September 25, 2026
Recruiting real estate agents is about more than increasing the number of people associated with your brokerage. The right agents can strengthen your reputation, expand your market presence, improve the client experience, and help build a healthier business.
However, successful recruiting starts well before you post an opening or contact a promising agent.
Brokerages need to understand what they offer, who they want to attract, and why an agent would choose their organization over another one.
That becomes especially important in an industry where many agents operate with significant independence. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than half of real estate brokers and sales agents are self-employed. Agents also frequently work irregular hours and spend substantial time away from an office meeting clients, showing properties, and developing business.
Therefore, recruiting isn’t simply about offering someone a place to work. It’s about creating an environment that helps agents build their own successful businesses.
Here are practical ways brokerages can improve their recruiting process.
Start by Deciding Who You Actually Want to Recruit
One of the easiest recruiting mistakes is focusing entirely on numbers.
A brokerage decides it wants 10 additional agents and immediately begins trying to fill those spots.
Instead, start with a more important question:
What type of agent would be successful here?
The answer will differ from one brokerage to another.
For example, you may be looking for:
- Newly licensed agents who need training and mentorship
- Established agents with an existing book of business
- Agents specializing in a particular neighborhood or property type
- Commercial real estate professionals
- High-volume residential agents
- Agents who excel at building relationships and generating referrals
- Experienced agents who could eventually take on leadership roles
Defining the ideal candidate makes the rest of the recruiting process easier.
It also helps prevent a common problem: recruiting agents who look impressive on paper but aren’t a good match for the brokerage’s culture, systems, expectations, or market.
Understand What Real Estate Agents Are Looking For
Recruiting works both ways.
While your brokerage evaluates an agent, that agent is evaluating your brokerage.
Experienced agents may be comparing several organizations. Newly licensed agents may be deciding where they will receive the best start to their careers.
Compensation matters, but it isn’t the only consideration.
The National Association of REALTORS® recently highlighted mentorship, company culture, support, and professional growth opportunities as factors brokerages are using to attract and retain talent.
Agents may also evaluate:
- Commission structure
- Fees and expenses
- Lead opportunities
- Training
- Mentorship
- Administrative support
- Marketing resources
- Technology
- Brokerage reputation
- Office culture
- Flexibility
- Transaction support
- Career development
- Communication with leadership
Instead of assuming what candidates value, ask them.
Those conversations can reveal why agents choose one brokerage over another and where your recruiting proposition may need improvement.
Build a Clear Brokerage Value Proposition
Before recruiting agents, you should be able to answer one question clearly:
Why should an agent join our brokerage?
Avoid generic statements such as:
We provide great support and a fantastic culture.
Most brokerages could make the same claim.
Be specific.
Perhaps your brokerage provides weekly one-on-one coaching for new agents. Maybe agents receive professional listing photography, marketing support, transaction coordination, lead-generation resources, or access to an experienced mentor.
The more concrete the benefit, the easier it is for candidates to understand what joining your brokerage would actually look like.
Your value proposition might focus on several areas.
Training and Mentorship
Training can be especially important for newer agents.
Real estate professionals need to understand much more than how to show a property. Their work can involve prospecting, pricing, contracts, negotiation, marketing, client communication, financing considerations, and local regulations.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that training varies significantly among real estate companies. Some organizations provide formal programs, while new agents at others may begin working almost immediately after becoming licensed.
A structured development program can therefore become a meaningful recruiting differentiator.
Explain exactly what training an agent receives during the first 30, 60, and 90 days.
Technology and Tools
Agents increasingly rely on technology to organize leads, listings, appointments, transactions, and client communication.
Candidates may want to know what systems they’ll have access to and whether those tools actually make their work easier.
Depending on the brokerage, this could include:
- CRM software
- Lead management systems
- Transaction management platforms
- Scheduling tools
- Marketing software
- Electronic signature tools
- Listing management resources
- Communication platforms
Technology itself isn’t necessarily the selling point.
The better question is: What does the technology help the agent accomplish?
Administrative and Client Support
Agents spend considerable time outside the office.
They’re attending listing appointments, hosting open houses, touring properties, negotiating transactions, meeting prospective clients, and networking.
Meanwhile, calls and inquiries continue.
A brokerage should consider how easily agents can obtain administrative assistance when they’re busy.
For example, a real estate answering service can help a brokerage manage incoming calls, collect caller information, route inquiries, and assist with scheduling while agents are working with clients.
This shouldn’t be viewed simply as a recruiting perk. It’s part of the larger operational question candidates may have:
What support will I receive so I can spend more time building my business?
Make Your Current Agents Part of the Recruiting Strategy
Your existing team can be one of your strongest recruiting resources.
Agents know other agents.
They meet them at open houses, industry events, continuing education courses, community events, closings, and through professional networks.
More importantly, prospective recruits are likely to trust current agents when they describe what working at the brokerage is actually like.
Consider creating a structured referral program.
However, don’t make referrals purely transactional.
Give your agents something worth recommending.
Ask existing team members questions such as:
- Why did you originally join the brokerage?
- What has made you stay?
- Which resources do you use most?
- What support has helped your business?
- What would you change?
- What do you wish you had known before joining?
Their answers can improve both recruiting and retention.
Don’t Recruit Only When You Need Agents
Strong recruiting should be ongoing.
If you begin building relationships only after an agent leaves or the brokerage suddenly needs to expand, you’re already working under pressure.
Instead, maintain relationships throughout the year.
Attend local real estate events. Participate in community organizations. Connect with real estate schools. Maintain relationships with agents you respect, even if they aren’t currently looking for another brokerage.
Someone who isn’t interested today may reconsider six months or two years from now.
This approach changes recruiting from a short-term hiring campaign into long-term relationship building.
Use Your Website as a Recruiting Tool
Potential agents are likely to research your brokerage before speaking with you.
Your website should answer some of their questions before the first conversation takes place.
Consider creating a dedicated careers or agent recruitment page explaining:
- Who your brokerage serves
- What makes your organization different
- Training opportunities
- Mentorship
- Technology and tools
- Marketing resources
- Administrative support
- Brokerage culture
- Frequently asked recruiting questions
Include genuine photos of your team and office when possible.
Agent testimonials can also help candidates understand the experience from someone other than brokerage leadership.
Most importantly, make it easy to take the next step.
A candidate shouldn’t have to search through several pages to figure out who to contact.
Improve Your Recruiting Message
Recruiting outreach shouldn’t sound like mass marketing.
Messages such as “We’re growing and looking for motivated agents!” provide very little reason for someone to respond.
Instead, personalize your outreach.
Mention why you’re contacting that particular agent.
Perhaps you’ve noticed their activity in a particular neighborhood. Maybe they have a strong reputation for client service. Perhaps they’re building expertise in a market your brokerage is expanding into.
Then explain why a conversation could be worthwhile.
The first goal isn’t necessarily to convince someone to switch brokerages.
It’s to start a meaningful conversation.
Treat Recruiting Conversations Like Discovery Meetings
A recruiting interview shouldn’t be a 45-minute presentation about your brokerage.
Ask questions.
Learn what the candidate wants from the next stage of their career.
Useful questions include:
What is working well for you right now?
This helps identify what they value and don’t want to lose.
What’s making your business more difficult than it needs to be?
Their answer may reveal operational problems your brokerage can solve.
Where would you like your business to be in two or three years?
Now you can determine whether your brokerage has the resources to support those goals.
What kind of support would make the biggest difference?
Don’t assume it’s leads or commission splits. The answer might be better marketing, mentorship, transaction support, technology, accountability, or administrative assistance.
What would make you leave a brokerage?
This question can reveal just as much as asking why someone would join one.
The goal is to determine whether there’s a genuine fit rather than simply persuading the candidate to say yes.
Recruit for Fit, Not Just Production
An agent with impressive sales numbers may seem like an obvious recruit.
Production matters, but it shouldn’t be the only factor.
Consider how the individual operates.
Are they responsive?
How do they communicate?
How do they treat clients and colleagues?
Are their business practices compatible with your standards?
Will they contribute positively to the organization?
A brokerage’s reputation is influenced by the people representing it.
Recruiting someone who generates significant sales but creates problems for clients, staff, or other agents can become costly in ways that don’t immediately appear on a production report.
Make Expectations Clear Before an Agent Joins
Recruiting conversations should provide a realistic picture of the brokerage.
Clearly explain topics such as:
- Commission structure
- Brokerage fees
- Lead distribution
- Office expectations
- Required meetings
- Training requirements
- Marketing costs
- Technology fees
- Administrative support
- Transaction procedures
- Performance expectations
Transparency can prevent misunderstandings later.
It also allows candidates to make an informed decision rather than discovering important details after joining.
Build an Onboarding Process Before Recruiting Heavily
Signing an agent isn’t the end of recruiting.
It’s the beginning of retention.
A poor onboarding experience can quickly undermine the enthusiasm created during recruitment.
Create a repeatable onboarding process that covers the systems and information an agent needs.
First Week
Introduce the team and explain communication channels, systems, tools, brokerage procedures, and available resources.
First 30 Days
Focus on training, business planning, prospecting routines, technology adoption, marketing resources, and lead management.
60 to 90 Days
Review progress.
Identify obstacles and determine whether the agent needs additional coaching, resources, or support.
New agents shouldn’t have to figure out who to ask every time they encounter a problem.
Give them clear points of contact from day one.
Support Agents After You Recruit Them
Brokerages sometimes invest heavily in recruitment while paying less attention to the agents already there.
That creates a revolving door.
Recruiting and retention should be treated as connected strategies.
Regularly ask agents about their experience.
Are systems helping or creating unnecessary work?
Is training still useful?
Are leads being handled effectively?
Are agents receiving the support promised during recruitment?
Are administrative bottlenecks taking time away from clients and sales?
For example, communication can become increasingly difficult as a brokerage grows. Calls may need to reach different agents, offices, or departments. A structured call handling service can help businesses route calls and capture information according to established workflows rather than relying on whoever happens to be available.
Operational improvements like these don’t replace good leadership or culture. They help create an environment where agents can focus more attention on clients and revenue-producing activities.
Measure Your Real Estate Recruiting Results
If recruiting is important to the brokerage, track it.
You don’t need a complicated reporting system.
Start with a few practical measurements:
- Recruiting conversations started
- Interviews completed
- Offers or invitations extended
- Agents who joined
- Referral source
- Cost per recruit
- 90-day retention
- One-year retention
- Production after joining
Over time, the data can reveal which recruiting channels produce agents who actually stay and succeed.
For example, you may discover that referrals from current agents generate fewer applicants but much stronger long-term hires.
That’s more useful than simply knowing how many applications you received.
Common Real Estate Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid
Even a strong recruiting campaign can struggle when the underlying process isn’t working.
Watch for these common problems.
Focusing Only on Commission Splits
Compensation matters, but competing entirely on commission can make your brokerage easier to leave when another organization presents a slightly better offer.
Build value around the complete agent experience.
Promising Support Without Explaining It
“Excellent support” means very little.
Explain exactly what agents receive.
Recruiting Everyone
More agents don’t automatically create a stronger brokerage.
Recruit people who fit the organization’s goals and culture.
Ignoring Current Agents
Your existing agents are living evidence of whether the brokerage delivers what recruiting materials promise.
Listen to them.
Treating Onboarding as Paperwork
Forms and system access are necessary, but onboarding should also help agents understand how to succeed within your organization.
Stopping Communication After Recruitment
Continue coaching, checking in, and asking for feedback after an agent joins.
Retention begins immediately.
Recruiting Real Estate Agents Is Really About Building a Better Brokerage
The most sustainable recruiting strategy isn’t simply becoming better at convincing agents to join.
It’s building a brokerage that good agents genuinely want to be part of.
That means providing clear leadership, useful technology, practical training, reliable communication, administrative support, growth opportunities, and a culture agents can trust.
Then communicate those advantages clearly.
Recruiting becomes much easier when the experience you’re promoting actually matches what agents encounter after they arrive.
And remember that growth creates operational demands.
More agents can mean more calls, inquiries, showing requests, appointments, messages, and prospective-client leads. Before expanding aggressively, make sure the systems supporting those agents can expand with them.
For brokerages that need additional help managing incoming calls, Conversational’s real estate answering service provides live receptionist support that can be customized around a real estate team’s existing call-handling processes.
The objective isn’t to replace the relationships that make a real estate brokerage successful.
It’s to build an organization where agents have the structure and support they need to develop those relationships themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions About Recruiting Real Estate Agents
How do you attract real estate agents to a brokerage?
Start by developing a clear value proposition. Explain the training, mentorship, technology, administrative resources, marketing support, culture, and growth opportunities agents receive. Specific benefits are more persuasive than general claims about having a “great brokerage.”
Where can brokerages find real estate agents to recruit?
Potential recruiting sources include referrals from current agents, professional networking, local real estate associations, industry events, real estate schools, social media, online recruiting platforms, and direct relationship-building with agents in your market.
Should a brokerage recruit new or experienced agents?
Either can work. Newly licensed agents may require more training but can develop their practices within your systems. Experienced agents may bring established skills, relationships, and production but often have clearer expectations about what they want from a brokerage. The right approach depends on your growth strategy and available resources.
What do real estate agents look for when choosing a brokerage?
Priorities vary by individual. Common considerations include compensation, fees, training, mentorship, technology, lead opportunities, marketing resources, administrative support, culture, flexibility, reputation, and opportunities for professional growth.
How can brokerages improve real estate agent retention?
Start by delivering what was promised during recruitment. Provide clear onboarding, ongoing training, useful technology, responsive leadership, administrative support, regular feedback opportunities, and realistic paths for professional growth. Retention should be considered part of the recruiting strategy rather than a separate issue.
