Technology support team
- Continuing education classes (for CE credits)
- eSignature tools – DocuSign, DotLoop, etc
- Paid At Closing option
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system
- Discounts with local vendors
- Marketing resources (try to get lots of details about what is available)
- Meeting space (to meet with your clients)
- Clerical or administrative support
EDUCATION & SUPPORT
7. What type of classes do you offer and how often? Also, ask if there is a cost for the classes. Many brokers offer lots of classes, but most are taught by agents in the office (i.e. your local competitors). The good classes that are taught by the brokerage may cost between $200 – $1,000 per class.
8. Are the classes all in person or do you offer online courses (that you can view at your convenience)
9. Who can I contact if I have questions about a contract? Are they available after 5 pm if I have an urgent issue?
10. Do you have a mentor program? If so, how does it work? Typically the agent mentor program will last for your first 3 to 6 months in the business (or the first few transactions) and you may share a percentage of your sales commission with your mentor in exchange for their guidance.
BROKERAGE ENVIRONMENT & EXPECTATIONS
11. How many real estate agents are in the office?
12. How often do you have team meetings, happy hours, lunch & learn sessions, etc?
13. Are there any meetings that are mandatory attendance?
14. What do you do to help promote our listings, the office, and the agents?
15. Is a desk or phone duty required for each agent? If so, how many hours a week?
16. How are you involved with the surrounding communities?
17. What are your expectations for me? Is there anything else that I’m required to do as an agent under your real estate brokerage? This could include selling a certain number of homes each year, being a full-time agent, attending certain meetings, etc.
COMPANY CULTURE
18. Can you describe the atmosphere of the office?
19. Would it be possible to get a tour of the brokerage and meet some of the agents and staff?
20. Can I have the phone numbers of 3 to 5 agents who work in the office? [It’s always beneficial to have a private discussion with the other real estate agents!]
BONUS: Can I sit in on an upcoming training session or team meeting?
In Summary
While it may be difficult to determine the atmosphere and company culture of a real estate brokerage, it is critical to learn as much as possible beforehand. As a real estate agent, you work independently much of the time, but also need a supportive environment when issues arise and/or when you want to take your business to the next level. Choosing the right real estate broker can make a BIG difference to your success and happiness!
Editor’s note: This article was created by Kerry Lucasse, Founder of Building Better Agents and Realtor at eXp Realty. Information deemed reliable but is subject to change.
About Building Better Agents
At Building Better Agents, we are dedicated to helping agents build successful real estate careers. We help agents develop a plan, build a database, and work smarter to uncover the keys to success as a real estate agent. All without cold calling, door knocking, and chasing expired listings. Building Better Agents Leaders Kerry Lucasse and Kary Perry are proud to be agents with eXp Realty.
For more information, please contact us today!
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