I am trying to get a better grasp on the out of pocket cost of being an agent. I know each company works differently, but I was wondering how much agents on this forum pay for desk fees. Is it possible to work from home and not have to pay a desk fee?? I am feeling a little overwhelmed at the cost of startup. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I pay zip. Nada, zero....my company does not charge a desk fee, and from what I understand, that is not the norm for Weichert offices.

And to be honest, the answers to your questions will vary from broker to broker - truly. You will find a wide variety of answers; some agents pay $100/month for a desk fee others may pay $300 or more. Some may pay a small fee per transaction...some may just have a low commission split.

These questions are really best answered by your local brokers...seriously. Just call them up and ask.

There is going to out of pocket costs (especially working from home).

The "Desk Fee" will encompass your MLS fees, franchise fees (depending on the Company) and other fees.

Waking up one day and saying "Hey, Im going into Real Estate" yes there are huge costs involved. Some brokers will will absord the fees for you, others will not. Its all negotiable. You can pay up front or pay on the A$$ end (Split).



You should be overwhelmed by the startup. Wait until you see the costs for the monthly expense for your home office. It's not cheap.

On average though, It costs me about 1200/month to operate. Rather I sell or not.

Desk fees are kind of the smallest part of the equation for me. So my first company didn't charge a desk fee.....but the commission split was 45/55;then$45 on each deal went to e and o insurance, another $40 went to the franchise for a processing fee ( every deal no matter how many deals you had.) If the commission split had been reversed I could have afforded a small desk fee and still made more $$$.
Today, I work from home but still have to pay for certain services like CSS, paper copying if I copy things in the office, e fax service. and once a year I pay 125 a year for the e and o on all my transactions no matter how many I do! So my desk fee or office fee might be 100 at the most and maybe 20 at the least but my commission split is 70/30 Do I complain about fees sure I do, but I usually appreciate whatever its for ( ie we paid a one time fee to get the criss cross on our company computers, a one time fee for seller net sheet program ) Of course fees are overwhelming when you start, signs, open arrows, fees it doesn't seem to quit! Just make sure you are happy with the commission split and don't be afraid of a small monthly fee, if everything else about the company makes you happy! Rotza Ruck!

We have 70/30 split no desk fees. I like it like this for now. Later may be a different story.

I pay $40 per month, but get a really decent split with my broker. Plus my broker spends a lot on advertising which I get for free.

I suppose it's all about finding the right scenario for your circumstances.

It's an expensive business to get started in. Best of luck to you.

It depends on your brokerage. My guess is:
No desk fees if you are at 50/50 - 60/40 - 70/30
Few dollars if you get to 80/20 - 90/10
Big bucks if you get at 90/10 - 100/0
You may elect for a broker who give you 100/0 and asking you to leave him alone - ie. fax with your own fax, copy with your own copier, etc..These brokers use to charge $300-$500 per transaction. This was best for me personaly...