Recruiting real estate agents has changed to more than a ‘hey, let me recruit you for my brokerage’ sort of business function. Today’s agents are a lot more knowledgeable, selective, and aligned with their careers than ever.
According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), membership stood at 1,453,690 as of May 31, 2025, highlighting the size and competitiveness of the agent pool. At the same time, one industry analysis estimated that roughly 10% of agents changed brokerages over a recent 12-month period, reinforcing the reality of ongoing churn.
The days of brokers “bumping” into agents at an industry event, or relying purely on luck or reputation, are over. To make an agent go from first contact to full production, you need to build clarity, consistency, and a system.
We will take you through a complete real estate recruiting plan. This guide will show you how to bring in the right agents to your business, convert them, and keep them engaged long after they sign up.
What Makes Recruiting Hard Right Now?
The real estate agent recruiting environment is changing from multiple perspectives, as regulatory changes impact brokerage models and transparency.
The NAR Approved 18 MLS Handbook Updates, which have an effective date of January 1, 2026, for example, gives greater local discretion on many policies, including non-member access. That means that brokers need to be attentive and recalibrate their approach to negotiating MLS access compliance assistance operations.
Also, in 2025, the FTC sought to deny its appeal. The FTC Noncompete Rule for 2024 is not operational. Most states are relatively unaffected by agent mobility. So, recruiting competition is building up.
Following the lawsuit, Agents are scrutinizing commission splits, caps, and fees more closely than ever due to margins and so on.
Besides, trade publications like Inman and HousingWire are constantly focused on developing new brokerage models and recruiting framework trends.
Because agents are more knowledgeable, analytical, and selective these days, recruiting is now more difficult.
The 3 Recruiting Levers You Control
Even the most competitive of markets can top the competition. Actually, three areas of every brokerage could work on immediately to improve. Strategic recruiting process differentiates from a scattered recruiting strategy through these levers.
Your Offer (Value Proposition)
It’s your value proposition that makes an agent leave their brokerage and join yours. It should be clear and specific. Your offer must be specific to avoid a dead-end in recruitment.
A solid offer articulates how your brokerage helps agents earn more, work more efficiently, or grow faster than they would on their own. You will successfully recruit agents if you offer them something that is a clear win.
Your Distribution (Channels)
Distribution will ensure that agents come to know about your opportunity. Your offer might be fantastic, but if people don’t constantly see it, it may as well not exist.
A good distribution strategy employs both outbound and inbound strategies so your pipeline never runs dry.
Your Conversion (Process + Onboarding)
The term “conversion” refers to the processes that happen after the first conversation. It includes discovery calls, presentations, follow-ups, offers, and onboarding. A structured process increases trust and reduces the chance that a great prospect goes cold
Choose One Primary Target Segment
It is much easier to recruit a candidate when you stop trying to appeal to everyone. It is nearly impossible to write the support systems and recruitment language for all people. Pick one segment; then write your support and recruiting language for that one segment only.
New Agents (Need Training + Structure)
New agents are often overwhelmed by the complexity of the industry. They are looking for guidance and confidence more than independence.
What you need to do:
- Give new hires clear instructions on what to do in their first 30, 60, and 90 days via onboarding programs.
- Provide hands-on mentorship and accessible leadership, so they can ask questions without hesitation.
- Structure accountability using check-ins and monitoring them and their work to stay on track.
Mid-Producers (Need Leverage + Consistency)
Most mid-level agents have closed some deals, but can’t produce consistently.
They often gain an advantage from:
- Systems of lead generation and follow-up processes that create steadier pipelines.
- Performance monitoring and coaching that helps them pinpoint any prospecting or conversion defects.
- Tools and other admin support that enable them to focus on income-producing activities.
Top Producers (Need Autonomy + Brand + Ops Support)
Top-producing agents already know how to sell. What’s important to them is having a frictionless environment.
They’re typically looking for:
- Offering transaction coordination and marketing support so that they can focus on their clients and team growth.
- Maintaining one’s identity while being flexible to take advantage of brokerage resources.
- The liberty to form teams or grow into new markets without restraints.
Build an Agent Scorecard (Non-Negotiables)
Finding an agent who talks a good game is easy, but recruiting is not all about personality or production bragging.
A scorecard removes the emotional aspects and provides you and your team with a methodical approach for assessing an agent and determining whether they will thrive or struggle in your environment.
Production Indicators
Before you begin delving into culture or personality, it’s critical to take a step back and start with patterns of performance. Take note of this.
- The amount of business conducted in the last year has been consistent at the same level.
- In order to carry out an analysis of their business scale, this is an assessment of Sales volume and Gross Commission Income (GCI).
- Trends over time, such as whether production is growing, stable, or falling.
These indicators enable you to spot strong performers and agents with upside potential.
Business Habits
Production tells you what they’ve done. Habits tell you what they’re likely to keep doing.
Look for signs such as:
- Using a CRM regularly and tracking leads in an organized way shows discipline and professionalism.
- Influencing speed of follow-up with prospects major conversion success factor.
- Engage daily in prospecting routines, from calls to social media to the database.
Agents with strong habits are often more coachable and predictable in performance.
Brand Fit
The reputation of an agent mirrors that of your brokerage. Alignment is essential for culture and retention in the long term.
You should consider:
- Finding out their market niche, like luxury, investors, and first-time buyers, and whether your brand matches.
- Reputation management to foster professional image and client satisfaction.
- Both professional behavior and communication style, which impact the team dynamics.
When brand fit is strong, there will be a lower chance of conflict in the future, and it will assist in further maintaining a positive brokerage culture.
How to Build a Recruiting Value Proposition Agents Can Understand in 60 Seconds?
Agents don’t listen if you take more than a couple of seconds explaining your value prop. They have other priorities and are doubtful. Your message must be clear, to the point, and result-oriented.
The Value Prop Formula
A formula that you can apply is:
“We assist [type of agent] in achieving [result] by providing [key support] which allows them to [long-term benefit].”
It shifts the attention of your audience towards the agent’s outcome.
Offer Elements to Package Clearly
Once you’ve framed your value proposition, it’s time you break it down into components that agents can actually look at.
Commission Model and Caps
Agents don’t want vague promises; they want numbers they can understand.
Make sure you:
- Demonstrate actual earning situations using sample production levels illustrating net pay.
- Include all caps, fees, thresholds, etc., and have no surprises later on.
- When presenting the commission structure, avoid using a standalone figure. Rather, present it in conjunction with a support being offered.
Leads and Lead Routing Rules
If you provide leads, you need to be specific.
Agents will want to know:
- Where do the leads come from like online ads, relocation partner, sign calls?
- How leads are distributed, including rotation rules or performance requirements.
- There are expectations for follow-up to ensure the system is fair and results driven.
Training, Coaching, Mentorship, and Accountability
Your brokerage can offer an agent training, coaching, mentorship and accountability as its key offerings. A major recruiting advantage is development.
You should describe:
- Your training cadence, such as weekly skill sessions or monthly masterminds.
- Access to one-on-one coaching or mentorship, particularly for agents focused on growth.
- Systems for accountability, through goal setting and review.
Marketing Support
Assistance with Marketing. Agents working alone may find marketing overwhelming. Brokerages that offer here assistance shine.
Be specific about:
- Detail design resources and listing marketing systems to help agents present properties like professionals.
- Whether social media or email marketing content backing makes branding a cinch.
- Templates or Marketing opportunities, which simplifies the guesswork in lead generation.
Tech Stack
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is essential suite of developer tools. Making it easy to manage leads, prospects and customers through the sales cycle is the ultimate aim.
- The main aim of CRM is to ensure ease in managing leads, prospects and customers throughout.
- Software that eases compliance and paperwork.
- Integration and mobile access agents can work from any location.
Culture and Standards
Culture defines the everyday life within your brokerage.
Share:
- Professional standards such as communication expectations and client service guidelines.
- Staff meetings, moderation events, and joint training encourage staff collaboration.
- Why these standards exist, linking them to agent success and reputation.
Create a One-Page “Why Join” Sheet
No matter whether it’s one page or one pager, what we will find is that after conversation agent will want or need something tangible to look at or hand off to family or partner. The single page right away gives them something to recall and chat about it.
Make sure to stress on your value proposition. Summarize everything more clearly and simply while emphasizing results, not explanations.
Set Up a Repeatable Recruiting Funnel
If you recruit without a funnel you will get inconsistent results. Each prospect must go through a sequence.
Funnel Stages
Each phase of the process has a purpose and must be managed carefully.
- Build target list: Having a target list allows you to source agents that match your ideal profile and not a random group of contacts.
- Start conversations: Discourse creates awareness, paving the way to relationships.
- Run a discovery call: Before you pitch your product, you must first know the goals and pain points of your ideal customer. Running a discovery call is how you do this.
- Deliver your recruiting presentation: When you give a recruiting presentation, you effectively hook your value proposition to their needs.
- Make the offer (fit + next 90 days): You help them achieve what they want by making a clear offer along with a 90-day plan.
- Onboard and measure time-to-productivity: Tracking onboarding effectiveness and measuring time to productivity reduces early disengagement risk.
Minimum Operating Cadence (Weekly)
In order to get recruiting results you have to be active in your recruiting just as you are in your sales activity. Establishing a standard of activity each week will help you to have momentum.
- New conversations started: Initiated discussions are a sign of prospective success.
- Follow-ups completed: Every lead is given a verified follow-up so that no lead is warm.
- Recruit meetings held: Displaying the intense meetings being held shows how serious discussions are happening
- Offers made: Offers signifying a shift toward decisions
- New agents onboarded: The key assessment of recruitment success is the number of new agents onboarded.
Sourcing Channels That Produce Recruiting Conversations
A healthy sales funnel needs agent conversations from multiple sources.
Inbound Channels
Inbound marketing is a strategy in which a firm crafts a strategy to draw clients to their merchandise. It is an agent interested in your agency.
An agent interested might use inbound strategies to learn more about you like:
- A career page with a clear value proposition that makes it very easy for agents to see themselves as a fit.
- Social media content that showcases your culture, highlights successful agents and features training events.
- You may conduct live workshops, webinars or offline events where agents get a real-life experience.
Outbound Channels
The outbound initiatives can reach to particular agent you are wanting to recruit if you do it in a timely manner. Effective strategies include:
- Sending an email about the listing and congratulating them on a recent sale.
- Most professional platforms let you send direct messages but not hard pitch.
- Calls focusing on building relationships, not pressuring for recruitment.
Paid and Platform Channels
An instance of video advertising marketing in action is a social media ad targeted at licensed & experienced agents that features the main benefits. If you pay for channels your brand may get more visibility.
People are usually found on job boards. Use recruiting software or a recruiting platform to effectively track your prospects.
Outreach Scripts That Get Replies Without Sounding Like a Recruiter
Agents are used to generic recruiting messages, so personalization is key. Having a well-targeted recruiting script helps you stay authentic and effective.
The 3-Part Message Structure
A strong message typically includes:
- A personal reason for reaching out, such as acknowledging a recent transaction or market presence.
- One clear value statement, focused on how you help agents solve a specific problem.
- A low-pressure next step, like a short call or coffee meeting.
Call Script (Discovery)
It’s not about how much you can pitch during a discovery call but how much you can listen. In the end, the aim is to assess.
Key areas to explore include:
- Their goals for the year, such as production targets or niche expansion.
- What’s currently working well, so you can respect their strengths.
- What frustrations or limitations they feel, which often reveal opportunity.
- What would make a move worthwhile, giving you insight into decision drivers.
The better you understand their business, the more relevant your presentation becomes.
Follow-Up Sequence (7–10 Days)
Multiple touches are required for most recruiting conversations. A structured follow-up plan helps keep the relationship warm without feeling pushy.
Over a week or so, you might:
- Day 1 – Initial message: Reconnect with a friendly reminder of your earlier message.
- Day 3 – Proof point (agent story): Share a short success story from an agent with a similar profile.
- Day 6 – Useful resource (training invite): Invite them to a training session or brokerage event as a low-commitment introduction.
- Day 10 – Direct close for a quick call: End with a direct but respectful ask for a brief call.
The Recruiting Meeting and Interview Process
When an agent shows serious interest, the meeting should feel like a two-way evaluation, not a sales pitch.
Questions That Reveal Fit Fast
To understand compatibility, explore areas such as:
- Their current lead sources and pipeline stability, which reveal business health.
- Daily prospecting habits, indicating discipline and consistency.
- Comfort with systems and technology, affecting how quickly they can integrate.
- Openness to coaching and accountability, which influences long-term growth.
What to Look For by Segment
Different types of agents show potential in different ways.
For new agents, focus on attitude, work ethic, and learning speed.
For mid-producers, identify gaps in systems or consistency that your brokerage can help fix.
For top producers, look for signs of operational bottlenecks or growth ambitions that require stronger support.
Onboarding That Prevents Early Churn
Strong onboarding usually includes clear training plans, early performance objectives, and continual communication. Securing a listing or closing a deal early on are wins that build confidence and loyalty.
Recruiting success isn’t just about signing. It’s what happens next that determines whether an agent becomes productive or disengaged.
Remember, retention is a form of recruiting. Satisfied agents attract others through referrals and reputation.
Recruiting KPIs That Brokers Should Track
You can improve your processes over time using data that you are able to track down and view. Keep an eye on the conversion rates of each funnel stage, the time to first transaction post-onboarding, and retention at milestones. These are some of the important numbers.
Legal and Compliance Notes for Recruiting
Recruiting must align with legal and ethical principles at all times. This will have fair hiring practices, proper license verification, and. transparent agreements. Clear communication protects both the brokerage and the agent.
Conclusion
To be an effective recruiter in today’s market one needs to be structured, clear and above all have systems that can be measured. With over 1.45 million REALTORS® working throughout the US and agent mobility.
Begin by clarifying your value proposition: it must outline why people should care about you, understand your product, and choose to work with you.
Next, identify.
A brokerage that recruits intentionally grows sustainably.
FAQ
How Do Brokerages Recruit Real Estate Agents?
They provide a solid value proposition, regular outreach, tailored discovery conversations and onboarding systems that make agents productive quickly.
What Is a Good Commission Split to Attract Agents?
A competitive split is transparent and paired with meaningful support, such as training, marketing, and technology that helps agents grow.
How Do You Keep Agents From Leaving Your Brokerage?
Offer value consistently through coaching, systems, culture, and growth opportunities. Retention improves when agents feel supported and successful.
