Thread: Big agency vs Small

I'd choose the privately owned small company as they can more professional. The company is small and they realize that it's necessary to survive on the market so they are suppused to be professional.

I work for a small company but started out at a larger company that is well known world wide. The training was great but the atmosphere was not for me.

Finding a company that offers training or a mentoring program is essential at first. But desk fees and splits are a very important consideration also.

What are the benefits of a Big Franchise type company VS a small privately owned agency?

They differ with the policies they offer and as what many had said privately owned agency offers a highly professional training well maybe this depends on the agency you are dealing with.

There are no benefits anymore to be with a large franchise. This isn't the 70s and 80s where you have to be with Century 21 or ReMax anymore. I have been with a small broker for years and have enjoyed extremely low fees and much sales success. Now that we are in the information age, most consumers realize it's the agent selling your home and not the broker.

In my opinion, it doesn't matter. I would pick who has the best mentoring and training. The name of the company doesn't sell the homes, you do and you will need to learn how.

Listings is the main difference, the bigger the real estate office the more listing it PROBABLY has... the more listings the more calls... the more calls the more leads..... the more leads them more deals and so on

It can also depend on the market you service. Here in Cleveland, people are somewhat conservative and do feel more comfortable working with a larger company. Each agent needs to define what they want out of an agency and just find a good fit for them, whether it's a big or small company. With the struggles that many smaller companies, at least here, are having, you may see a lot of mergers over the next few years as well.

Larger companies usually are a better fit for the brand new agent. You get instant credibility, a possible source of leads and there are usually more comprehensive training and mentoring programs. Smaller boutique companies work well for the experienced agent who has the knowledge to operate independantly without supervision and an established client base to draw referrals from.

Both types of companies certainly have their place in the real estate world. As a side note, even with the large firms you can negotiate your commission splits as a producing agent. I have chosen to remain with with one of the major name franchises for the benefits of name recognition, legal department backup, free CE classes, paperless transaction files, etc. I compared what it would cost me to do business at one of the 100% no name companies and determined that the extra fees I pay to the franchise were totally offset by the extra expenses I would have at the smaller company, plus I could take advantage of more sales tools with the franchise. That is not always the case, but you need to weigh out what your options are locally.

The general rule I would say would be to start off at a large company for training and then go to a smaller company after that. Having that said the smaller companies probably have more experienced agents.
I think small companies are great. Family owned businesses.