What are your thoughts on these three companies? Inquiring minds want to know.
I have interviewed with all three, and can't quite make up my mind. I am a bit perplexed.

It totally depends on the people who actually own and operate the franchises.

For instance, I love my Weichert office. I wouldn't necessarily work for another Weichert office though, just because it's Weichert. I like the people who own and run the office - the broker, his partner and everyone else in the office.

SO, rather than what our opinions are on these offices, you need to ask yourself:

Which office seemed to be most comfortable to you?
Which office had the best advantage financially (commission splits, desk fees, office frills that they offer, etc.)
Which broker seemed the most approachable - did you build a rapport or connection with any of them?
How busy are the offices? As them what their market share is for listings and sales...
Which has the best deal for flexibility and floor time?
Which one seems to have more signs up in your market area?

Everything that Perky said but IMO I would concentrate who you think has the best broker who can mentor you to make lots of money. BTW, I'm with Weichert too!

D'oh - I can't believe I left off "Which office is going to offer you the best training..."

Are any of the offices run by a "competing broker?" Meaning, will the broker be listing and selling properties? Then RUN!
RUN FAST! Do not work for someone who is going to be in competition with you. I did that once, and never again! If they are taking part of your commission, they shouldn't also be striving with you for the same business!

So we HAVE hit California!

Jan alot fo these companies are the same.You can go to http://www.solidsourcerealty.com.

When I joined years ago there were about 140 agents now there are close to 2,000.I don't care what companies did ten years ago you want to look at the last couple of years as there track record.Are they progressing and moving forward or are they going flat or going backwardsa in a declining market?

I am no longer with Solid Source not because they are a bad company but because I mainly focus on investment properties and Commercial and I started my own company last year.

The reality is the company you first start with is not going to bring you mountians of business like you think a national brand would and the likelihood that you will stay with the one company throughout your career is very unlikely.

All companies promise new training,leads,etc. but very few deliver this is why alot of agents hop from one company to the next.The bigger question is will you agree to there way of doing business.Some like to give you freedom to think outside th ebox and others want to control you which is fine if your personality fits that type of company.In the end you will generate your own business and everyone provides training so I would focus more on the split.Unless they are giving you qualfied leads and handing them to you nothing justifies a 50/50 split.good luck

So we HAVE hit California! [/quote]

Yes we did! The office opened last December and I was like the 9th agent. We actually have 94 escrows right now!

^^Our pending file drawer is crammed so full that we need another drawer!

Our office is really doing very well in our area. I've got three things in pending right now, three new listings, and a couple of good buyers keeping things stirred up for now.

The market here isn't bad - it's just that we now have a bunch of tire kickers coming in wanting to get something for nothing because the market is "Sooooo baaaaad" - they waste everyone's time!

Man, what a loaded question.

That's like asking which do you prefer:

1. Herpes (A love Story)

2. Aides (A fairy tale)

3. Cancer (just plain sucks)

If you do what you should do, you can make it in any office, franchise or not.

Well, I decided on Century 21. It is not a nice modern office like Prudential or Coldwell, I will have to share my office space with another agent in a run down building, but they are the ones who stood out the most to me.

JanMarie,

Make sure you get into CREATE 21. It is a course taught over the web with a national instructor. You need to get into http://www.21Online.com and then select Century 21 Learning System (CLS). It does run $195 but it is absolutely excellent. The focus is on how to launch your business, in particular the kinds of prospecting and skills that will generate a contract. We've had such a good experience that I now require all new agents to take it.

Also, on CLS, take advantage of the free Virtual Solutions Series classes. There are dozens every month of these short, focused courses on everything from how to use 21Online tools to forms of prospecting to building life balance. I'd plan on doing a couple every month for the first six months (Start with Anatomy of a House).

Also, become very familiar with 21Online.com. You need to start using Egreetings to keep in contact with potential clients. Send out a Life@Home newsletter to your sphere of influence every month. Use the Virtual Presentation Library presentations for expireds, FSBOs, new listings and potential buyers. Make sure you upgrade every listing with a Slide Show, long write-up, etc. You'll be surprised how doing so will generate additional leads.

It's a great franchise. Not every office uses all the tools. But, that shouldn't hold you back.

For the record, my office is currently located above a pizza place, accessible only through an alley between two buildings, no parking, no real sign other than one nailed to the side of the building - and the office isn't modern and shiny like a penny. We have one large room for about 20 agents, all sharing desks and tables for now...

That said - our office has outsold many offices who have been around a lot longer than us. The office space doesn't matter - what matters is the people who make up the office - the agents, the secretary, the broker -

(though I can't wait to get into our new office...)

Staggart,
My broker is actually going to pay for half of the CLS. I plan on taking advantage of every learning opportunity C21 has to throw at me.
I have an appointment tomorrow with the Board of Realtors to watch their video on the lock boxes, pay my fees etc... which is a sweet little sum. Then on to C21 to get my desk assignment and start getting set up. I am so excited I can barely stand myself. LOL.

I agree about it's all in what the company can do for you. The C21 in my town went out of business. There are two remax franchises. One that is part of a huge ownership group and the other owned by basically one family and the only other non family agents they have are very good looking women. The CB franchise I used to work with is the same as it's always been. Just average. But the biggest Real Estate company in our area is just a regional office called The Group. They were the biggest though their market share has shrunk in the declining market and alot of agents have left as they used to charge the agents $36k a year to work there. Not sure what they do now. But they offered alot to their agents for that. We have another large local company in our town that really has the biggest share. Sears Real Estate. Not associated with Sears the department store. They have lots of listings and lots of productive agents. But they charge the agents around $20,000 a year to work there. So really it goes back to the company and it's the owners not the franchises. But good luck with your C21 office. Hopefully it is a good office for you.

Have fun, Jan Marie. But have lots of coffee - those videos are boring. When I had to get my new lockbox from the association a couple of weeks ago, the lady asked me if I wanted to watch the video - I gave her a withering glance and said "Uhh, No." LOL She laughed and said I was the first honest one to come thru that day. hee hee

I worked for Prudential California Realty in 1999 through 2002. It was ran by a great owner that had about 9 offices throughout Southern California. It was a first class outfit and I would highly recommend his offices to anybody in the So Cal area. As far as the others go, I couldn't give you a first hand opinion.

I am currently with Coldwell Banker. I was with another company for about 6 months then switched. It is all about training. My first 6 months were pretty much a waste because I had no training, no help, and no support. I would hate to see anyone else go through the same thing. My CB office offers trainings weekly for new agents and the other agents in the office have been great to work with. There is CB University that offers online training in a variety of things. Coldwell Banker Works helps you work your business. Hope this helps.

The most important thing to remember when starting a real estate career, is that YOU are the reason you do business, not the real estate company you work for. I started my real estate career at Coldwell Banker, and after my first year in the business, I moved to Keller Williams Realty. I took all of my relationships with me. My clients were loyal to me...not coldwell banker.

Before you decide which real estate company to work for, I would also definitely consider a more innovative model like Keller Williams Realty. While the other four of the top five real estate companies lost market share last year, KW grew it's market share by over 36%!

The bottom line, is that the company understands that the agents are the reason they do business, so they offer the best agent training, education & support , compensation structure that includes profit sharing and higher commission splits and a company culture that is based around the idea of sharing ideas.

I have spoken to a couple of people about Exit Realty. And while I do not bite my nails at what is good for others, I get the vibe that exit may have an appeal to those who are adamant about doing RE only part-time and never intending to go fulltime. A split of 70/30 will sound appealing to anyone and no desk fees seems like you can negotiate that wherever you go. They just seem to put alot of emphasis on recruitment, nothing that tells me how they train their agents and market to people...I do see their signs in people's yards, but few and far between. At the end of the day, I think alot of agents as well as people who want to list their homes stick with name recognition above everything else. If I go to Coldwell Banker and stick with their 30 split, that seems alot less...but it's telling that Exit must not have alot of agents wanting to hop on board with them...70 percent of nothing doesn't sound very good to me.

Market share is local and the success is based mor eon the broker running the independant or the franchise than the franchise name itself.

Re/max claims they sell more real estate than anyone in the world.This might be true because of there sheer volume however in alot of markets they are getting there butts kicked locally.

So new agents look at the head broker and what they are doing in YOUR local market to gather whether to consider them or not.

people tend to forget sometimes that we are independent contractors. our success or failure lies only in our hands. the tools you need the most are the ones you already posess--common sense and a good work ethic. if you have those two tools and can adapt as you go, your chances of success will increase. at the end of the day if you cant pay your bills you will have to

ask yourself ----if i made 30% more, would i still be in business?------

there are plenty of people who can live on 60k a year, but go out of business because they have to give away half of that and make 30k then pay taxes on it!(something to think about when accepting a lower split)

educate yourself instead of waiting for training, you'll learn a lot from CRS,GRI,SRES, classes, you'll be better sooner and faster. let's say that it'll double or triple your income after you take the classes,

#1 reason to pick a company,. try to get the feeling that you like. i like the family feeling that one of the C21 branch. I do not like those companies which you can feel that everyone treat you as you are their enemy.

Well, the Create 21 is a requirement. So I have to take it. It last six weeks, but looking at the SRES here real soon. Looking forward to getting all 3 credentials.

The most important is what kind of support you will have. I love CBRB because they have great training, but the office is very important. I have great office with a personal coach and managers that always answer the phone when I need them. I have learned a lot of thinks, I have $64 for postage to farming, my colored copies are for free an all this included in office fee of $75, yes my split is not the best but for beginner support and knowledge is more important, money will come.

Don't forget 0 from 100% is 0, something from 50% from is something.

This again is going to vary from office to office. I know of a C21 office that is definitely dog-eat-dog. Every man for himself and watch your back.

The office I work out of now is very much like a family (yes and we even have spats like a family) but I would never assume that all Weichert franchises are like that. In fact, I would be surprised. I wouldn't necessarily work for Weichert again if I were to leave this office...it would have to "measure up." Who knows, if I move to Tennessee I may find a CB or C21 office that is run like my Weichert office...or I may end up at a Mom & Pop.

Just remember: Each office really depends on the broker and the people. c21 and CB are just logos...ya know?

I prefer Prudential.

I started at a C21 office. It was actually one of the top ten C21 offices in the country. Great training, it just wasn't my type of environment. I moved to Prudential 2 years ago and I have been happy with my move since. Prudential actually has the largest market share of the Las Vegas area too! That says a lot considering there are a TON of companies in my city.