In this article
A brokerage interview runs both ways. The broker is deciding whether to take you on, and you're deciding whether this firm deserves part of every commission you earn for the next few years. These 15 questions get you real answers.
Money
1. Can I have your complete fee schedule in writing? Every fee: monthly, per transaction, annual, technology, E&O. If the answer is "we'll go over it when you join," keep looking. REVOL publishes everything on the commission plans page.
2. What does my client pay? Many brokerages charge clients an administrative or compliance fee at settlement. You should know it before your client does.
3. How does the cap work, and when does it reset? Ask whether leads, referrals and team deals count toward it.
4. What would I have kept last year on your plan? Give them your real closings and make them do the math.
5. Can I change plans, and how? Your production will change. Your plan should be able to change with it.
Leads
6. Where do your leads come from? Generated in-house, bought from a portal, or recycled? Quality depends on the source.
7. How are they screened before I get them? A name and a phone number is not a lead.
8. What's the split on company leads, and does it count toward my cap?
9. What close rate do your agents get on them? If they don't track it, they don't know whether the leads are any good.
Support
10. Who do I call when a deal goes wrong at 8 p.m.? A name, not a department.
11. What technology is included, and what costs extra?
12. What does training look like after the first month?
13. Can I add another income stream here? Some brokerages let agents earn on insurance for clients they already serve. How that works.
Leaving
14. What happens to my pending deals and listings if I leave? Get the answer in writing. It's in the independent contractor agreement.
15. Can I talk to two agents who joined in the last year? Agents who just switched will tell you the truth about onboarding.
How REVOL answers them
We built REVOL to answer all 15 in public: every plan and fee, how the lead program works, the tech stack, and the facts in one place. Then ask Ryan the rest yourself at 443.244.0155.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask in a real estate brokerage interview?
Ask for the complete fee schedule in writing, what you get for those fees, how leads are generated and split, who you call when a deal goes wrong, and what happens to your deals if you leave.
Should a brokerage publish its fees?
The best ones do. If a brokerage won't put its fees in writing before you join, treat that as a warning sign.
Ryan was a top-producing RE/MAX agent from 2015 to 2019 before founding REVOL Real Estate in Timonium, Maryland. He built REVOL around one idea: a brokerage should invest in its agents, not just collect from them.
