Coldwell Banker – “Deck is stacked against the agent.”

Pros

Independent contractor status. Name brand recoginition. New agent training was good.

Cons

All the cards are stacked in Coldwell Banker's favor. High "referral fees" for deals not even facilitated by Coldwell Banker simply because the other broker happened to work for a Coldwell Baker or associated firm. Relocation "Referral" fees are huge too. The agent does all the work and is capped on the commission they can receive. Coldwell Banker takes the rest. Coldwell Banker will NOT release you listings when you leave. It takes a long time to climb the commission ladder. Have a bad year and Coldwell Banker knocks reduces your commission split. Don't forget that the commission split is set AFTER the franchise fee...so Coldwell Banker takes 6% off the top before they start paying you. Most local brokers have their "favorite" agents and the good leads go to them. Coldwell Banker also pushes their own mortage, title and warranty companies. Agents get nothing for referrals to those programs...but Coldwell Banker makes huge money on them.

Advice to Senior Management

Think about more than your personal paycheck.