Have you ever need help showing clients? Having an arrangement with a buddy helps where you trade off, however, not everyone has that relationship built with another agent. So what do you do? I get it—once your real estate career starts picking up, it can feel like you never have enough time. Often as well we find ourselves needing a vacation and need a little help with getting a client in the home. Everyone’s time is important. One of the easiest ways you can find some help is to ask the newer agents to help show. They do need paid for their time as well. This serves two purposes, they get experience and some cash that usually in short supply. You get coverage or time back you did not have. This allows you to take care of clients, but also manage your time better. I recommend it to many agents when they’re first feeling overwhelmed. That agent is best to be in your company. However, working with a showing agent raises an obvious question: How should you pay them? Here are three tips to make sure you and them are equally being compensated.
1. How to find your showing agent. To find the best showing agent possible, I recommend finding a buddy first where you both agree to cover for each other. This needs to be mutual and if one side is weighted more, then pay needs to given. That way no one feels taken advantage of. Everyone runs into conflicts and needs a vacation. It is good to work this out in advance with a mutual relationship to help each other.
2. Pay them extra for the first home. When you find a good candidate that is a new agent that needs experience and some extra money pay them little extra for their first home. This first job will double as their “audition” — if they do a good job, they’ll earn the right to work with you on more homes in the future. The higher first-home rate will also help you attract the highest-quality candidates possible for the position. This is a win / win for both.
3. Pay in cash upfront per home. This is the best and simplest way to pay your showing agent. By paying them upfront, you make sure that you’re only paying for work done. Plus, you can avoid contingencies or other contracts that put you at risk of overpaying. It is always important to discuss pay and expectations upfront!
At the end of the day, hiring a showing agent is all about giving yourself leverage when you need it most. At some point, you may need to consider taking the next step and growing into a team. That is not for everyone. If you’re looking to take an even bigger leap, please call or email our team. We have the training and resources you need to focus your time on money-making activities. Make it a great day!
