New and inexperienced actual property brokers ought to overview every brokerage’s construction, fee plans, and total popularity to seek out and select the fitting brokerage to work for. Earlier than deciding, it is best to look into different success elements, resembling a brokerage’s on-line presence, charges, contracts, and lead distribution methods. Do not forget that choosing the proper brokerage enormously impacts your speedy success and long-term future within the business. Observe the six steps beneath to learn to select an actual property firm to work for.
1. Create & Use an Analysis Rubric to Assist Resolve on Your Brokerage
Selecting the most effective brokerage for you and your small business is just not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Some brokers desire a franchise brokerage over a boutique brokerage; others don’t thoughts paying hefty desk charges in alternate for entry to an workplace with provides and high-quality coaching. Our rubric was designed to work round every agent’s various wants.
Print it out and decide which traits greatest fit your wants on a scale of 1 to 5. As you are taking notes throughout your analysis and all through the interview course of with every brokerage, fee every criterion based mostly on this scale to provide a rating for every brokerage. This can enable you determine which brokerage is greatest for you and your actual property enterprise.
2. Resolve Which Sort of Brokerage to Goal
Actual property brokers and salespeople should have a sponsoring dealer to symbolize purchasers in actual property transactions. For brand new actual property professionals, selecting an actual property brokerage to work for might be the important thing to success or a central level of battle. Selecting the best firm is essential, so understanding the several types of actual property brokerages and their execs and cons is crucial.
Be taught and consider the variations between nationwide franchise, boutique, and digital brokerages to determine which choice is greatest for you.
Franchise brokerages are giant nationwide corporations that promote the rights to make use of their title, branding, and enterprise mannequin to brokers like RE/MAX, Century 21, and Keller Williams. After the corporate sells a franchise to a person dealer, it expenses them a set proportion for each deal closed within the workplace. Whereas many franchises are independently owned, nearly all observe the principles and laws the top workplace units.
Who Nationwide Franchises Are Greatest For & Why
Nationwide franchise brokerages are greatest fitted to new and established brokers who need help from skilled mentors, entry to high-quality coaching packages and expertise, and a longtime popularity.
The professionals and cons of working for a nationwide franchise brokerage like Keller Williams are the next:
For individuals who need to decrease the prices of changing into an agent, discovering a brokerage to work for that already has varied actual property instruments and expertise in place is right. Franchise brokerages are additionally nationally acknowledged with strong reputations, so working for an actual property firm like this may construct your personal reliable model. Together with being half of a big, nationwide model, you’ll be certainly one of hundreds or a whole bunch of hundreds of brokers. For example, there are over 188,121 Keller Williams actual property brokers worldwide.
Whereas this offers you with a big pool of individuals for help and camaraderie, it may possibly additionally imply extra competitors. It additionally limits your autonomy to make selections in your particular person actual property enterprise. The potential unfavorable of creating expertise techniques and instruments is that you could’t experiment with completely different web sites or lead technology platforms. Plus, reaching any firm management past your brokerage might be extraordinarily troublesome.
To study extra particulars about widespread nationwide franchises, take a look at our in-depth rating of the highest six actual property corporations.
Boutique brokerages are usually owned by a single dealer. Examples embody Core Actual Property out of Manhattan, Bayside Actual Property in Los Angeles, and @Properties in Chicago. Despite the fact that boutique brokerages might be considerably smaller in dimension than franchise brokerages, that doesn’t restrict their gross sales potential. In reality, most of the most profitable brokerages within the nation are boutique brokerages, promoting billions value of actual property in 2023.
Who Boutique Brokerages Are Greatest For & Why
Boutique brokerages are perfect for actual property professionals preferring extra close-knit relationships with colleagues, hands-on coaching, and interplay with management and are targeted on a selected area of interest market.
The professionals and cons of working for a boutique brokerage are the next:
Many native boutique brokerages have a couple of brokers working for a single brokerage, like Salt Actual Property in Edmond, Oklahoma, or Prime Residential Brokerage in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah. Different boutique brokerages have a number of workplaces with a complete of some hundred or thousand brokers, like Sereno, with 19 places and greater than 620 brokers.
If you’re studying methods to discover a actual property dealer to work for, you’ll discover that boutique brokerages supply the widest vary of help, advertising, and instruments. Some supply intensive coaching packages and advertising techniques. Others might present just a few primary instruments like a single-page web site however supply full flexibility in advertising methods and a close-knit group setting. There may be additionally extra probability of discovering extra group camaraderie in a boutique brokerage as a substitute of competitors.
Every boutique brokerage needs to be evaluated individually with out making assumptions about what’s or isn’t included. Learn our article 24 Essential Inquiries to Ask a Dealer in a Actual Property Interview and obtain our free actual property brokerage interview questionnaire to be ready and ensure you’re asking the fitting questions.
With the arrival of software program as a service (SaaS), actual property software program, and the rising reliance on internet marketing, digital brokerages are actually a viable choice for unbiased and skilled actual property professionals. As an alternative of working for a bodily brokerage workplace, digital actual property brokerages help you deal with your actual property wants with essentially the most flexibility and from the comfort of your laptop.
Who Digital Brokerages Are Greatest For & Why
Digital brokerages are excellent for knowledgeable brokers who need final flexibility, technological assets and instruments, and most income. A digital brokerage might supply the most effective of each worlds for brokers who need a excessive fee break up and entry to expertise. For knowledgeable brokers with an present popularity and pool of clientele, digital brokerages can supply the proper stability of flexibility and automation instruments to scale their enterprise.
Listed below are the professionals and cons of becoming a member of a digital brokerage agency like eXp Realty:
Nonetheless, for newer brokers or part-time brokers, digital brokerages might or is probably not the fitting option to get their enterprise off the bottom. The high-tech instruments and excessive commissions look extraordinarily enticing, however there may be way more to contemplate as you learn to discover a brokerage to work for. New actual property brokers often want extra localized and individualized help whereas they work onerous to determine authority and networks of their space.
A brand-new actual property agent enterprise should have potential purchasers and new leads earlier than an enterprise-level buyer relationship supervisor (CRM) is beneficial. Even the biggest number of instruments, expertise, and on-line communities gained’t be efficient if an agent can’t make in-person connections and gross sales. Plus, some digital actual property brokerages require month-to-month charges whatever the agent’s manufacturing, which is usually a danger for many who don’t persistently shut gross sales.
3. Select Between Going Solo & Becoming a member of a Workforce
If you’re studying how to decide on an actual property brokerage to work for, you have to perceive the 2 methods you may work with them. Essentially the most well-known approach is to go solo and function as an unbiased actual property agent. The second choice is to affix an actual property group, which implies that you’re employed with a gaggle or underneath a extra skilled agent inside your brokerage.
What It Means to Go Solo
Most new actual property brokers plan on going solo after they enter the business. Solo brokers are unbiased, and all enterprise obligations, like lead technology, nurturing, transactions, and accounting, are in your shoulders. You solely have your actual property brokerage to lean on, which is another excuse why selecting one that gives the extent of help you’ll want is so essential.
Despite the fact that going solo is a major quantity of labor, the profit is that you simply’ll earn extra fee per sale. Workforce members have to separate the fee they earn even after the brokerage’s fee break up, however solo brokers maintain the complete fee proportion agreed upon with their dealer (e.g., 70/30 or 80/20). You don’t need to seek the advice of anybody else to make advertising or enterprise selections. You’ve full artistic management over your small business so long as they match inside your brokerage’s guidelines.

Solo agent instance
(Supply: REAL New York)
If in case you have a big sphere of affect (SOI), sufficient money reserves to maintain you afloat, or a advertising background, going solo is perhaps your best option. The draw back of getting autonomy as a solo actual property agent is that you simply don’t have assist. It’s a must to study the whole lot and construct your small business from scratch. You could attempt a number of lead technology methods earlier than discovering what works in your space, which might take time, cash, and energy.
What It Means to Be part of a Workforce
Becoming a member of an actual property group is commonly a really perfect path for brand new, inexperienced, or part-time brokers, particularly in the event that they really feel anxious or not sure about their first steps. Members of actual property groups often obtain advantages like coated bills and a gaggle of mentors, so that you’ll learn to run an actual property enterprise the fitting approach from a seasoned professional.

Instance actual property group
(Supply: Workforce Ed Martin | RE/MAX First Actual Property Workforce)
The group will even usually feed you leads, so you may spend extra time working with purchasers and fewer on advertising and lead technology. It might probably take a very long time for brand new brokers to determine an efficient lead technology system, so working inside a group might help you acquire expertise and confidence when you construct your techniques. Being a part of an actual property group may also be an awesome selection for knowledgeable brokers not targeted on scaling a person enterprise.
Many brokers desire the group setting and the pliability of handing off duties and purchasers to trusted group members. However, becoming a member of a group means a decrease fee break up because you’re sometimes engaged on offers as a group and splitting the income. You’ll additionally sacrifice flexibility and autonomy by engaged on a group, which might be a profit or a disadvantage, relying in your objectives and motivation. Consider your short- and long-term objectives to find out if an actual property group or going solo is best for you.
4. Evaluate Fee Plans
Each actual property firm and brokerage may have various fee splits, charges, and contracts. When deciding how to decide on an actual property firm to work for, ensure you perceive the varieties of fee plans, frequent charges, and contracts. Whereas you could find out a few of this info by yourself, you’ll probably need to request a face-to-face interview to know the choices supplied by brokerages in your space.
Typically talking, there are three varieties of fee break up buildings supplied by actual property brokerages: conventional fastened plans, excessive break up plans, and graduated or tiered plans. See the breakdown of every by clicking on the tabs beneath:
5. Study the Popularity of the Actual Property Brokerage
As you learn to discover a actual property brokerage to work for, it’s important to guage the corporate’s present popularity in your native market. If you affiliate your self with a brokerage, you additionally can be taking up the popularity of your sponsoring brokerage. Due to this fact, it is best to do thorough analysis to find out what group members take into consideration the brokerage.
Listed below are 4 methods to know if the potential brokerage has a robust popularity:
Ask Your Community
Essentially the most dependable and sincere suggestions you may get on a brokerage is immediately from their purchasers. Ideally, the folks you ask can be native members of your group who’re both at present available in the market for an actual property transaction or have accomplished one previously.
You’ll be able to contact your community in varied methods, like one-on-one conversations, posting in your social media profile, or in a Fb group. Both approach, it’s greatest to ask particular questions in particular person or over the telephone so it’s best to listen to the particular person’s tone, expression and make clear any solutions.
Listed below are a couple of inquiries to ask your community:
- Have you ever heard of X actual property brokerage?
- Do you’ve got buddies, household, or acquaintances who’ve used the brokerage? Had been they happy with their expertise?
- What’s the very first thing that involves thoughts if you consider the brokerage?
- What has your expertise been with X actual property brokerage?
Evaluation Press Mentions
Do a fast Google seek for the company or firm and open the “Information” tab to seek out associated pages from different sources. Rapidly scanning the outcomes will present you ways ceaselessly they obtain press, and only a few minutes of looking out will present you what sort of publicity they’ve acquired. Many giant corporations will even have a press part on their web site.

Instance brokerage Google search (Supply: Google)
A brokerage with many native and nationwide outcomes exhibits they’re well-known and usually revered. Nonetheless, studying how to decide on an actual property brokerage to work for means evaluating every brokerage’s strengths and weaknesses. Many small actual property brokerages have a stronger popularity than the preferred decisions, however their publicity can be minimal.
Learn On-line Opinions
Research present that as much as 94% of customers stated a foul overview satisfied them to keep away from a enterprise, particularly for consumers or sellers anticipating the biggest transaction of their life. On the similar time, on-line evaluations are typically solely given by folks with strong opinions, whether or not unfavorable or constructive, so they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, there needs to be a priority if the brokerage has many unfavorable evaluations.
Don’t neglect to concentrate to the supply of the evaluations you search for. In case you’re evaluating a Keller Williams workplace, nationwide evaluations for the brokerage is not going to offer you an correct understanding of 1 particular person location. Strive wanting particularly for Google enterprise evaluations for essentially the most dependable evaluations from purchasers for particular person brokerages.
Most Google evaluations are written by purchasers or individuals who have labored with the brokerage to purchase or promote a house. As well as, it’s additionally beneficial to seek out any on-line evaluations from brokers who beforehand or at present work for the brokerage from sources like Glassdoor or Certainly evaluations. It’s at all times greatest to learn evaluations for the precise location or workplace you’re evaluating, however evaluations for nationwide and franchise brokerages can even enable you determine.
Search for Awards & Memberships
Take note of any awards or accolades on the brokerage’s web site or social media pages. Additionally, search for any nationwide associations or memberships they’re related to. Not all award-winning brokerages promote their accomplishments, so search on-line when you don’t discover something instantly. Being listed on the RealTrends 500 rankings is a superb indicator of success.

EXIT Actual Property Gallery award (Supply: Fb)
6. Consider Further Success Elements
When you’ve established a primary understanding of the several types of brokerages and the way they might or might not meet your wants, you’ll have the ability to extra precisely and simply consider every potential brokerage selection. Many different elements contribute to picking an actual property firm to work for, and with a base understanding of your wants, you’ll have the ability to begin narrowing down the strengths and weaknesses of every. This can dramatically enhance your possibilities of discovering success as an actual property agent.
These are some essential extra elements to guage:
- Charges: Brokerages might cost a number of extra charges on a month-to-month or annual foundation, and also you don’t need to be shocked by your bills after you’ve signed an settlement. Ensure to get a listing of all charges and schedules in writing earlier than selecting an actual property firm.
- Contracts: When you choose an actual property group or brokerage, you’ll signal a contract stipulating phrases. You could learn the contract fastidiously and perceive all potential implications to keep away from a significant downside. Most corporations present a one-year contract, however studying the positive print is the one approach to know precisely what you’re agreeing to.
- Lead distribution technique: Ask every brokerage how they distribute new results in their brokers. Since lead technology is a crucial component of an actual property enterprise, their technique needs to be clear and straightforward to know.
- Market share: Understanding the brokerage’s market share is crucial as a result of it may possibly point out the corporate’s success. A brokerage with a excessive variety of listings available in the market and an evenly distributed variety of listings per agent is more than likely an awesome place to work.
- Coaching plans: Relying in your expertise degree and wishes, an actual property firm’s coaching and mentorship packages is usually a deciding issue. In lots of circumstances, the shortage of help from a brokerage is why actual property brokers fail.
- Tradition and workplace setup: Firm tradition is commonly missed by brokers, however pleased brokers are profitable brokers. In case you really feel uncomfortable at the true property workplace or discover that it doesn’t mesh together with your persona, you’ll keep away from vital interactions and alternatives for help that may be instrumental in rising your small business.
- On-line presence: Not all brokerages acknowledge the significance of constructing a web based presence, however actual property lead technology statistics clearly present that digital and social media advertising is simply rising extra highly effective and efficient as time goes on. Even when the viewers dimension isn’t large, having an energetic on-line presence exhibits that the brokerage is educated about modern-day advertising and lead technology.
Backside Line
Selecting the best actual property brokerage in your wants is among the most important elements in figuring out your profession success. It may be complicated for brand new and skilled brokers as a result of each brokerage has distinctive strengths and weaknesses. To study the easiest way to decide on an actual property firm to work for, you have to completely consider your wants and the brokerage’s choices and use the analysis rubric supplied.
Steadily Requested Questions (FAQs)
Discovering the most effective locations to work as an actual property agent is extra than simply wanting on the common earnings or variety of listings on Redfin. It’s additionally about selecting a spot you get pleasure from and love. Based mostly on inhabitants development and median wage, the next are the highest 10 greatest cities to work as a realtor:
- Virginia Seaside, VA
- West Palm Seaside, FL
- Austin, TX
- Tulsa, OK
- Denver, CO
- Dallas, TX
- Seattle, WA
- Washington, D.C.
- Las Vegas, NV
- Vancouver, WA
Though sure areas have reciprocity with different states, actual property brokers can solely work within the state the place they possess their licenses. In case you are at present enrolled in prelicensing or actual property lessons in a single state, it is best to determine instantly whether or not you need to work there or switch to a distinct state.
You’ll have many questions, doubts, and studying experiences throughout your first yr as an actual property agent. By way of advertising, lead technology, and conversion, you gained’t have the assets to compete with the key actual property brokerages if you first begin out. To launch your profession, you’ll need to make use of the brokerage’s instruments and strategies in addition to their help in getting your title on the market. That’s the reason you have to choose an actual property brokerage that may stroll this journey with you from starting to finish.