Stop the agent recruiting and retention revolving door

For far too long, the real estate industry has treated agent recruitment as a numbers game.

We herd people through career nights, licensing classes and onboarding sessions, celebrating every new license as evidence of growth. Then, when many of those agents leave the business within a year or two, we point to the industry’s high failure rate as though it were inevitable.

As leaders, shame on us.

Who’s at fault?

Who is responsible for the revolving door that has defined real estate for decades?

Is it the agent who enters the business expecting leads to be delivered on a silver platter? Is it the person who loves looking at homes, watches real estate shows and assumes that enthusiasm alone will translate into a successful career?

Or does the responsibility belong to brokers who recruit agents without investing in them, holding them accountable or setting honest expectations about what it takes to succeed?

The truth is that responsibility exists on both sides — but brokers and industry leaders must be willing to own our part.

I say that as a former broker-owner who genuinely loved coaching new and developing agents.

There is an incredible rush in watching an agent close a first transaction. I love seeing someone knock on that first door, make that first prospecting call, hold that first open house or secure that first listing.

There is something special about working with an agent who is eager, coachable and willing to do what it takes to build a business. These agents may lack experience, but they do not lack commitment. They show up, accept feedback and keep moving forward — even when the work becomes uncomfortable.

Why the high turnover?

If those are the agents we want, why do brokerages continue to experience such high turnover among new and underproducing agents?

We can blame the systems. We can blame the tools, the market, lead quality, commission structures, technology or the industry itself. We have been doing that for years.

But broker-owners must be willing to sit down and honestly compare the agents currently in their offices with the agents they claim they want to attract.

Do those two groups look the same?

When you host a career night or one of your agents brings someone in to discuss joining the company, are you evaluating whether that person fits your culture and expectations?

Are you asking, “Is this someone we genuinely want to invest in?”

Or are you simply adding another number to the roster?

What if we changed our approach?

What if we were honest during the first conversation about what a career in real estate actually requires?

We should ask candidates whether they are willing to prospect consistently, invest in their businesses and follow a written business plan. We should explain that they will be expected to attend training, learn their contracts, accept coaching and remain accountable for their activities and results.

That conversation may discourage some people from entering the business — and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

If someone is unwilling to make calls, build relationships, learn the business and consistently do the work, recruiting that person does not serve the agent, the brokerage or the consumer. We are not giving someone an opportunity when we knowingly bring them into a business for which they are unprepared. We are simply postponing their disappointment.

Real estate is not an easy business.

It involves long hours for which an agent may initially go unpaid. It requires learning systems, technology and tools, some of which agents must purchase themselves. It carries serious contractual, legal and fiduciary responsibilities that demand continual education as forms, laws and practices change.

Most importantly, it requires relationship-building. Agents must create a network of people who know them, trust them and eventually become raving fans. That does not happen because someone received a license or posted a few property photos on social media. It happens through consistent, intentional work.

What can we do better?

Brokers cannot promise success, but we can create an environment in which committed agents have a real opportunity to succeed.

That means providing practical training instead of simply giving agents access to a video library. It means coaching behaviors, not just reviewing production reports. It means establishing clear expectations, tracking meaningful activities and addressing problems before an agent quietly disengages.

Accountability is not punishment. When delivered with honesty and support, accountability is one of the greatest investments a leader can make in another person.

Agents also have a responsibility. They must stop waiting for the brokerage, a lead source or the market to build their business for them. Systems can create efficiency. Technology can increase capacity. Leads can open doors. But none of those things replace discipline, conversations, follow-up and relationship-building.

The goal should not be to recruit everyone. The goal should be to recruit the right people and then give them the leadership, development and accountability they need to build sustainable businesses.

An agent should never be treated as a roster count, a monthly fee or a transaction waiting to happen. Every agent who joins a brokerage represents a leadership commitment.

The next time someone says, “I have always thought about getting into real estate,” resist the temptation to immediately sell the dream.

Tell them the truth.

Tell them about the uncertainty, the investment and the work. Tell them what will be expected of them and what support they can expect from you. Then determine together whether they are prepared to make the commitment.

Our industry does not need more people entering through a revolving door. It needs professionals who understand the opportunity, accept the responsibility and are prepared to do the work.

As the old saying reminds us, the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

It is time for brokers and agents alike to stop creating statistics — and start building businesses that last.