How to Choose a Real Estate Brokerage: Advice for Aspiring REALTORS

If you’re getting your real estate licence, the first big decision of your career is choosing a brokerage. In this episode of the Niagara Real Estate Podcast, Joe Gonzalez, Broker of Record at Right Choice, sits down with Bayan, who was training under Joe as his apprentice three months after getting licensed. They talk about how he chose a brokerage, what he learned in his first months, and what aspiring REALTORS® should look for before they sign anywhere.

This episode was recorded in September 2023.

In real estate, you pick the brokerage

Getting into real estate isn’t like applying for a regular job. With most jobs, you apply and the company chooses you. In real estate, the new agent usually interviews brokerages and decides where to go.

Bayan interviewed with six or seven brokerages before choosing one. That’s good advice for anyone starting out: don’t sign with the first brokerage that offers you a desk. Interview several, compare them, and pay attention to what each one leads with.

Look past the commission split

At most of the brokerages Bayan visited, the first topic was the commission split, followed by incentives. Some even suggested tools to make it look like a new agent had more listings than they really did.

Commission matters, but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor for a new agent. When you’re brand new, a better split on deals you don’t have yet is worth very little. What builds a career is what you learn, the habits you form and the reputation you build in your first few years.

What stood out to Bayan at Right Choice was the opposite of a sales pitch: transparency, keeping things real and removing the pushy “salesperson” image many people associate with real estate. He hadn’t been sure he even wanted to be an agent, partly because of that image, so finding a brokerage that rejected it mattered.

What Joe recommends new agents look for

From Joe’s perspective, after years of training agents, these are the things that matter most when choosing a brokerage:

1. Real mentorship, not just a desk

Ask who will actually teach you, and how. At Right Choice, Joe opens the playbook on everything, from finding business to putting a deal together. His goal is to make every agent so capable that, in theory, they could do it all without him.

Joe also adjusts his mentoring to the situation. Sometimes he’s in full control and the new agent observes. Other times he gives them as much rope as possible, then they review the decisions together afterward. Ask any brokerage you’re considering what their training looks like in practice.

2. A culture where you can be yourself

Bayan’s favourite part of the team was not having to put on a persona. Agents can talk openly about what they’re working on, including their weaknesses, and others help in different ways. People point out things about you that are hard to see yourself.

3. Accountability

This one isn’t always comfortable. Joe has heard many people say they want to be held accountable, but not everyone enjoys it when their feet are held to the fire. Bayan admitted it can be tough in the moment, but it’s where his personal growth came from. If you want to get better, you need someone who will address what you’re working on.

4. Personal growth, not just real estate skills

For Bayan, some of the biggest lessons weren’t about real estate at all. He learned to recognize his own fear of failure: worrying about what people think, being afraid to share goals and fall short. Being around people who kept it real and didn’t give up on him helped it click. Joe’s view is that the job is to become the best realtor, the best business person and the best version of yourself possible.

5. Support for building your brand

Content isn’t mandatory at Right Choice, but it’s highly encouraged. Building a brand and an audience has been one of the biggest drivers of Joe’s business, and he believes it’s one of the best long-term investments an agent can make. Nobody knows what the industry will look like in 10 or 20 years, and a strong personal brand gives you options.

What being a new REALTOR is really like

When Joe asked how he’d describe the job, Bayan called it a grind. You have to be a self-starter, because if you don’t create the work, there is no work.

Before Joe got his own licence, an agent told him, “Welcome to being unemployed.” Joe found it was the opposite. In real estate, like in any business, there’s always something to do. Your day ends when your brain says it’s done, not when a clock says so. Some days are packed with appointments. Others are spent prospecting, learning and building relationships.

Learning in a slower market

Bayan started in a much slower market than the agents who joined during the 2021 rush. Three months in, he hadn’t sold a house yet, but he had helped put together a lease deal. Joe pointed out that a lease follows almost the same process as a purchase: understanding what the client needs, viewing properties, negotiating and putting the deal together, without lawyers or a change of title.

A slower market also gave them more time to focus on prospecting and building business. Even without many closed deals, a lot of knowledge was transferred, even if it’s harder to measure in an industry built on results.

A new agent’s first look at the market

Even in a slower market, Bayan found that buyers still need to be ready to move:

• Have your mortgage pre-approval in place.
• If you need to sell first, get your home ready to market as early as possible.
• When the right home comes up, be ready to act, because good homes still attract competition.

Joe added context from the time of recording. Niagara had over 2,000 homes for sale, more than he could remember. Interest rates had climbed from about 2% to roughly 7% depending on qualifying rates. Prices peaked in February 2022, fell about 30% over the following year, and were moving up and down month to month. The headlines talked about a housing shortage, yet inventory was high.

Joe’s take: agents see the market in real time from the front lines. Buyers and sellers adjust a few months later, and the media is often further behind still. That’s why he started reading a real estate article each week, to understand what the public is being told.

Getting started with content

Bayan was the most hesitant person on the team to start making content. What helped was realizing that the first video doesn’t have to be perfect, or even good. It just has to happen. Nobody expects to be great at anything on day one, and content is no different.

Questions answered in this episode

How do new REALTORS choose a brokerage?

New agents usually interview several brokerages and choose the one that fits how they want to work. Look past the commission split to the training, culture, accountability and support.

What should I ask a brokerage before joining?

Ask who will train you and how, what a typical week looks like for a new agent, how agents are held accountable, and whether they support you in building your own brand.

What is it like being a new real estate agent?

It’s a self-starter job. There’s always something to do, from prospecting and learning to helping clients.

What should buyers do to be ready in today’s market?

Get pre-approved, prepare your current home if you need to sell, and be ready to act when the right home comes up.

Thinking about a career in real estate?

Right Choice is always open to talking with people who care about doing it right.

Call 289-276-1716 or learn about joining the team.