For the next two weeks I am interviewing brokers as I decide where to hang my license. This week, I have set up 2-3 interviews per day. There are a lot of brokerages in my area, and I want to interview a lot of them.

I am really anxious to get my real estate business started. I have received some excellent advice from members of this forum, and one of the things mentioned was to not only get along with your broker, but also the administrative staff at the office. That brings me to my question. Do you think it is ok to walk in to a broker's office and "feel it out" before meeting with the broker? Would it be acceptable to inquire about meeting with managing brokers on the spot?

A lot of the offices have recruitment personnel, and I am getting directed to meet with them before meeting with the brokers. I'm thinking that walking in would give me the chance to meet the admin assistant, and get a vibe from the place without them expecting me and "putting on a show."

Currently I am scheduling meetings with each Managing Broker whose office I am interested in. This section of Agentsonline seems a little slow lately, so I thought I'd throw this out there and see what everyone thinks. Thanks in advance for the responses!

I would walk in and see what I could set up. Though still realize that what you see on a "surprise" visit is still not going to be the "real" persona either - they will still have their 'best foot forward face' on.

Thanks for the response Perky. You're right, I'm sure they will still be in character for people that walk in the door. My previous career was in hotel management, talk about having your 'best foot forward face' on in front of customers. ;)

I guess the walk in method might save me some time though. If I have a bad feeling about the place right off the bat, that would save me the hour or two it would take to interview the managing broker.

Aloha Gamble,

I would say that the walk-in method may work on some cases but not all. For example, there are some agencies that are very stringent as to whom they take on (i.e. number of years of experience, proven track record) so going there as a brand new agent asking for an interview may not be a productive use of your time. Although there may be a plethora of brokerages in your area, you can easily narrow them down by some of your criteria. Being that you are a new agent, I would place more value on training, support systems and accessibility to the the brokers rather than focusing on commission split. Perhaps going to brokerages with a dominant online presence may also help you, as they may have a system in place to pass down internet leads to their agents.

What would you say are some of your criteria? What are you looking for in a brokerage?

I'm the recruiter in our office, and I've got my own business. If someone walks in while I'm not here, then they've wasted their time. I'd recommend scheduling.

Thank you all for the input. I had 2 appointments today, and walked in to 3 brokerages. Obviously the appointments went better ;)

I really like one of the places that I met with today. I have an appointment with the managing broker tomorrow, and may end up signing with them. If I decide to interview more people though, I'll be sure to make appointments as the walk-ins weren't as successful as I'd hoped.

Thanks again!

I would strongly recommend Keller Williams to start. They have the most extensive training schedules in each area/zone. Coldwell Banker can be good, its hit or miss depending on the office.

If you go Re/Max or Realty Executives you will get thrown to the sharks like I did in the beginning. C21 is kind of a waste and I have no idea how they are in business still with what little they offer and the crap splits, they will tell you to hit up you sphere of influence (friends, family, churchfolk).

You should really read the The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller. Its the real estate bible. http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Real-Estate-Agent-Money-Its/dp/0071444041

Funny how you can recommend Keller Williams as having the most extensive training schedule in my area/zone without knowing what area/zone I'm in. ;)

I am going to interview with Keller Williams, but they are not very prominent in my area as of yet. That area is Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, VA.

The two most successful firms in this area are Rose & Womble and William E. Wood. Each one offers extensive training, so I will be comparing Keller Williams to them.

Agent Mountain by itself is amazing. Its KW's ever growing set of online classes and indepth interviews with successful agents.

www.agentmountain.com

http://kwconnect.kw.com/connect/user/GetCollection.do?groupId=30

I have researched KW, and you're right, Agent Mountain does look amazing. My only concern as of right now, is that there are only 3 KW offices in my area, and I they don't have much of a market presence compared to the 2 local big names.

Does KW have competing brokers?

I'm going to set up an appointment with them. Don't want to make a decision until I've interviewed all the major players.

Each franchise is independently owned. But in the real world you can call or knock around any listing of the same brand name.

Hi this is Erik with Keller Williams, we just recently listed ....

Thanks Erik, I appreciate your advice and I read the posts you write on the other popular forum threads. Your posts have made me give Keller Williams a chance, and I look forward to my interview with them.

I just wish they had a larger presence in my area. The company that I like right now, was number 1 in sales and market share according to REIN. They beat all Keller Williams franchises (in this area) combined by over $703 million in sales for 2010. Keller has 5 offices (only 2 of which are close enough to me to consider), compared to this company's 8 (which has their top office/non-competing broker right down the street from me.)

You'd be hard pressed to find a Keller Williams listing out and about, but the two major local players are seen everywhere. This might be a good or a bad thing. Maybe I can be the one to bring Keller Williams a higher market share in this area.. I'll let you know how the meetings go.

It can go both ways. Some folks want a second broker from a different chain as their 2nd listing appointment.

Others feel good about the dominant brand in the area. Every listing appointment is different.

Is it better to hang your license with a large brand name or one of those small brokers who will take less of a cut?

I personally would look and see which broker gets the most listings.

Some mom and pops are great and very busy. Some are not. Depending on how you work it a mom and pop with a terrific split may be your best bet but remember often that great split comes at a price, such as very little or no administrative support; i.e., no secretary in the office to answer calls and make listing appointments - this is a big peeve of mine when I try to set up an appointment and nobody answers the phone, I can't get in touch with the listing agent, and I have buyers who want to see a house we can't get an appointment to see!

Additionally you may be on your own for purchasing signs, lockboxes, advertising your listings, making photocopies, metc.

I thought about moving to an office with a better split - I generate almost all of my own leads...but I really like having the other perks that come with that lower split. I wouldn't work anywhere else.