At first glance the answer to which type of company should I choose is obvious. Having worked for all of the above I'm here to tell you that the choice is not all that clear. Over time, the benefits of each type of company have worked for different types of agents, buyers and sellers.
When I first was licensed in New Jersey to sell real estate I placed my license with an established national company. This allowed me excellent training which is what all of my future success was built upon. Being a small fish in a big pond however, did not give me the personal guidance someone with no clue about the actual customer service needed in the real estate world.
I moved to a local independent office where I received daily guidance and my hand was held through every aspect of my first deals. An independent office allowed me to learn at my own pace with very little in the way of restrictions on my movement. The drawbacks to this type of office became evident as I became more knowledgeable in the business and technology started to become a necessary tool in buying and selling homes. An independent office does not usually have the funds required to establish a web-presence. As the years went by this became a huge drawback when the person wanting to list their home started to search for the office. Unless the owner of the independent company is very web savvy and is willing to invest in technology the independent office is not the best place for the business of real estate.
After 5 years I was once again on the move.
I moved to a larger, statewide, Internet based office. The draw for this type of office was limited in office time was required, with the magic of the Internet most of our business could be preformed from home or on the road as long as there was Internet access. This type of office worked very well for me as long as the market was booming. As soon as things started to slow down the into the office mind set was important to keep my head in the game. When there is alot of business you don't need to go to an office, you are out with buyer's and meeting with seller's, when business slows down if you don't have a business environment to go to life in general takes over and home chores become a focus and your business goes out with the trash.
4 years I was moving on out
The next 3 years found me back at an independent office, but with a twist. We handled much of the foreclosure market. I became very efficient at the distressed home sale but my heart was not in it, I do not enjoy profiting from others problems. I don't think that agents who handle distressed property are wrong, they actually preform a necessary function and without them the people who have fallen on hard times would be in worse shape, this is just not the business for me.
So I moved yet again, hopefully for the last time!
I am now at a huge ,international, very well established company. Ironically the same company I started with. I feel they still have the best training. Each office is independently owned giving it the small independent feel. It is a huge company which affords an Internet presence that is unbelievable!
With the advent of Internet in Real Estate I have the choice of offices to work out of, so, of course, I've chosen one of the top 10% offices in the entire company even though there are offices closer to my home. I am lucky enough to have an office full of successful agents behind me. My new move, my last move looks to be my best move yet.
Century 21 Cedarcrest Realty in Caldwell NJ has welcomed me with open arms, and I thank them for that. If buying or selling a home is in your future and you are located in northern NJ give me a call, I'd be happy to help!
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