Thread: what company to sign with?

I'll go for the training first. Then I'll think money. You will have to pay desk fee at RE/max. Can you pay if you have no paycheck for the next 6 months?

As a new agent the last thing you should be concerned about is the split. If you end up in an environment where you do not learn how to make money there will be no split. If you end up in an environment where you are mentally beat up, you will have no career.

Interview more than these 2 companies and try to find a place where you fit in and get the training you will need to succeed. Once you have learned how to be a success you can start to worry about the split.

I've interviewed with both and I chose Coldwell. It really is a phenomenal company. I don't know how it is by you but I don't pay any office fees, and only a yearly fee to Coldwell. They have alot of great resources for agents that other companies don't have, they spend 8 million a year on advertising, they own a majority of relator.com which means you get free enhanced listings instead of the normal ones, and you can go into any Coldwell banker office in your state and work out of it...so you don't have to be restricted to just one area.

I was with CB before. The owner shut it down: bankrupt!!

In my opinion, its really more about the broker - and less about the franchise itself.

I'm currently with REMAX. But I can easily point to several other REMAX offices that I would absolutely not join.

I'm glad you sound happy with your choice.

Stay focused. Associate yourself with the successful persons in your office. Work hard. And you'll do great.

IMHO: training is an abstract thing. Especially formal training. What I did myself 3 years ago and what I recommend to all new agents: find a broker (meaning the owner of the business) who has too many listings to handle everything himself, a broker that would be willing to give you, say, two of his listings so you can treat them as your own. This way you will be in real situation from day one. Do open houses, advertize at your own expense, tell the receptionist to give YOUR cell phone number to any callers interested in those listings, etc... and do whatever the broker tells you to do.

I personally don't believe in formal training and never gave a cent to RE gurus who claim that a new agent will walk away from their seminar as a pro.

Every agent has their own style of work. You will find it faster if you will do from day one what RE agents mostly do: work on listings. Let it be your broker's listings at the beginning. You'll get your own soon!

REMax is not an option for a new agent, that's for sure. You may want to join them in 3-4 years when you have established your business.

I would go with a reputable company to start. It is one you can always put on your resume as a great starting point. The other thing is that you will meet a bigger pool of people to network with and build lasting relationships that will go long beyond you leave that job.

I agree with everyone who said that training should be your main concern right now. I started with Coldwell Banker and don't regret it at all. They offered great training, a mentor, a ton of name recognition, and market share. After I established myself I moved on to RE/MAX and don't regret that either. They are both great companies.

Originally Posted by sloraider

I would go with a reputable company to start. It is one you can always put on your resume as a great starting point. .

The funny thing is that RE agent needs no resume. RE agent will be hired by any broker any time.

Agent should not worry about big names on his resume, he should worry about his professional skills.