Hi All,

Yet another question...I am looking at Keller Williams, Coldwell Banker and Weichert (I live at the Jersey Shore). Now, KW seems to have great training and supportive agents/staff BUT the office just opened up in my area, there are like 4 full-time agents and the entire office has maybe 12 properties listed. Is this good/bad for a new agent?

Weichert is HUGE in my area, with plenty of opportunity fro weekend open houses, plenty of incoming/wlakin traffic, floor time for new agents. Really limited training from what I can tell.

Coldwell is GAINING market share in my area, seems to have higher end properties etc.

So, can anyone elaborate on pros/cons and what I need to evaluate as I interview these 3 brokerages?

Training is the most important item for a new agent. Floor time is a joke and walkins don't happen anymore. Learn to generate your own leads and you will be able to controll your business.

KW can take you from new agent to making a good living quickly if you follow the systems they have for you. Then again it is really all about how much you are willing to put into your business and if you are willing to follow those that have done it befre you. Best part is that if you do well with KW you will keep more of your money and we all know that is important.

As for the other two companies I can only say what I have heard a number of times. They are very corporate in how things are run, meaning everything is decided from the top down. At KW the agents make a lot of the decisions in the office and this keeps the agents involved.

I do new agent training so I would be glad to help no matter where you end up. PM me with any questions about KW or real estate in general. I will not push you towards KW even if I feel it would be your best choice, just willing to share anything that might help get you going.

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The Suburban House Hunters Team would like to thank REW members for past referrals! We are never to busy to handle your Chicago area referrals.

Always looking for quality unique content for our real estate agent blog, PM me if interested in writing a post.

My thoughts on the Sarasota Association of REALTORS actions.

I am none of the above but it sounds like you are selling yourself towards Weichert.

Ken,

Thank you SO much for the reply!

I found out about KW through these forums and have been in contact with the broker in my area (Jersey Shore) and we hit it off, and I also feel training is TREMENDOUSLY important BUT I also need to generate income as quickly as possible while I implement my lead generating practices and I feel (maybe mistakenly) that working with Buyers, at least initially, is the way to accomplish this. I don't really want to make working with Buyers a long-term startegy, BUT..being a 'Buyer's Agent' off the bat may provide some income as well as an opportunity to learn about the business.

KW has very few listings in my area, almost no Open Houses etc. All of the new agents I talked to generated commissions early in their career by utilizing floor time and open houses etc. at their respective brokerages (not KW). For example, a colleague at Weichert near me listed 20 homes early in his career by virtue of being on the up-board during floor time. There is TONS of activity at Weichert, walk-ins, phone calls, agressive advertising, signs on many of the homes for sale...tv commercials, etc.

I feel that the 'Jersey Shore' KW and the KW office you may be at are completely different.

In addition, I DO have some limited resources to sustain me through my first year in business, BUT...I can NOT afford to travel to Texas for training (or wherever KW does their New Agent training) and I can NOT afford to pay for training materials. I have enough for some Business devlopment, MLS and Assoc fees and mortagage payments/health benefits--that's IT!

So what do you think about my situation?

Thanks again, Ken.

Falcon,

Weichert only because its in my backyard, I see the level of activity they produce, HUNDREDS of Open Houses every weekend in like a 10 sq mile radius of where I live etc., so maybe I am (selling myself owards Weichert), however I like the philosphy, training and business practices and commission split of KW better, but see my post above to KenSmithKW...

Ken, do you encourage agents to pursue additional sales training outside of what KW offers? Just curious.

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Mobile Homes For Sale in Arizona ~ Sales Training ~ Mobile Homes For Sale

Jeff, I have done most of the training that an agent can do outside of KW and must say that what KW offers for free is better than what I have paid $20k for in the first couple years in the business (one exception is Brian Buffini, but you really need some past clients before his stuff really works IMO). There are always exceptions to everything and I am sure that there are some great training sources that I never went to outside of KW. But at this point I only attend KW trainings (plus Buffini) and am planning on starting KW Mega agent training.

spdrus, I would be shocked if an agent can honestly say they listed 20 homes in a year from floor time. Sounds more like a sales pitch to me. If you want to run a business you need to learn to produce your own leads. As for training it is in the office and if your office is to small for it then there are other offices that will let you come in and get the training there. Plus a lot of material is now online and you can get a lot from those courses. If you need more than that there are plenty of agents that would help get you going, heck if you want I would be more than happy to help as I said before.

__________________
The Suburban House Hunters Team would like to thank REW members for past referrals! We are never to busy to handle your Chicago area referrals.

Always looking for quality unique content for our real estate agent blog, PM me if interested in writing a post.

My thoughts on the Sarasota Association of REALTORS actions.

Spdrus,

I believe you should not go into real estate. I believe you have too much weight and stress on your shoulders. But hey every one lives their own lives. To make fast money people do discount real estate but to make real money people do luxury real estate. The only problem is that CB starts you at really low commission. Have no idea on Weichart (not big in Chicago). Commission rates should be what you are after not a name.

Ken,

That is quite a generous offer and I thank you. Yes, your comments made sense I think I may have mistakenly assumed that New Agent Training took place in Austin Texas because of a way something was worded on the support.kw.com site. I may just take you up on your very kind offer.

Falcon,

Your response above was sort of prophetic...I do have a lot on my shoulders (sick wife, laid off from my job as a teacher etc.) Did my tone indicate that to you? If so, you are definitely perceptive. On the other hand, we do have some savings and parents who are willing to help. When else will I ever have the opportunity to pursue this? I agree the surrounding circumstances of my life are stressful, but I look at it this way: I don't have any choice but to succeed so you can bet your a** that I am going to be willing to do things other agents may not: Door Knocking, Networking, Lead Generation etc.

Ken,

Can I have your personal email. Please send it to: gericsb@yahoo.com. Thanks!