A recent article in a popular real estate news feed detailed 5 reasons why agents should avoid joining a team and work instead as solo agents. As I considered each of the reasons, it occurred to me that they could also make a persuasive case for joining a team. See what you think.

POINT #1

When there’s a lack of balance between partners, you may be taking on someone with weaknesses

COUNTERPOINT

No partnership is ever perfectly balanced, and everyone has weaknesses. Instead of looking at partnering as assuming potential liability, see it as providing a source of stability, security, and emotional support. Real estate can be a lonely business. It’s good to have a friendly ear when you need it. Think Laverne & Shirley. Or Lewis & Clark.

POINT #2

When partners are too much alike.

You may both be great at the same thing, but missing a piece of the success puzzle. 

COUNTERPOINT

Birds of a feather flock together. I want to be with people who share my values and beliefs, and who are like-minded and like-spirited. It’s the activating principle behind synergy. 1 + 1 = 3. And if our partnership is missing a complementary skill set, we can always add another person to the team.

POINT #3 When you’re not sure what you’re getting into.

You might be making less money per transaction. You might go out on your own eventually. You might be better off with a full-service, traditional brokerage. 

COUNTERPOINT

Almost everyone who gets into real estate is surprised by what it’s really like. Getting your license certainly does not prepare you for the job. Unless you have a truly full-service traditional broker who trains you, directs your activities, supervises you, mentors you, and helps manage your transactions, joining a team may be your only hope of surviving. According to a headline in this same publication, 71% of agents closed ZERO transactions last year.

POINT #4 When you’re more focused on sales than leadership tasks.

 (I think this one was aimed at team leaders.)

COUNTERPOINT

Being on a team allows you to focus on generating and converting leads, on presentations and negotiating, and on building your client base. A good team needs the right leader, but that doesn’t have to be you. Let the leader lead and you follow and produce.

POINT #5 When one of you is ready to scale back.

This model is the one most likely to lead to team divorce.

COUNTERPOINT

It’s also the model most likely to create continuity of practice, where a retiring agent introduces a protégé into their business and eventually hands it off. Rather than shy away from an agent scaling back, see this as an opportunity to be mentored and to inherit a thriving business.

FINALLY

Let me add the most compelling reason of all to join a team – not just some of the time, but almost ALL OF THE TIME, people working together as a team produce more than people working as individuals.

We all need a team to create a successful real estate business. We need the home team to support and encourage us.

We need our vendor partners to provide reliable and affordable services to our clients.

We need our coach to keep us on track and correct our course.

We need the Realtor® community to cooperate through the MLS and Code of Ethics.

And, we need our clients to refer us to their friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.

As Alex Hailey said, “If you see a turtle up on a fence post, you know it didn’t get up there all by itself.”

We all need to be part of a team.