To Team or Not to Team: Exploring the Pros and Cons for Agents

By Kandie Frederick

Growing up on the central coast, Kandie is a third generation family in the North County and a second generation family in real estate. Joining Country Real Estate in 2000, and graduating from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, she brings a background of Agricultural Business to combine with her knowledge of the local real estate market. Working with her family and their decades of local real estate development, she is deeply connected to the roots of our community and its growth.
“This area continues to grow as people discover what a great travel destination it is, and what a great wine region it has become. Eventually, they realize what a great place it is to live and work as well. Adapting to the needs of our clients in a changing environment is always a priority. We remain the longest standing brokerage in a community we are deeply invested in. Our longevity is attributed to our innate ability to understand the North County: its people, its properties, and its culture.” -Kandie

Whether you’re considering starting a real estate career or have been a solo agent for a few years, you’ve probably considered if it makes sense for you to join a team. Teams come with many benefits, but a lot of people will tell you they aren’t the way to go. The truth is that there are a lot of popular conceptions about real estate teams, and most of the negative ones aren’t true. That’s why we’re clearing the air by debunking three of the most common misconceptions about joining a real estate team:

1. “You make less money by joining a team.” On paper, this one seems pretty simple. Solo agents don’t need to worry about commission splits, so it appears obvious that they’d make more money. However, this isn’t always the case in practice. New solo agents lack the tools, experience, and training they need to establish their business; teams provide all of these things. By leveraging them effectively, you’re more likely to sell more homes and ultimately end up with more money. 

2. “Solo agents have more freedom.” While solo agents are free to do whatever they want however they want, they don’t have access to the resources teams do. Solo agents often get bogged down doing paperwork and other activities that don’t make them any money. Alternatively, teams handle many of these processes for you, giving you more freedom to get out there and do more transactions. 

3. “New agents are better off learning things themselves.” Some people have an attitude that it’s better to learn things about the real estate market the hard way. However, this just isn’t true. Teams are especially beneficial to newer real estate agents because they are full of experienced agents you can lean on to speed up the learning curve. That way, you can spend less time learning the ropes and start doing transactions sooner.    

With those misconceptions cleared up, this begs the obvious question: “Should you join a real estate team?” The truth is that it depends on your situation, but they can be very beneficial to both newer and seasoned agents. If you’d like to learn more about our team and what we offer, just give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!