Real estate: the networks that best train and remunerate their independent agents

On the surface, this profession seems little known. In many territories, however, the recruitment of agents is exploding. These sellers are most often auto-entrepreneurs, affiliated with networks, and whose activity is almost identical to that of a traditional real estate agent. With one small detail: unlike the latter, the agents do not have a “T card”, that is to say an official recognition card for the profession of real estate agent. On the contrary, they are "mandated" - hence their name - by holders of this card (including agencies or networks), authorized to negotiate and conclude transactions. This little subtlety has been exploited by groups of a new kind called “agent networks” for the past twenty years, almost exclusively recruiting this type of salesperson. This trick - among others - allows these networks to thrive via a competitive model of traditional real estate agencies, while offering often cheaper sales commissions.

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Networks that are exploding… and recruiting with a vengeance

In fact, the market shares and the workforce of agent networks have exploded over the past 10 years. According to a study published by the Maison de Mandataires, 5,000 sellers were affiliated with these networks in 2010. In 2015, there were 12,000. In 2020, the number of independent entrepreneurs reached 40,000. And the numbers continue to grow! “The networks of agents recruit with a vengeance, but if they rarely do so via classified ads”, notes Antoine Mesnard, the founder of the specialized employment platform Recrutimmo. “To attract sellers, these networks mainly rely on word-of-mouth, digital advertising or media exposure.” Thus, the IAD giant alone would have recruited around 1,500 salespeople in 2021, estimates Antoine Mesnard. And this is just a tree planted in front of a huge forest. Safti, Capifrance, Proprietes-privees.com, Optimhome, Efficity… The rival cousins ​​also attract and form numerous hordes of budding new Stéphane Plazas. Some of whom start out with total inexperience in the world of real estate. “Agent networks have a fairly magical model: the more independent salespeople they recruit, the more they can hope to increase their turnover”, deciphers Antoine Mesnard. The House of Agents estimates for its part that at their rate of growth, in 2023, independent sellers could be 60,000.

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And again: we are only talking here about sellers affiliated with “pure” agent networks. Because even the traditional agencies - whose discourse is nevertheless sometimes hostile to the competing counter-model - are themselves resorting more and more to independent sellers! “Many successful networks tell themselves that instead of opening a new agency, they can cover a new sector thanks to an agent”, points out Antoine Mesnard. “The independents can in this way sell goods in more remote places, where the agencies would not set up new offices”, he analyzes.

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Training… and variable compensation

To help aspiring sellers find the networks that are recruiting, the Maison des Mandataires launched a new comparator at the end of June. In it, about forty networks have been listed, and sorted according to four criteria: the size of the network, the share of the commission that novice sellers receive on a first sale, the price of the monthly pack to be affiliated with a network , and finally the various training courses offered by the networks to these beginner sellers. “For aspiring agents, it is interesting to have a page where you can compare networks,” explains Vincent Pavanello, the architect of the comparator, whose link you can find here. “The comparator will be updated every month”, specifies Vincent Pavanello.

A few details on these criteria, and first of all on the commission: this is the minimum percentage that independent agents receive each time fees are generated. “We are talking here about the remuneration of junior advisors. This remuneration will tend to rise as the agent makes sales”, adds Vincent Pavanello. To give an order of magnitude, the agents can thus expect around 75% of the commissions in the networks above, against 50% for the agents affiliated with traditional agencies, he explains. Agency employees will receive a fixed salary, to which they can add roughly 25% of each commission they generate. It should be noted, however, that the commissions of the agents are on average 10 to 15% lower compared to traditional agencies, estimates Vincent Pavanello. Last element to take into account: a large majority of agents have the status of auto-entrepreneur. They must therefore pay social charges on the commissions they receive.

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Next, onto the monthly pack. Agents, to be affiliated to a network, must take out a monthly subscription of up to 200 euros. This subscription allows them to use all the tools of the network useful for the sale, as well as platforms where to post real estate ads. “Some networks do not charge dues during the first months of activity”, specifies the comparator.

Finally, the House of Agents compares the different training provided by each network to its newbie salespeople. This is an essential selection variable. Professionals repeat it over and over again: being a real estate seller cannot be improvised! “To enter a network or an agency, there is no training required. Many candidates are also former employees of other branches who are retraining”, recontextualizes Antoine Mesnard. In other words, training in this profession is essential... “You need a good mind to work in real estate. Being able to understand the rules of co-ownership, legal notions. And of course having good interpersonal skills, because it is first and foremost a commercial job,” explains Antoine Mesnard. For lack of being able to acquire skills and a commercial network quickly, many novice sellers quickly abandon this profession. According to feedback from the networks themselves to the House of Agents, 30 to 50% of salespeople give up their trade during the first year.

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