“Should I stay or should I go?” 5 questions agents should ask
This is the time of year to figure out what you need from a real estate agent and whether your current agent can provide it, writes ERA Real Estate President Alex Vidal.
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The holidays are over and the new year is just around the corner. As you step into 2025, it’s important to pause and assess your situation to see if you’re set up for success this year.
The goal is to get clear on what you need from a broker: the one you are currently working with or the one you are considering working with.
The main area of focus should be determining what you need from a real estate agent to achieve your goals. That requires you to get into the weeds of your current business. Here are five questions to get you started:
1. Where does my business currently come from?
Are you successful in converting company-generated leads? Do your company’s marketing tools give you enough visibility? Does your broker offer a CRM system that allows you to stay in touch with your field? Are the company’s learning and professional development offerings helpful?
Taking a deep dive like this can help you discover what has the most impact on your business. You then want to determine whether your broker can help you further with this. If not, can the real estate agent you are considering help you in this area?
2. What is the biggest gap in my business right now?
Do you want to expand your customer base in a certain niche, such as luxury or new construction homes, or do you want to gain access to a certain neighborhood or price point? Are you interested in working with moving clients? Would access to mortgage and title leads make a difference to your business?
To what extent does your broker support you in filling these gaps so that you can further develop your business? Can another broker provide more support in filling these opportunity gaps in your business?
3. What would I like to do more of, but I don’t?
Can your broker support you in this? Have you asked for the support of your broker? If not, what’s holding you back?
I recently spoke with an agent who had tremendous success at open houses when he installed large balloon letters that read “open house” in front of the house. In addition to the $300 cost for each open house, the amount of time required was significant, so he could not do this for every open house. A simple conversation with his broker resulted in a solution that supported this broker’s business.
4. It is December 31, 2025. Where do I want to be?
Working through the first three questions should give you a deeper understanding of your current business, existing opportunities, and your own desires for how to expand your business.
Now think carefully: do you see your agent helping you get there? Can the real estate agent you are considering help you with this?
5. What do I like about my current agent or brokerage, and am I willing to leave that behind?
Company culture is very important and I encourage you to make this part of your consideration when considering whether to stay with your current company or move to another company. Yes, I always talk about my goal of helping agents make more money and live a better life, but both things are equally important.
If you trade a supportive culture for a super-competitive one, you might make more money, but you might be miserable. I know I would be! If you’re in this business to truly help people live better lives, then a company that leads with this philosophy may be better aligned with your overall goals.
Yes, it’s important to grow your business, but not if you have to give up what really matters to you.
A new year is always a good time to think about your goals and the support you need to achieve them. Asking yourself these five questions can help you decide whether you should stay or go. Have the confidence to know what you need and ask for it so you can crush it in 2025.
Alex Vidal is the president of ERA Real Estate.
