The Questions I'd Ask If I Were Choosing a Brokerage Again Today

What questions should you ask before choosing a real estate brokerage?

Start with the things that will actually affect your business.

What will you pay each year? Who helps when a transaction gets difficult? What happens to your database if you leave? And what does the agreement actually say?

I’ve been a real estate agent since 2006, and over the years I’ve watched agents change brokerages for all kinds of reasons.

A better split.

A friend recruited them.

A new company sounded exciting.

Or someone gave a really good presentation.

But the agents who later regretted their decision usually had one thing in common: they listened to the pitch without asking enough questions.

If I were choosing a brokerage again today, these are the questions I would ask.

Not because every brokerage should be treated with suspicion. But because you should understand exactly what you're signing up for before you move your business.

Start With Questions About Your Own Business

Before interviewing brokerages, figure out what you're actually trying to change.

The right brokerage for an agent who needs leads may be very different from the right brokerage for an experienced agent who already has a strong business and wants to keep more of their commission.

What problem am I trying to solve?

Try to explain it in one sentence.

“I’m paying too much.”

“I don’t have enough support.”

“I want more freedom.”

“I want to build a team.”

“I want something that can create long-term income.”

Knowing the problem makes it much easier to tell whether a brokerage actually solves it.

Otherwise, it’s easy to choose the company with the best presentation instead of the best fit.

What will changing brokerages NOT fix?

This is an important question too.

A brokerage can provide tools, training, support, technology, and a different financial model.

But it cannot create your pipeline for you.

It cannot make you follow up with leads.

And it cannot make you prospect consistently.

If the real problem is how you're running your business, changing the logo on your business card probably won't fix it.

A better brokerage model may help. But you still have to do the work.

What do I want my business to look like five years from now?

Think beyond your next transaction.

Do you want to stay a solo agent?

Build a team?

Expand into another market?

Get licensed in another state?

Create more referral business?

Build income that isn't completely tied to closing another home?

Where you're going matters just as much as where your business is today.

Questions About the Money

Most agents start with the commission split.

That's important.

But the split is only one part of what you actually pay.

“What would I have paid here last year?”

This is one of the best questions you can ask.

Instead of asking, “What's your split?” give the brokerage your actual production from the last 12 months and ask them to calculate what you would have paid.

Include everything:

Commission splits or caps, transaction fees, monthly fees, E&O, technology fees, and any fees that continue after you reach your cap.

Then ask for the fee schedule in writing.

What matters is not what someone says during a recruiting conversation. What matters is what you're actually agreeing to.

“When did your fees last change?”

Brokerages change their fees and programs.

That's normal.

What matters is how those changes are handled.

How much notice do agents get?

How often have fees changed?

Are changes clearly communicated?

You don't need a brokerage that promises nothing will ever change. You need one that is transparent when something does.

“How quickly do I get paid after closing?”

This sounds like a small detail until your commission is sitting somewhere waiting for approval.

Ask how commissions are processed, who approves them, and what normally causes delays.

Cash flow matters when you're running a business.

“What does a referral cost me?”

Ask about both sides.

What happens when you refer a client to an agent in another market?

What happens when a referral is sent to you?

And if the brokerage provides leads, is there an additional referral fee when those deals close?

A lead isn't necessarily free just because you didn't pay for it upfront.

Questions About Support

Almost every brokerage says it offers great support.

Get more specific.

“Who do I call when a deal goes sideways on a Saturday?”

Things don't always go wrong Monday through Friday from 9 to 5.

A buyer wants to cancel.

An appraisal comes in low.

A seller suddenly wants out.

A difficult issue comes up right before closing.

Who do you call?

Ask for a specific person, department, or process.

And don't only ask the recruiter.

Find an agent who already works there and ask what happened the last time they needed help quickly.

“How does compliance actually work?”

Ask how files are reviewed.

How long does the review usually take?

What happens when something is missing?

And what happens if an issue is discovered right before closing?

You want to understand how the brokerage protects both the agent and the client.

“What training is available for someone at my level?”

Training needs change as your business grows.

A brand-new agent may need help with contracts, scripts, prospecting, and basic systems.

An experienced agent may need something completely different.

You might need help with building a team, luxury real estate, expanding into another state, improving systems, or creating more leverage in your business.

Ask what training actually fits where you are now.

“Are there agents here I can learn from?”

I would pay much more attention to this today than I did earlier in my career.

The people around you matter.

Ask who the strong producers are.

What are they doing?

Are they willing to share ideas?

Is there real collaboration, or does everyone mostly stay in their own lane?

The brokerage isn't just the company. It's also the people you surround yourself with.

Questions About What You Own

This is one area I think agents often overlook.

Nobody joins a brokerage planning to leave.

But you should still understand what happens if you do.

“If I leave, what goes with me?”

Ask specifically about your:

Database

CRM contacts

Website

Domain

Social media accounts

Marketing materials

Email list

Brand name

Transaction history

Some of these may be connected to brokerage-owned systems.

Can you export your contacts?

What information comes with them?

What happens to your website or CRM when you leave?

Your database is one of the most valuable assets in your real estate business.

Make sure you understand who controls it.

“Can I read the independent contractor agreement before I decide?”

You should.

Read the actual agreement, not just a summary of it.

Look at how pending transactions are handled if you leave.

Check for fees that may still be owed afterward.

Look at termination terms, non-solicitation language, and anything else that could affect your clients or your income.

If something in the agreement has a major financial or legal impact, consider having your own attorney review it.

“How much control do I have over my brand?”

Ask what you're allowed to call your business and what information must appear in your advertising.

Ask what needs approval and what doesn't.

Real estate advertising is already regulated by the state. You want to understand which rules come from the state and which ones are simply brokerage policies.

Questions About Long-Term Opportunities

Real estate brokerages have changed a lot since I first became licensed.

Years ago, most agents focused on the office, the broker, and the commission split.

Today there can be more to consider.

“Is there anything I can build here that keeps paying me?”

Some brokerages offer things like revenue share, stock, or equity opportunities.

If they do, ask how those programs really work.

How do you qualify?

What happens if you leave?

What happens if you retire?

Can anything be passed on to your family?

And what does a typical participating agent actually earn?

These programs can be valuable for some agents.

But they should never be the only reason you choose a brokerage.

Your day-to-day business still has to make sense.

“Who owns the company?”

This matters more than many agents realize.

Brokerages merge.

Companies get acquired.

Leadership changes.

Business models change.

Ask who owns the company and what has happened when major changes occurred in the past.

If the company is publicly traded, you can also review its public financial reports instead of relying only on recruiting materials.

It's not exciting reading.

But it can tell you a lot.

“What happens if my business expands?”

This question matters to me because I work in both California and Texas.

If you think you may eventually build a team, get licensed in another state, expand your referral network, or grow into a different market, ask how the brokerage handles that.

Something that works perfectly for your business today may become frustrating if it doesn't support where you're going next.

What a Weak Answer Sounds Like

Sometimes the answer matters.

And sometimes the way someone answers matters just as much.

If you ask:

“What would I have paid here last year?”

And the answer is:

“Most agents save a lot here.”

Ask them to run your actual numbers.

If you ask:

“Can I see the agreement?”

And they say:

“We'll send it once you're ready to join.”

Don't commit until you've read it.

If you ask:

“Who helps when I have a problem on the weekend?”

And the answer is:

“We're like a family. Someone always helps.”

Ask who specifically handles it and how quickly they normally respond.

If you ask:

“What happens to my database if I leave?”

And they say:

“Nobody ever leaves.”

Get the answer in writing.

And if you ask:

“How does revenue share work?”

And all you're shown are examples from the very top earners, ask what the opportunity looks like for a typical agent.

None of these answers automatically mean a brokerage is bad.

They simply mean you need more information before making a decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many brokerages should I interview before switching?

For most agents, two or three is enough.

After that, it can become easy to get distracted by different presentations and recruiting pitches.

Ask each brokerage the same basic questions so you're comparing the same things.

Should I choose a brokerage based on the commission split?

Not on the split alone.

Look at your total yearly cost based on your actual production.

Then compare support, tools, freedom, ownership, exit terms, and any long-term opportunities.

A cheaper brokerage isn't always a better brokerage.

And a more expensive brokerage isn't automatically better either.

The question is whether you're getting enough value for what you're paying.

What should I look for in an independent contractor agreement?

Pay close attention to what happens to pending transactions if you leave, fees that may still be owed, termination requirements, non-solicitation language, and anything affecting your clients or income.

And if you're unsure about part of the agreement, have your own attorney review it.

This isn't legal advice, and every brokerage agreement is different.

Where I Landed

After looking at my own business and where I wanted it to go, I chose Real.

One thing that matters to me is being able to grow my business across both California and Texas without feeling like I'm building two completely separate businesses.

But I would still ask Real the same questions on this list.

You should understand the costs, support, technology, opportunities, and rules before joining any brokerage — including mine.

A brokerage can be a great fit for one agent and completely wrong for another.

If you're thinking about making a move, I'm happy to walk through how the Real model works and help you run the numbers for your own business.

No pressure and no recruiting speech.

Just a conversation about your production, your goals, what you're paying now, and whether making a change actually makes sense.

Amanda Zito, REALTOR®
Real Brokerage — California
Real Broker, LLC — Texas
CA DRE #01740063 | TX TREC #840088
Member, Real Luxury and Military Divisions
SoldByZito.com