You need to be sponsored by an active Florida licensed broker to work as a real estate sales associate.
When looking for a broker, remember that YOU are the one interviewing the broker, not the other way around. The key is to find one that is the best aligned with your career goals and offers the best bang for your buck. Some sales associates may find that rigorous training programs were the key to their success, while others might say that joining a brokerage with a high sales volume helped them more than training did. While being part of a great brokerage helps, you are also directly responsible for your own success!
We recommend attending networking events at brokerages, or looking for other community events in Real Estate to help connect you with potential brokers. Here are some questions to ask when looking for an employing broker:
- Fee structure: flat fee, commission split, graduated commission with experience?
- Average commission split for experienced sales associates?
- Success: number of successful full-time sales associates, yearly income, gross volume of sales?
- Education: training/mentor programs?
- What does the brokerage offer to sales associates? (advertising options, office space, secretary/receptionist, signage and lock boxes, insurance)
- Extra costs: transaction fees, local/state realtor association dues?
- Working there: partners or alone, work schedule, expectations for sales associates, sales meetings, bonuses or incentives for exceeding goals or recruiting sales associates, profit sharing, voice in brokerage decisions?
- Do you identify with this broker? (personality, values, etc.)
