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?
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.
Changing brands or agencies often comes with the expense of rebranding yourself or your office
As agents, we generally prefer to spend money when we are making money, as we feel more confident when we have the funds to hand.
With spring being the peak selling season, you should have more funds available to invest in your own business. The majority of real estate agents in Australia and New Zealand are well-heeled leading into Christmas, receiving a large majority of our commission payments for the year. The Christmas break, therefore, becomes an opportune time to switch to a new brand.
Summer is a great time to reflect on the past calendar year and plan for the forthcoming year. Many agents take the opportunity to head overseas or take extended leave over Christmas, taking some time out to refocus and energise.
Earlier in the year you may not have had time to look at opportunities, review different networks or think about what options are available to you. During your downtime, you can focus on these areas, which often results in a change that you’ve been putting off being made.
There are two prime times to make the switch: the end of the calendar year and the end of the financial year.
These are perfect times to review revenues and costs, and reevaluate how you’re business is tracking. It gives you time to take stock of where you are, if you’re meeting targets or if you could be making more elsewhere.
You can then prioritise activities or put new plans in place to put yourself in the best position for the next year. In some cases, it may be to continue what you’re doing, but in many situations, it’s a case of making a switch to a more profitable system to boost your real estate career.
If you’re thinking about making the switch now, you’ll find that it’s easier because other people are expecting changes like this.
With the summer being a common time when agents move agencies, principals and real estate business owners take this opportunity to attract talent to their doors. Agencies are on the lookout for star talent and actively approach agents that they’d like to join them and vice versa.
If you have cold feet about making the switch, there are a few ways that you can change brands or agencies with minimal disruption.
In many cases, everything about you and your work will be owned by your agency. This includes properties you’ve sold under their brand and your online profiles on their corporate site. To get around this, you need to set up your own website and social profiles. By creating a Facebook page for your services, you can highlight your past work and keep those sales attributed to you when you move on. You can also use this to share advice through articles and videos that you publish under your own name on your own domain.
When you move agency, more often than not it’s simply a case of filling in the appropriate paperwork. There may be a difference in the details of who retains listings, but you’ll be able to find that information in your employment contract. Depending on your relationship, you may be able to negotiate to take some with you when you go.
If you do a good job selling a home, chances are that the sellers will want to use you again. By making sure you connect to all your past and potential clients on Facebook and LinkedIn (before you leave your current agency) you can keep people abreast of your move.
More often than not, you won’t be able to overtly canvas past clients because keeping customer records or sending them an email could breach your employment agreement, as such clauses are common with real estate contracts.
But when a seller’s loyalty lies with an agent rather than a brand, they’ll follow you and know to recommend you under your new branding to their friends.
If you’ve been thinking about making the switch but you want a bit of help with the logistics, get in touch with One Agency to see how we can help you make the change and achieve the freedom you deserve.
Plan ahead and your move can be seamless. At One Agency it only takes a few short weeks to have you up and running under your own steam.
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.
Back to top
Back to top
One Agency is a revolution in real estate, empowering both individual real estate professionals and established agencies to take control of their future and bring an entirely new level of service to clients.
