All posts by Paul Davies

As founder and CEO of the fastest growing real estate network across Australasia, I offer real estate professionals an opportunity to reap the financial rewards of going it alone with the security and clout of an established brand. Talk to me and my team about your options.
One Agency Group Blog The Rise And Fall Of Low Cost Or Novelty Real Estate Agencies

The rise (and fall?) of low-cost or novelty real estate agencies

There are so many industries going through some form of disruption at the moment and real estate is no different.

The internet has enabled a shift in the way we do business and although there are opportunities there are also pitfalls to avoid.

While One Agency has created an accessible platform that’s built to last ‒ by offering benefits to real estate agents and home sellers alike ‒ other companies are venturing into the field with less due diligence.

The idea of making a quick buck or offering a service that cuts corners means that many have been set up to fail. Principals and senior real estate professionals should take care before committing to a new venture. In this post, we take a quick look at some newcomers and offer our observations on three of them.

One Agency Group Blog Why Are So Many Agents Leaving Real Estate

Why are so many agents leaving real estate?

Real estate is seen by many as a ticket to easy money. After all, how hard can it be to sell a house??

Of course, those in the industry understand the incredible amount of work involved with this job. This includes means nurturing clients (sometimes for years), attracting buyers and negotiating so everyone is happy. It takes a lot to get to that all-important ‘Sold’ sticker and then it’s on to the next client to repeat the process.

In 2017, over 10,000 real estate agents left the industry in Australia. This is a significant proportion, especially when the property market was generally buoyant around that time. It is interesting to examine the reason for so many agents abandoning their careers.

One Agency Group Blog How To Be A Respected Real Estate Agent

How to be a respected real estate agent

If you read the bios of most real estate agents, you’ll see ‘honesty’ and ‘integrity’ mentioned. But how do these qualities look in practice?

When a property sale is over and the client has moved on with their life, they’ll remember how you dealt with them throughout the sale, particularly if it was a drawn-out process.

Communication and confidence are essential if you want to be a successful and respected agent. Focus on these attributes, and you’re on your way to being the agent your clients return to, and recommend to their family, friends and neighbours.

It’s also worth remembering that being successful isn’t just about winning a listing over your competitors. You need to stay engaged with vendors throughout the entire campaign – however it plays out – and leave your client feeling that they’ve been listened to and treated with respect. Here’s how to be an agent that people come back to.

Be Strategic And Save Facebook And Real Estate Portals

Be strategic and save: Facebook and real estate portals

One of the many great things being a One Agency member is the potential for huge savings. With fewer restrictions from head office, there’s constant scope for our team to be savvy and use different digital marketing platforms to list their properties cost-effectively.

We’ve observed that some of our members are making the most of social media, especially Facebook, using its great potential to sell a property without the need to pay listing fees on property portals.

While you can use property portals to list a home, they can be expensive. As well as your monthly membership, you pay a listing fee for every property you list on their sites. For some agents, there’s value in what’s on offer, especially in terms of personal branding, but others are moving in a different direction.

These agents have mostly moved away from these listings sites to focus on Facebook as a selling platform. By doing this, they avoid listing fees for a majority of their properties but still make use of membership packages that allow them to list their sold properties ‒ giving them that branding edge.

Why Real Estate Coaching Is A Good Investment Banner

Why real estate coaching is a good investment

Setting yourself up for success in any industry is often faster and easier with some outside expertise. While larger real estate franchises may offer in-house training to their staff, there are now many independent coaches who can offer their experience and insights to your business.

Online or in person, there’s no limit to the training and advice available. The trick is knowing what you and your staff need. Many experienced agents have turned to coaching as a way of sharing what they’ve learned, and their services can help you hone your strengths, address any weaknesses and take your business to the next level.  

Another key advantage of coaching is that it gives you time away from the daily grind to reflect, clarify your goals, and identify what you need to do to reach them.

This learning time can lead to greater focus and more consistent performance and results once you get back into work mode. With a skilled and insightful coach, the time and money invested can pay great dividends.

Discovering The Real Estate Business That Works Best For You

Discovering the real estate business that works best for you

Many elements go into the day-to-day running of a real estate office and, just like any business, there are many ways in which it can function. It comes down to understanding what works best for you and your team while achieving the results you’re looking for.

What is your management style?

In my observations, successful leaders focus on three key areas:  

  1. Communicating vision and goals
  2. Engendering trust
  3. Upskilling team members

When team members understand the company vision, they’ll be more likely to champion the journey. Trust is also a big one for most people ‒ as it equates to respect. Everyone wants to be respected. And third, developing your team’s skills will only enhance your business offerings, as well as keep individuals satisfied in their work. 

While there might be a collective set of requirements in order to have a well-functioning operation, there are many ways in which managers approach those three elements. This was evident to me during a recent trip to Melbourne where I met with different One Agency members.

How Real Estate Agents Manage Downturns Successfully

How real estate agents manage downturns successfully

After a solid five years of growth, change in the property market was inevitable. In 2019, most major capital cities are experiencing the natural property cycle slowdown, which happens every few years.

There are some exceptions. Canberra and Hobart are on the up, experiencing increases as investors seek value for money. In Perth, where the market has been dire for several years, homeowners should finally experience an increase in prices in 2019. In New Zealand, property owners in Hamilton and Christchurch are also seeing prices climb.

Having been in this industry for over 40 years, I’ve witnessed the dizzying highs and the sobering lows of the property cycle several times over. To put things in perspective, house prices in Australia have quadrupled over the last 25 years. Even with the GFC the trend has always been positive.

The current downturn might seem exceptional but those of us who’ve been around for a while understand we’re experiencing a standard ‘settling’ after a boom period. Prices will stabilise over the coming months then begin to rise again.

A property slowdown shouldn’t be reason to panic but if you’re new to the industry this one might have come as a shock. Here’s my advice to get you through leaner times.

Staff Numbers And Ratios What Works Best For Agencies

Staff numbers and ratios: what works best for agencies?

One of the most important decisions you’ll make as a principal is the size of your team. For every team member, there needs to be enough income generated to cover their role.

Employ too few, and your team will burn out and work ineffectively. Employ too many without the revenue to support them and you’re not going to stay afloat financially.

My wife and I met with some of our members in Melbourne recently, and we were surprised to discover that there are almost as many styles of running an agency as there are principals running them.

We talked to one principal with a team of 12 staff who holds a meeting every Monday at 8am sharp where they hash out the week’s work and targets. Another principal, with a similarly sized team, said his staff were self-starters who were off doing their own thing most of the time, only calling in when they needed support.

But however your business runs, you need enough income-producing staff to cover operational costs, including the salaries of your administrative team. The numbers I give below are observations, not recommendations, as each principal will know what works best for their unique set-up, but they will give you some ideas for structuring your team.

Reducing Operating Costs In Your Real Estate Agency

Reducing operating costs in your real estate agency

When you’re looking to improve the cash flow at your agency, you have two main options: increase the money coming in or decrease the money going out. However, while we might believe that we can generate more income, in reality, the market decides. The only aspect that is truly under your control is your expenses.

For many modern real estate outfits, especially those with a franchise agreement and a physical space, there are plenty of opportunities to reduce agency operating costs while still delivering the same great service to your clients.

Before you start work on reducing your costs, it pays to know exactly what you’re spending ‒ and where. Setting up a spreadsheet with all your annual outgoings (as some payments will be one-off while others may be weekly or monthly) will show you what your expenses are.

From that list, you can see at a glance what the largest outgoings are and what can be trimmed. It could be that some of the most expensive items are the most valuable and least likely to be pruned. However, when you take the time to examine all your outgoings carefully, you might find that you can make cutbacks in the most surprising areas without compromising your level of service or your productivity.

6 Steps To Managing Real Estate Cash Flow

Money business: 6 steps to managing real estate cash flow

Cash ebbs and flows are inevitable in the real estate industry, but many of us struggle to manage these highs and lows as well as we could. So what are some strategies to put in place that will lead to better money management in your agency?  

1. Setting a budget

Putting a budget in place is crucial to ride out the ups and downs of real estate. It allows you to plan how you will keep things running when cash is tight, and will also provide some great insights into where your money is actually going ‒ so you can press pause on unnecessary outgoings if needed.

Setting up a proper financial tracking system will give you an overall view of your current cash flow at any one time, meaning you can make better, more informed business decisions.

2. Know your agency’s break-even point for better financial goals

If you don’t know what income is required to keep your agency running for a profit, then it’s time to get serious. Because once you can see what income needs to be achieved for day-to-day costs, you’ll gain greater insight into how your business is actually performing. Is it running at a loss? Or will it in six months’ time if you continue the way you are?

Some business owners may prefer to keep their ‘head in the sand’ when it comes to this type of information, but it’s about taking back the power. Understanding this figure is crucial, not just to keep your business afloat, but to also set better growth and financial goals. If you know what you want to achieve, you can work out how long it will take you to get there.

3. Save everything above your target

Many real estate agencies tend to fall into the trap of spending money when they have it, without much thought to the future. But this is dangerous territory.

It is important to set a realistic budget, stick to it, and save any surplus. This is because we can often lose sight of those ‘lulls’ when everything is going well. But it actually makes better financial sense to keep it set aside for quieter periods. Not only does it help you to cover your financial obligations, it also means you can reinvest back into the business.

During downturns, a lot of agencies close ranks ‒ reducing any marketing spending, promotions or advertising. But this is usually the time these aspects are needed most, in order to keep our business in the spotlight, and gain the confidence of potential clients.

Do You Really Need A Real Estate Office Blog

Do you really need a real estate office?

The modern world is changing and the real estate industry is evolving along with it. Properties are listed and shared online, and automation has made keeping in touch with clients easier than ever.

As most people now search for property online first, not to mention doing more of their shopping via the internet, they’re less likely to be strolling past their local real estate agent’s office. This is especially the case in metro areas.

What’s more, busy clients have different expectations and will be happier if you can meet them at their home or close to their office, rather than taking the time to come to you.

Changes to the way real estate agents interact with their clients raises the question: do you really need a real estate office? If the thought of giving up your bricks and mortar presence is one you’d like to explore, take a look at the pros and cons.

The pros and cons of real estate Virtual Assistants

The pros and cons of real estate Virtual Assistants

At One Agency we’re all about finding ways to run a real estate business more economically, so today we look at the rise of the Virtual Assistant (VA) and when they become a viable option for real estate agents.

A virtual workforce is about supply, demand, and flexibility of use.

How Annette Pinkerton, from One Agency, engages a VA’s

When Annette Pinkerton, a One Agency member based in Newcastle, joined us five years ago, she recognised that a VA would be a critical component to the way she operated. Annette shares;

“For me, it was a very practical business decision. I identified that a Virtual Assistant could be taking care of the highly repetitive work, freeing me up to list and sell more properties!

“The best part is that while I am out spending time with clients, everything else bubbles away in the background.

“Many real estate agents become trapped managing their own administrative tasks, often only getting to these at night. But I wanted to ensure I could maintain a good work/life balance.”

Artificial Intelligence Will It Help Or Hinder Real Estate 2

Artificial intelligence: Will it help or hinder real estate?

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has risen steadily in recent years and it looks like it’s here to stay. If you’re working in real estate in Australia, it’s time to start considering the implications for the property industry?

AI alone won’t be able to run an agency, but it does offer opportunities for real estate agents to improve their services and sell homes more efficiently.

What is artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence, as it exists today, is what is known as narrow AI. This means a computer can learn, or be taught, to do one type of thing, unlike the human brain which can learn to do a vast number of different tasks. Narrow AI is what makes things like Siri and self-driving cars work.

There’s already a multitude of applications for AI in real estate. At One Agency we’re all about using technologies to run a smarter and more cost-effective business, so today we discuss the current benefits of AI to our industry.

Why The Best Real Estate Systems Today Are In The Cloud

Why the best real estate systems today are in the cloud

More than 80 per cent of successful agents run their real estate business from the cloud. At One Agency we’re big believers in the virtues of the cloud and the cost savings cloud computing has brought to real estate business over the last decade.

Today, we look at the benefits of moving your real estate technologies and services to the cloud.

How To Build Your Real Estate Dream Team

How to build your real estate ‘dream team’

Transitioning from a sole operator to a fully fledged real estate team is a huge milestone to cross. So, when you do make the leap, make sure that you do so successfully.

Your key objective should be to bring together people with complementary personalities and skill sets. It’s not about finding people exactly like you, it’s about finding the right mix of skills, knowledge and experience.

With your dream team in place, your agency can go from strength to strength. Employ the wrong people however and you could be faced with more challenges than working alone.

Here are your main considerations;

Define your real estate business

Being able to clearly articulate your vision and future direction will help you present your real estate business correctly to those you wish to attract.

Before you advertise for staff, you must define your business model. Are you growing your team to include more sales staff to gain bigger market share or are you looking for additional support staff to enhance customer service?

Your brand values are also important. Whether you operate as a high-performing and highly driven business or a more flexible and work-life balanced one, it’s essential to be clear on this fact from the start.

One Agency Blog Getting Your Real Estate House In Order

Goal setting: Get your real estate ‘house’ in order

What better time to reevaluate your career, business, health and work-life balance than at the start of a new year?

However, it’s easier said than done – after all, 25% of people give up on a goal within a week, and 65% within a month. Yet identifying what you want to achieve and setting goals accordingly is the key to feeling motivated and in control in any area of your life.

Having owned and run various types of real estate businesses over the 46 years of my working life, I have achieved some big goals. As we arrive at the start of a new year, I’m sharing some of my thoughts on goal setting to encourage you to think about your real estate goals for 2019.

Why set goals?

At the start of January, the real estate industry takes a well-earned break and we have a rare moment to reflect on our progress to date. Even just a ten-minute brainstorm with a pen and piece of paper over the holidays can get your year off to a promising start.

The benefits of setting goals are well talked about. Planning for the future will give you an improved focus on what matters to you, greater clarity in decision making, and increased motivation.

As you work towards your goals you’ll also gain a sense of satisfaction, because you are driving your own agenda, not simply responding to what life throws at you. It’s powerful stuff.

One Agency Blog Worklife Balance Become A Free Agent

Work-life balance: How to be a free agent

Many real estate professionals join the industry on the promise that their time will be their own. The idea is that if you put in enough effort, you can reap higher rewards than the average corporate salary. However, it is all too easy to end up working longer hours than ever before.

With the summer break upon us, it’s challenging to pin down clients while juggling parental responsibilities. This holiday period, hit the reset button and put some of the following work-life balance strategies into action:

Mind your mindset

The real estate industry has a natural ebb and flow, with busy times and quiet periods throughout the year and even the week. It is important to embrace the peaks and troughs without fighting them or panicking.

One Agency Blog Time To Rest And Rejuvenate

Real estate agents, it’s time to rest and rejuvenate

For some real estate professionals, this year has been tougher than most, particularly those in the major cities who’ve been met with an unexpected correction.

After a buoyant few years operating in a sellers’ market, with relaxed lending and healthy investor activity, the tables have turned in favour of buyers.

In some markets Agents now have to work harder – to win listings, and then achieve a satisfactory result for their clients.

For more experienced agents, this is a familiar part of the real estate cycle. Whatever the newspapers may be saying, it’s worth reminding ourselves that this is simply a ‘normal market’.

The good news is that people will always need to buy and sell property, and in a slower market there are still deals to be made – the trick is ensuring you are the one that sellers turn to.

As agents, we also need to prioritise our own wellbeing for the sake of our clients. Remaining calm, focussed and professional is essential, and the quiet selling period over Christmas is a great time to rest and come back to work feeling recharged.

One Agency Blog Switch Brands Silly Season

Why it makes sense to switch brands in the silly season

As the calendar year draws to an end, it’s quite common for real estate agents to start shopping around different real estate agencies to consider their options. In fact, the period from December through to February is prime time for agents switching real estate brands. Why is this?

Property campaigns come to a natural end

Often at the end of the year, there is a nice clean break between campaigns. Spring campaigns come to an end in November and December because consumers are generally away over this period, so sales slow down. While smart agents line up their new listings for the new year at this time, they tend to hold off on the marketing until after Christmas.

If you’re doing this anyway, it gives you time to start afresh. You can put in contracts under your new office and get off to a flying start.

One Agency Blog How Loyal Is Your Real Estate Team

How loyal is your real estate team?

When you’re running a team of agents and property managers, it’s important that you have their loyalty. But why is this important?

Summer is a popular time for agents to move to another agency or go out on their own. After a year of hard slog, even the best and most well-balanced agents suffer from end-of-year ennui and decide the grass looks greener somewhere else.

Keep your team motivated and on board

As real estate agents, we spend so much of our time building personal relationships with all types of vendors – past, present and future. We play the long game, hoping that these relationships will bear fruit down the track. If these home sellers like and trust us, and we stay in touch with them with useful information, we’ll be top of mind when it comes time to sell.

Part of the trust we engender is derived from the corporate brand. Many big real estate brands have been around for over a century. They’re familiar, recognised brands with the heft of history to back them up.

However, today the individual brand is becoming stronger than loyalty to a corporate brand. People buy and sell homes through people, not through a brand or business.

The rise of the personal real estate brand

The rise of the personal real estate brand

Personal branding is growing in popularity and importance in the real estate world, with agents who can promote themselves successfully reaping huge benefits.

One of the key aspects of the personal brand is making sure that it’s you who’s getting the biggest benefit, rather than someone else in your office or further up the real estate chain.

Many successful agents already have a business model in place, even if it’s under someone else’s banner, which means promoting yourself can boost your own numbers and make the eventual transition to running your own real estate business all the easier.

What are the benefits of personal branding?

For new real estate agents, working under someone else’s brand is a great idea. It means you can learn the ropes under an experienced principal’s wing, have the security of a base salary and get a marketing budget to make use of. This is a low-risk approach that allows you to earn your stripes and get a feel for the industry.

As you grow as an agent and gain experience, many industry professionals make the transition to becoming their own Pty Ltd, register for their full real estate license and start to advertise themselves as a personal brand or as a team. All while working for someone else.

One Agency Highrise Building

What’s the value of a real estate franchise?

While an independent agency may be able to build up a loyal and repeat client base after years or even decades servicing the same location, a real estate franchise offers agents and principals a way to bypass this, to an extent, with a nationally recognised brand.

When home sellers look for someone to entrust selling or managing their most significant asset, they may feel more secure in dealing with an agency that has an established name and identity. But it’s also clear that the traditional franchise model in Australia comes with frustrations for successful principals – namely, having to hand over a significant percentage of your commissions, alongside high ongoing franchise fees.

With the real estate landscape changing in response to the internet, it’s worth reflecting on what value is derived from being part of a franchise and how much a national franchise brand contributes to your success.

An established brand and identity

There’s an inherent professionalism that comes with being part of an established franchise or network. This is conveyed in the brand messaging, corporate livery, the retail experience with standardised office fit-outs and the familiar templates bringing consistency to every piece of marketing, from stationery to signage, to the myriad of advertising materials.

One Agency - Is it time to tackle a real estate rebrand

Is it time to tackle a real estate rebrand?

As a real estate principal, you’ve no doubt spent a great deal of time growing your business and its reputation within your local neighbourhood. However, with client expectations and real estate best-practices evolving at a rapid rate, has your current brand reached its sell-by date?  

When was the last time you reviewed your brand and marketing messages? Is it time to consider a brand refresh or even a complete overhaul?

Rebranding your real estate agency provides you with an excellent opportunity to clarify your values and purpose, raise your real estate profile and attract new business. It also gives you a chance to audit your marketing collateral and refine the messages used to attract prospective home sellers, buyers and property investors.

Three steps to determine if it’s time for a rebrand

First, revisit your enthusiasm

How proud are you of your current brand? Do you still feel excited about it? Does it convey who you are and your point of difference? If the overall picture you present seems old and tired to you that’s probably the same way you’re being perceived to the outside world, i.e. future prospects.

Surprisingly, as difficult and time consuming as a rebrand can be, it can be equally as motivating. Revisiting your purpose, messaging and design elements can bring a fresh perspective to you and energise your staff, reuniting your team toward a common direction.

Second, review the competition

Take a look around at your nearest (and dearest) real estate competitors. When did they last update their branding? Are there any new kids on the block, with a fresh appeal and a strong drive to succeed? Check out your rankings on real estate portals, have you fallen behind?

Third, can you retain top talent?

High performing real estate agents are an ambitious bunch and need to feel part of an agency that’s cutting edge and progressive. A rebrand gives your business renewed potential to attract top performers and retain and reinvigorate your high profile agents, dissuading them from venturing to your competition or out on their own.  

One Agency Winners

Congratulations to One Agency Award Winners 2018

As 2018 comes to a close we want to thank everyone that attended our recent One Agency Awards Night in Sydney. It was a fantastic event and we’re so proud of what our members have achieved this year. Following is a list of awards and the winners.

In reality, our ethos is not to focus on what individuals or single offices have achieved, but rather what we can all achieve collectively and the freedom we create that allows our members to run their businesses in a way that suits them best.

One Agency Paul And Annie Davies

 

Since 2008, One Agency has grown rapidly to become the 8th largest group in Australia attracting a highly motivated family of agents who work together to grow their businesses.

To recap on our proposition; One Agency is a simple licence agreement – we are an operation that makes it easy and affordable for driven agents to establish their own agency, free from the classic constraints, costs and complexities of franchises. With one low (and fast) establishment fee and a surprisingly low set monthly fee, there are no other fees at all.

Most importantly, you won’t sacrifice a percentage of your hard-earned commission to any head office and it’s this heightened reward for effort ratio which makes our proposition so appealing.

Our culture is inclusive and mutually supportive. We provide invaluable support so that our
members feel comfortable, informed and at the forefront of the industry. Our extensive network gains access to advanced technology (provided by 3rd parties), a highly regarded brand and striking marketing tools providing them with an unparalleled advantage.

Our offices are run by hands-on Principals – a select group of the industry’s finest who are leaders in their market, whose names sell and whose results are exceptional. They are driven by a shared vision – to provide clients with the personalised service that they deserve.

 

5 Years Recognition Certificates
Craig Williams Annette Pinkerton Trevor Byrne Peter Robinson Scott Crossman Tracy Goodwin Ross MacAlpine Greg Vincent Andrew Reeves Peter Ware Stephan Siegfried Trevor Manwarring Grant Baker Vince Salvatore Deborah Low Kate Maday Jason West & Libby Hewson


Longest Serving Member
Tina Lee One Agency Tina Lee

 

One Agency Tina Lee

 

Marketing Innovation
One Agency Sunbury Region


Marketing Innovation
One Agency Whangarei


Excellence in Broadcast Media Australia
One Agency Baulkham Hills


Excellence in Broadcast Media New Zealand
One Agency Real Estate Specialists
Excellence in OA Branding Australia
One Agency Collins Real Estate
Excellence in OA Branding NZ
One Agency Luxury Property
Community Service Award One Agency Shelley Bays One Agency Merryl Hilton
Outstanding Testimonials
One Agency Burnie
Admin Support Person of the Year Australia Karen Heuston One Agency Redcliffe-Northlakes
Admin Support Person of the Year New Zealand Nicola Curtis One Agency Real Estate Specialists
Property Manager Of the Year Finn Simpson One Agency Tony Quattroville
Property Management Office of the Year
One Agency Brown & Reid
Fast Start Award Individual Kate Spence One Agency Reeves Properties
Fast Start Award Office One Agency Reeves Properties – Blaxland
Sales Rising Star Jaime Bodiam One Agency Lindy Harris


Sales Rookie of the Year Kate Spence One Agency Reeves Properties
Excellence in Commercial Sales Australasia One Agency South
Excellence in Rural Sales Australasia One Agency Elite Property Group
Excellence in Auction Results One Agency Shaun O’Callaghan
Small Office of the year Metro
(1-3 Person Sales Department/Team) One Agency Reeves Properties – Blaxland
Small Office of the year Regional
(1-3 Person Sales Department/Team) One Agency Sunbury Region
Medium Office of the year Metro (4-6 Person Sales Department/Team) One Agency Reeves Properties – Penrith
Medium Office of the year Regional (4-6 Person Sales Department/Team) One Agency Real Estate Specialists
Large Office of the year Metro (6+ Person Sales Department/Team) One Agency Burnie
Large Office of the year Regional (6+ Person Sales Department/Team) One Agency Lindy Harris
Sales Consultant of the Year Josh Fitzgerald One Agency Orange
Sales Consultant of the Year Paul Charlett One Agency Brooking Realty
Selling Principal of the Year Matt Grice One Agency Burnie
Network Support Members Choice Award – Australia Tony Quattroville One Agency Tony Quattroville
Network Support Members Choice Award – New Zealand Stephen & Jacqui Johnston One Agency The Property Specialists
CEO for Outstanding Services to One Agency – Australia Adrian Sacco One Agency Sunbury Region
CEO for Outstanding Services to One Agency – New Zealand
Stephen & Jacqui Johnston One Agency The Property Specialists


International Office of the Year
One Agency Lindy Harris


Plus a special thanks to our industry sponsors:
Principal Event Partner – Box & Dice
Affordable Staff
Campaigntrack
Corelogic
Coverforce
EAC
Employsure
NZRET
Property Press
Realestate.co.nz
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One Agency Team

One Agency - Fees glorious fees - Set your franchise free

Fees glorious fees: Set your franchise free!

Real estate commission splits are always a hot topic in the real estate industry, along with franchise costs and models. Fundamentally the industry needs to change. It’s time agents were free from franchises and agreements and free to keep the commissions they generate.

Traditional franchise model

First, let’s look at the traditional agency franchise model that so many of us know.

Real estate franchise costs vary but typically include an up-front fee, commission payments in the range of 8–11% of gross sales income and fees for operational services. Typically, as the franchisee you pay onboarding costs alongside a monthly marketing fee; training and technology may or may not be included.

Marketing campaigns can be a mixed bag; state or nation-wide branding and promotions offer little direct benefit to the franchise holder, and you have no say on how the funds are spent. This can lead to additional fees being imposed by franchisees on their sales staff, for example, to process sales, or market them and the office.

In terms of real estate commissions, a 50:50 split is common. This can suit newcomers to the industry who can benefit from a wage and marketing costs held on credit until commissions are earned. Stronger sales performers usually command more, such as a 40:60 or 30:70 split in their favour.