Find out what offerings the broker DOESN’T provide. Running your own real estate business requires mission critical systems that your clients depend on, and can be very pricy and require significant time to operate and manage on your own. A few examples include: CRM (client relationship manager), Website, Professional Photographers, Marketing Support

Training is more than just knowing how to fill out a contract – that was Real Estate School. Training is all about helping you be successful in growing your business. A great way to find out if a company’s training works is to find out the average production of the agents affiliated with the company.

The average agent does 3-5 deals per year. At a company with great training, the average agent will do more than 10.

Understanding the real estate market is one thing. Being able to explain it to your client is critical and printing market stats from the MLS or Zillow doesn’t cut it. A company who is committed to helping clients make the right real estate decision will publish market research not only for residential, but commercial, and multi-family asset classes. (check out ours here)

Find out what mobile apps, client relationship system, agent websites, marketing software, yard sign technology, and transaction management software a company provides. Knowing this will help you know what you will be provided and what you will need to buy. Keep in mind, all technology is not the same and while it can be time consuming to find the right platform for you, it is worth it. (we use Arti and Zap)

If you’re hoping your listing will sell by putting it in the MLS and stabbing a sign in the ground, you’re going to be disappointed. Make sure to find out what marketing resources are provided that will create a market for the home. Everything from print marketing to photography and social media.

Listing coordination is teamwork between you and the brokerage to make sure when you take a listing that the property has the highest chance of selling. This includes having someone on your team reviewing the listing on the major real estate websites, setting up smart sign technology, just listed postcards, reviewing the paperwork, and setting up alerts and notifications for you and the client. This process ensures your listing is positioned correctly from the start.

Photography in real estate has come a long way in 10 years.  A listing with professional photography will get 61% more exposure with it.  Make sure you partner with a company that not only knows a photographer, but that has options to help with drone, twilight, and other options.  Great companies offer photography services at no cost to the agent or client.

Exploring a home from your computer in 3D is an experience like no other (check it out here).  The trick is, though, that if nobody actually sees it then who cares.  As agents, we’re in the business of winning listings and selling homes. This means we have to not only provide the information buyers want, but have to actually get it in a channel that they can actually see it. Find out how if the brokerage offers matterport (and at what cost), and how they show the world.

Your transaction management platform is the hub of your deals. Have a listing? Its in your transaction platform.  Have a contract or closing, yep it’s in there. This is how your deals are run.  Make sure it’s good.

A compliance process is all about making sure all of the correct paperwork is signed, in order, and in the brokerage file. The company should have a Broker that is competent and experienced along with a dedicated process that reviews the docs at listing, pending, and closing to ensure a smooth transaction for your clients.  You do not want to try and collect paperwork after the deal is closed.

Errors and Omissions coverage is all about what happens when there arises a problem on a transaction. This is expensive insurance the broker carries to hedge against lawsuits arising from transactions.  The Broker’s policy should cover at least $1,000,000 and have a $5,000 deductible.

Look for a company that has some scale to it.  The business is changing very fast and it is tough to be in a place that you don’t feel like you have the support you need.  Find out how many Brokers there are per agent and what the accessibility is.  This will help you gauge how difficult it will be to get help when you have a question.

No doubt, sometime along the line as your business grows, you will need help or expertise with commercial, farm, recreational, leasing, or property management.  Make sure the broker has resources in those spaces, otherwise when that time comes you will find yourself not being able to support your client.