These are great questions and advice. An old wise person said to me while interviewing "Put it on paper and talk is cheap" So at every interview I asked for a copy of the office manual and Independent Contractor Agreement. This really gave me insight on choosing which broker to work with.

Maybe these could be the best questions to be ask with a broker especially when you are going to interview him/her for a sales position.

-Are all agents scheduled for floor duty, and if so, how often?
-How are leads distributed?
-What types of advertising does the firm do?
-What commission rate do they offer?

I've enjoyed reading this post. Potentially I may have a meeting this week with a broker/I guess family friend in my grandma's office(Century 21 Discovery Fullerton) hopefully sometime this week. My grandma offered to talk with him first though even though I said I would call him. Would I look to much like a newbie if I bought a list of questions with me on a note pad? Or would I look if I was trying too hard? What can you do to mess up a meeting like that and how to prevent it? Also, this is slightly off topic but do most offices provide internet access? What is the appropriate dress style? Office or casual Friday? Usually when I've gone in that office its when we have sold a house and I've been in street clothes. Been in 4 transactions in the last 8 years....Sorry to make this long. Also I haven't taken any classes or exam yet. So should I ask about that? What do they offer or where can I take them etc?

Trainng - training - training
Focus on that first and everything will come later with ease...

Thanks for all of the posts in this thread, folks! I've been a Realtor for 4 yrs and have known I needed to move on for several months now. I made a list of several of these questions and took them with me to my first choice of new Brokers. She was not looking for Realtors, but the more we talked, the more she asked me "what other questions are on that list?" She decided she would like for me to come over to her office as a Realtor so I have made the move. Will start next week.

Just a note: I did not interview any Brokers when I started out, I simply went to work at the office where my significant other was working, after all, the Broker told me to grab a desk and get busy! I wouldn't recommend anyone do it that way.

IF ANYONE NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO ASK A BROKER DURING AN INTERVIEW EMAIL ME AT CEDREALESTATE@HOTMAIL.COM I FORWARD U A LIST I HAVE ON MY HARD DRIVE IT AMAZING. NO COST IM HERE TO LEARN AND HELP.

Great thread, it was very helpful to me when meeting with brokers over the last two weeks. In the end, we went with a smaller franchise that had no desk fees, a reasonable split, and plenty of floor time if I want it. They also do alot for our local community through donations, sponsoring events, etc. It wasn't the huge franchise with 140 agents and it's own RE class one town over. But for me it just felt right.

RE:

Maybe that is why only about 10% entering this business survive...

As a newer agent and having to change offices, I would say:

Choose a SUCCESSFUL office that has LISTINGS!

I wanted to start off doing some open houses to get my feet wet and get some buyers. The office I chose had NO listings. When there was a listing, everybody was all over it.

By the time I got the chance to hold it open, other agents who held it open the week before had already door knocked the area, put out flyers, got leads, etc.

Also make sure the training actually involves learning contracts, how to complete transactions and not just FLUFF.

I guess they expect you to magically know these things. They expect you to go out prospecting without knowing how to write up an offer let alone take a listing.

It's great information but I would also like to know what are things to avoid, and what are tell-tell signs that this is not the right Broker for me.

[quote=CornerPost]It's great information but I would also like to know what are things to avoid, and what are tell-tell signs that this is not the right Broker for me. [/quote]

When your broker is teaching a class and tells everyone:

"I don't mind sharing my listing material with you because I know that if we are competing for the same listing, I'm going to get it. Even if you somehow managed to get a listing over me, I still win because I'm making commission off of you."

I knew I made a HUGE mistake signing there.

The more questions you ask the better. It is extremely important to know what your clients desire in all aspects of their home buying experience. These questions however should be fairly basic to gain a good picture as to what your client is looking for. You don't want to turn them away with questions that can be misleading or make them feel inadequate. Hope this helps!

Karen Whitman

karenwhitman@remaxallstars.net

Agree with estatereal. Chances are it won't be your only and/or last brokerage. Get the best training at first, regardless of commission. Training is valuable for newbies. Once you get on track and producing, look for a brokerage with a better split...

I think its an overall feel of the office. I chose this Keller Williams office because of this....and they had good training....I still think its a great office two years later.....everyone helps everyone......if you are in the resource room..just say......the question....and everyone joins in to help.......I do it a lot when a new agent is asking the questions

You should feel comfortable to ask any questions you desire as long as they pertain to the topics at hand. But definately ways that you can represent yourself individually. Websites are great ideas to get your name out their quickly and easily. Good luck in the interview.

Bill Hernandez

www.bryandbill.com