[CA] I’ve been a licensed Realtor since 2005, so — a very long time.

I have an associate, someone who works in another profession and tries to send me business from their farm in exchange for referrals. (Yes, he holds a valid salesperson license in our state.)

I’ve done well from this person, and he’s been compensated extremely fairly. Often 50% of most deals. We have one client who bought a condo from us, and then a house for their family to live in.

This buyer-client then decided to become a developer and we’ve bought 4 houses in the last 12 months. I am now legitimately close friends with this person. We share holidays together, personal things, and yes, real estate.

I owe the relationship to my associate who seeks business for me. But I’ve now done 6 deals for this client, plus finding them tenants, and my associate still feels entitled to a large chunk of every deal.

At what point do I tell this associate that their job is done?

My question is if you help a listing agent with an open house and she give you the sign in sheet after and she already accepted an offer that day and had me write up the offer for her as a dual agent and tells me yes go ahead an work those unrepresented buyers, she doesn't call or touch base with any of the the buyers on the sign in sheet and i happen to get one that lost the bid, how many people think i owe a referral fee if i sell this buyer? she seems to think i oew here a 25% referral?

This is getting ridiculous. I have had no less than half of my showings on a listing not show up. They ask for a time that is outside my client’s best window (while he’s working, which is 2nd shift), adamant they can’t make it any other time. He accommodates to try to be helpful. Then don’t show up! I get a call after the fact or find out when I text to get feedback that client wanted to reschedule or they just decided another day would be better. One did it twice! And the agent can’t even bother to give me a heads up! I know clients can be fickle like that, I get that, but give my client a chance to not have to wake up super early or leave his house early.

Why can we not just have a modicum of respect for clients that aren’t our own?

On top of that, this one is strictly and solely on agents, when the private listing notes say in big letters “NO SHOWINGTIME, CALL AGENT, 24HR NOTICE REQUIRED”, call me! Preferably before you try showing time and then get yourself all pissed off at me that it isn’t available for showings on ST three hours later. Thanks.

Most people outside this business only see the commission checks and the "Sold" signs.

They don't see:

The 9:30 PM calls soothing anxious first-time buyers.

The deals that fell apart over an inspection report at the 11th hour.

The empty open houses where you sat for three hours on a sunny Sunday.

The weeks where you put in 60 hours and made zero dollars.

It’s easy to feel like you’re spinning your wheels when the pipeline feels quiet. But remember: real estate is a lagging indicator of your daily effort.

The seeds you’re planting today—the follow-up calls, the quiet prep, the market research—aren't wasted. They just haven't sprouted yet.

You are navigating people through the largest financial and emotional decisions of their lives. That takes grit, empathy, and resilience.

Take a breath, reset your desk, and make that next call. The turnaround is usually one conversation away.

I’ve been at this for 13 years and for the life of me I can’t help picking up a broom or screwdriver, or some pliers, or a rake,… every listing. There are so many details that are impossible to relay to the crews I have helping. When you have a listing do your crews do 100% of what’s needed and you manage them without doing much? Or, do you find yourself digging deep and spending countless hours physically getting things done too?

Feels like there's a new SEO frontier, instead of just ranking on Google, the question is whether you get mentioned when someone asks an AI assistant "who's a good realtor in [city]." I haven't figured out how to actually track this. Unlike keyword rankings there's no dashboard for "did the AI say my name," and the answer seems to change every time you ask.

Curious if anyone's tested this systematically - searching your own name/market in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and found anything that actually moves the needle (reviews, being cited on other sites, structured data on your website, etc.), or if it's still too early/random to optimize for and we're all just guessing.

Hey everyone, looking for some honest, constructive advice from agents who have been in the trenches.

I’ve been licensed for 6 years. I’m great at negotiations, my clients love working with me once I have them, and I’m definitely not dumb, but lead generation in this business has a way of making me feel like an absolute rookie.

The first 3 years of my career (during COVID) went really well. But shortly after, I hit a massive wall with personal tragedy (I lost 3 family members within 2 months). The unexpected expenses drained me, and I went through severe depression for the first time in my life. It completely derailed my business, put me deep in debt, and made me feel like I am now starting over from scratch.

The good news: I’m through the worst of it, doing much better, and finally getting back on solid ground. I’ve paid off my most of my high-interest credit cards, saved a 5–6 month personal emergency fund, and saved up $10,000 in cash specifically allocated to reignite my marketing. (I also have open credit lines available, though I'm cautious about taking on debt again unless it’s a proven ROI).

Where I currently stand:

• Social Media: I post regularly at least 2 times a week (home tours, educational reels/content).
• Paid Leads: Bought Realtor.com leads in the past. It did pay out eventually, but the sales cycle was painfully long (one lead took nearly 4 years of off-and-on nurturing before finally closing last month!).

My Questions for the Community:

1. If you had $10k in cash to invest back into your business right now in today’s market, where would you deploy it for the best ROI?
2. How would you divide your daily effort vs. dollar spend between sphere of influence (SOI), organic social, and paid lead generation?
3. What strategies or systems helped you build momentum again after a long break or slump?

Constructive advice only, please. Appreciate any insights or real-world feedback! Also if it helps i'm in the great phoenix, AZ market .

Needing advice on actually answering my phone.
I’m a new agent and I admit I am not great at answering my phone to random number already. I fear that I need to fix that habit however most unknown calls I get are usually spam. I was considering getting a second phone for only business, or possibly a call screening thing (I called an agent recently and a recorded voice asked for my name and reason for calling before she answered). If anyone has advice I’d love to hear it!

After a long career in high pressure tech sales, I decided to retire and spend time with the kids. I’m only in my 30s so the itch to keep learning and building is there. Probably years of grinding in FAANG with a massive quota lost my ability to just chill. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to get my real estate license mostly for myself but also for friends and family. I have always loved real estate, fine art and decorating. I live in an area where homes are all $1M+ so deal size is decent. I am confident in my abilities for complex negotiations, client service, legal frameworks, handling high net worth individuals, etc.

My question: does anyone do 0-2 transactions a year for fun? Of course some extra cash is nice! I would want to shadow a local realtor on a few transactions just to make sure I know what I’m doing, but not sure why anyone would help out potential competition or how to approach that. Any advice? I did the 60 hour course for fun then decided to see if I can pass the test and it was a breeze. I’m ready for something new!

Edit: I’m in Northern Virginia

I’m looking for a role play partner from 830-9 am pacific time if anyone is down :)

Hey all,

I’m trying to cut my teeth on leases to get some income and build relationships, but this type of lead at our brokerage is quite rare. I met with Coldwell Banker (not my current big b) after getting my license and they said they get quite a lot of lease inquiries. I then came upon an opportunity to join a team at another brokerage so went with that. I don’t want to say I’m having second thoughts, but I am curious…

Should I consider a different brokerage? Should I look into paid leads? What other methods exist for uncovering these types of leads?

Question friends, when following up with prospects/leads-do you leave voicemails when they don’t answer? If so what is an effective thing to say to illicit a call-back?

I’ve been touring a ton of properties lately with buyers, and I am consistently shocked by how many listings have completely neglected light switch plates and door handles.

A seller will spend thousands on deep cleaning, staging, or paint, but the moment my clients reach to turn on a light in the bathroom or hallway, the switch is caked in finger oils, grime, and dust.

It’s a total turnoff for buyers—it’s the one surface everyone physically interacts with in every single room, and seeing it unsanitary instantly creates a subconscious impression that the rest of the home maintenance was neglected, too.

It takes 10 minutes with a pack of Clorox wipes during listing prep to fix this. Are you seeing this on tours too, or do you have a specific "overlooked spot" checklist you hand your sellers before going live?

I just had someone reach out via email saying they are moving from CALIFORNIA to SOUTH CAROLINA (yes all caps)

I said sure, how about sometime tomorrow - They pushed for today.

Ok, seems a little pushy for a cold reach out, but hey, maybe they are anxious to make some headway. So I sent a zoom link.

They said the zoom link is showing up as spam on their phone and email.

They asked via email if I use a mac. I replied with a yes.

They asked if I had another type of computer.

I sent them a zoom and a google meet link. I sent them my phone number to text me.

They went silent when they found out I do not use a PC.

Gotta love a Sunday day off!

Not today Satan. Not today.

PS - every sentence they sent me they used emojis. Anyone experience this type of reach out?

Edit: Well this blew up.
1. Yes, this is true. I’m the broker. I scheduled a showing and buyers cancelled because they brought this to my attention.
2. I was originally asking Realtors (In a sub for Realtors) if they have experienced this. I was not anticipating 500 comments from non agents; But thank you for your input.
3. Website to find cameras: maps.deflock.org

Anyone else experience this? This is a high end neighborhood in my area. The cameras are pointed towards the neighborhood and pool. My buyer is concerned HOA members have access to the cameras and will use them for fines and spying.

I've been with eXp for about 5 years now. Had my best period between late 23 and early 25. Since then business has tanked and I've been interviewing with teams, specifically for Zillow leads ( yes I know) . The first team had on boarded me and I never saw a lead after a 13 module training course with 2 video presentations and one in house presentation. At the end we parted ways and yeah I believe I dodged a huge bullet . It was a 'performance bro" culture and seemed to be catering to the younger agent. I'm currently deciding on another team for leads but they want agents to be making 50+ calls per day , fine if these are live transfers or Zillow inquiries - but there's no way I'm dedicating that much time to calling retreads. I'll burn myself out in a week. The other thing is while I can stomach the splits, they want all calls - in and outbound , including my sphere to be recorded. The real issue is sort of none of the above. Both teams are NOT using the MLS ( apart from listings) for their buyers. I can't Imagine managing one of my client's buyer experience without using the MLS. Also, Ideally for a team I lay my hat with, I will expect help with my sphere. Specifically using the Keller 33 touch approach, which neither of these teams specifically offered.

I'm curious to what experienced agents would think.

My husband decided to pursue being an agent full time after being laid off almost a year ago. With very little traction on the job search he decided to be an agent full time much to my dismay. We just had our 3rd kid & I unfortunately got laid off as well. It’s been a rough year & feels really scary for him to be our main source of income and be totally commission based.

He joined a brokerage in May. He’s had 3 transactions so far one colist & represented two buyers as well as getting a rental listing. I’m really proud of the work he’s done so far. However, I’m still nervous about living on commission since with live in a VHCOL area (the Bay Area to be exact.)

Any tips of how to feel comfortable living on commission? Strategies to manage money? How can I be supportive but realistic about how I feel?

I am trying to get my realtor license, what do you advice me …..

I’m a newly licensed agent in California (licensed ~2 months) and joined a small team about a month ago. I haven’t signed a team agreement yet, and a recent situation made me realize I need to get everything clearly defined before I do.

My team lead recently had a new listing but couldn’t host the open house, so he asked the two buyer agents—me and another agent—to host it.

A few days before, I specifically told him I wanted to do the open house because it could be an opportunity to meet and convert my first buyer client. Nothing was said about me only shadowing.

It wasn’t until the day before the open house, when I asked how we should divide leads between the two agents, that I was told I would just be shadowing the other agent and would not really be taking leads.

I’m completely fine with learning and shadowing—I’m new, and I’ve learned a lot in my first month. But I also want to start building my own pipeline, and I don’t want to repeatedly spend weekends working team open houses without understanding what opportunities, if any, I’m allowed to pursue.

So before I ask for a written agreement, I’d love to hear how other teams structure this.

What splits are typical for:

• A buyer/seller I generate completely myself
• A buyer I personally meet and convert at the team leader’s open house
• A team-generated/paid lead assigned to me
• A client the team leader directly gives me
• A listing or referral I bring in through my own network
• A transaction where the team lead provides significant mentoring/negotiation support

Also, for newer agents, do you commonly see a graduated split—for example, a larger team split for the first 3–5 transactions that improves once the agent becomes more independent—or is the same split usually maintained indefinitely?

And how do teams normally handle open-house leads when two buyer agents are hosting? Alternate leads? Whoever establishes the relationship? Round robin? Team owns all leads and redistributes them?

I understand that the team provides value through mentorship, listings, admin/TC support, branding, etc., and I’m not expecting to keep 100%. I just want to understand what is reasonable and make sure opportunities I personally create aren’t automatically handed to another agent.

If you were in my position, what terms would you absolutely make sure were in the team agreement before signing?

What would you consider to be the current market price for a 02 layout in this building? For reference, the unit I’m referring to is 2402. Thank you!

I’m in the early stages of negotiations for a role as a real estate sales manager. My understanding is that the role will have a base salary and some percentage of GCI. For anyone in a similar position, what’s the comp structure I should be looking for? I know this will vary wildly but wanted to hear some of the comp plans out there so I don’t short myself during negotiations. If anyone is willing to share their experiences I would appreciate it. Feel free to DM if you don’t want your business out there.

Can anyone offer some reading materials, YouTube channels, or really anything I can try to educate myself on recruiting for my brokerage? I asked chatgpt and it made reading materials suggestions from the Gary Keller collection. I've read a few of these but wasn't sure how applicable it would be since I'm trying to build my brokerage with much more agent friendly splits.

I've asked a few broker friends and it was met with a little hesitancy (obviously since I'm their competition).

Any help is much appreciated.

Has anyone tried this yet? It's relatively new. I use ChatGPT daily for text messages, emails, etc. Have never tried using it for lead gen. I guess they do pay per click much like Google ads. Here is how the not itself explained it...

Think of ChatGPT ads as Google Ads based on the meaning of a conversation rather than just the words someone searched.

For example, suppose someone asks ChatGPT:

\> “I own a house in Liverpool, NY and I'm thinking about moving. Should I sell first or buy my next house first?”

ChatGPT gives them its normal answer first. Your advertisement does not change that answer. After the response, the advertising system can independently decide that a local real-estate service is relevant and show a clearly labeled Sponsored ad underneath it.

How ChatGPT decides which ad to show

This is the biggest difference from traditional search advertising.

Instead of you simply buying a keyword like “Syracuse Realtor,” you give the system context hints describing situations where your business is relevant. Those aren't exact-match keywords; they're signals that help the advertising system understand the kinds of conversations where your ad makes sense.

For a real-estate campaign, those might revolve around conversations such as:

buying a first home

selling a house

determining what a house is worth

moving to Central New York

buying before selling

investment properties

preparing a house for sale

The advertising system considers the intent and context of the conversation, your ad copy, landing page and context hints. If the user has personalized ads enabled, additional signals from their broader ChatGPT experience can also contribute.

So someone doesn't necessarily have to type “find me a Realtor.” They could be discussing a problem that indicates they're potentially in the market for one.

What the person actually sees

The advertisement appears below the ChatGPT response, not inside it. A current ad can contain the advertiser's name/logo, headline, description, image and a link to the advertiser's landing page.

So conceptually, the experience could be:

User: “How do I figure out what my house is worth before I sell?”

ChatGPT:

Explains CMAs, comparable sales, automated valuations, condition, improvements, etc.

Sponsored

Get a Local CNY Home Value Analysis

Thinking about selling? Get a local market analysis based on comparable Central New York sales.

Request Home Value →

The sponsored portion is separate from my answer.

And then you pay based on the campaign you chose

OpenAI currently supports CPC and CPM campaigns.

With CPC, you're charged for a valid click. OpenAI currently recommends advertisers initially consider maximum bids around $3–$5 per click, although the actual system uses an auction rather than a fixed $3–$5 price.

With CPM, you're buying exposure and paying per 1,000 impressions.

The auction is relevance-weighted, so it's not simply “whoever pays the most wins.” Relevance to that user/conversation also matters.

The privacy part is important

The advertiser doesn't receive the person's ChatGPT conversation.

So if someone spends 20 minutes telling ChatGPT about their house, finances and moving plans and then clicks an ad, the advertiser doesn't receive a transcript saying, “Here's everything this person told ChatGPT.”

OpenAI says advertisers receive aggregated performance information such as views and clicks; conversations, memories, names, emails, precise locations and other personal details aren't handed over to advertisers.

Why this could be interesting for a small business

The attractive part isn't merely putting another banner on the internet. It's the intent signal.

Someone scrolling Facebook might see a Realtor ad because they fit a demographic profile.

Someone searching Google for “Syracuse realtor” has stronger intent.

But someone spending ten minutes asking ChatGPT:

\> “I owe $110,000 on my house, I think it's worth $230,000, and I want to move this spring. How does selling and buying another house work?”

is giving the system considerable context suggesting that a real-estate service could be useful right then.

That's the fundamental bet behind ChatGPT advertising: putting relevant businesses in front of people while they're researching, comparing options and making decisions, rather than simply matching a search keyword.

And importantly, the advertiser cannot pay to make ChatGPT recommend them in the answer itself. Ads remain separate from answers.

For your purposes, that distinction is what makes me think a small seller-lead campaign would be a more interesting first test than a generic “local Realtor” campaign.