Real Estate Broker Interview Preparation Guide

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Top agents generally sell more than 15 homes in a year. Pay attention to them in sales meetings to learn the most.

Will you be on your own a lot, or will the sales manager be readily accessible? How often is he or she in the office and can you get a hold of them whenever you need to?

You will need to see for yourself what type of marketing service is provided through the company’s design department, if they have one. Determine how often you intend to use graphic design services for postcards, business cards, online advertising, etc. and get an idea of what the company expects of you and how they provide you with the resources you need to get your marketing handled.

Do yourself a favor – don’t ask about commission until the very end of the interview. Your commission split may be negotiable and dependent upon how the manager has determined what your business growth rate will likely look like in the next six to 12 months. Asking this question too soon in your interview can be detrimental; you may unknowingly set yourself up for disappointment when you force the manager to provide you with a low-risk response before either of you have a chance to understand what you can offer to each other.

The candidate should provide an outline of what previous marketing plans they have implemented.

It's a sellers market, your lead should have a strategy in place to find and convert seller leads. Possible answers might be PPC ads, social media ads, blogging, marketing flyers, print ads, or lead generation services.

If your brokerage uses any particular online databases, see if this agent is familiar with it or if they have experience using similar databases.

The interviewee should have a couple of viable reasons of why they'd like to be apart of your team, such as they enjoy the company culture or they believe their skillset would be beneficial to the brokerage. This would be another oppurtunity for the interviewee to convince you why they'd be a great fit.

Camaraderie with other agents is a plus. You will be expected to bring in your own clients and listings, but there is a lot to learn from those around you.

Obtaining your license was the first step towards starting your career. In order to practice real estate sales, you typically need to join your local, state and national Boards or Associations of Realtors, gain access to your Multiple Listing Service, and obtain marketing elements. You may also need to enroll in an Errors and Omissions Insurance policy. The manager should be able to provide you with a breakdown of all costs you can anticipate before providing services as a Realtor.

Get a realistic business plan, knowing how many houses you’ll need to sell on average to earn a comfortable income. Knowing what the company considers as “average” will give you a snapshot view of what is expected of you, and what the company is prepared to coach you towards.

Compare this number to the agents at your brokerage. If they're just starting out, ask how they'd find leads.

Some brokers might like an agent whose lead generation matches that of other agents at their firm. Others might like an agent that uses methods they'd like their other agent team members to learn, such as social media, blogs, or search engine marketing.

When asking this question, prospective agents should
1) provide a professional reason why this lead was difficult to work with,
2) what steps they took to try to repair the relationship before ending it and
3) what they learned from the experience.

The prospective agent should
1) have a reasonable answer as to why a client was difficult to work with,
2) what steps they took to have a better working relationship and
3) what they learned from the situation.

Each state has rules about how many hours of certified continuing education real estate agents need to complete each year. Does the office offer this education to its agents? Who pays for it? Are educational opportunities available beyond what is required?

You may prefer to target market a specific area of homes, only to learn that that particular area is being heavily marketed by other agents. Be sure to make your marketing intentions clear from the very beginning to avoid awkward situations down the road, and to work out a marketing plan with your manager that meets your goals.

This should give you some insight into which programs they are familiar with and how tech savvy they are. If the candidate is not familar with your CRM, lead generation, or other Real Estate service software program, see if they are eager to learn new programs.

All agents in today's age should have atleast a personal website.

Don't beat around the bush, this question is the equivalent of asking for a pay history.