Why Join
You want to be an “active” agent, but you don’t want to pay all the Realtor fees, MLS fees and office fees. You can earn income by simply making a referral to a Realtor. After you make a referral, you don’t have to do the work. You get a great split from us for your referral fee. You have free time for another job, family, and yourself. You can earn money with a simple referral, even for your own sales and purchases. You keep your license active and have unlimited earning potential without the big fees.
$150. That is your total cost with us for the year. No Realtor fees. No MLS fees. No office fees. Since our brokerage is not a member of the Realtor associations, our agents do not have to be members. The membership fee is renewable annually. You can terminate anytime. As an active agent, you do need to meet continuing ed (CE) requirements and renew with the Board every two years.
As an active agent, you are always ready to make a referral to a friend or anyone with the ability to earn extra income. You can still let others know you are a licensed agent and can help them with referrals in-state or anywhere in the country. You may have business related tax deductions that you cannot do if inactive. You don’t let your hard-earned license expire forever. The only way to get income without all the fees is being a referral agent. FYI, if you are active for 3 years, you may have the option to become a broker. Your license will be active with Referral Agents LLC, a Virginia real estate company.
It mostly depends on your current income vs. expense and whether you prefer to get referral income without having to do the work. Being a referral agent still allows the extra income of being active but avoids all the Realtor fees, MLS fees and office fees. You always have the ability to transfer back to a traditional Realtor-member firm. Being a referral agent is also a good idea for those who want more time for a different job, family or personal free time.
After you sign up and pay your annual fee, we will follow up to make the process quick and easy. We confirm your current status with the Real Estate Board. We prepare the form required by DPOR. We can have you sign the form electronically via docusign or by email, fax or mail. We will notify you when your license is received and active with us.
Referral Income
On your first settled referral, we pay you 70% of the gross referral commission received. On your second referral during the year, your split is 80%. On any third or more referrals during the same year, your split is 90%. The year is calculated from the date you first joined. Your split is on referrals to Realtors in Virginia or anywhere in the USA. It also applies for your own personal sales or purchases where you refer yourself to a Realtor brokerage (minimum 80% on your own personal sales and purchases and for members of your immediate family).
Referral fees are typically 25-30% but are completely negotiable based on the situation. For example, if a customer has a high dollar purchase or sale or already has decided on a home to purchase, it is possible to ask for 40%, 50% or even more. If you are the buyer or seller, the referral fee is also negotiable. If you are not sure, we can review the situation and recommend a fair referral fee.
You only need to provide the name and contact information for the buyer or seller along with their interest. We provide a simple form that you fill out online or send to us. You may select a Realtor for the referral with our approval or let us do the work. The referral form is sent to the referred Realtor. Then you do not do anything else except to determine if the deal goes through so you can get your commission.
Requirements
You need to be licensed in Virginia, active or inactive. If you have an inactive license, you can activate with us. If you are licensed, you can transfer your license to us. Even if you don’t yet have a license, we have a low cost online course to get your license and join us. As an active agent you will need to meet continuing ed requirements and renew every 2 years.
As an active agent, you need to meet Virginia continuing ed and 2 year renewal requirements. Post license is required if not completed before. Continuing ed (CE) is required every 2 years after your first renewal and if needed on activation. For your CE, all members of Referral Agents LLC received an exclusive “promo code” that can be used for 30% off any online post license or continuing ed with our Virginia-approved partner school. Your promo code can be re-used an unlimited number of times.
No. That is a benefit. If you don’t earn income as a Realtor, you are still paying for Realtor fees and MLS fees or more and losing money. You have no income requirement, only income potential.
About Referral Agents LLC
We do not require all the fees and still pay you a generous commission income split on your referrals. We assist you to get the referral agreement in place so that you get referral income. We pay you fast. We are licensed in Virginia. Your principal broker has 20 years of experience and is a licensed Virginia real estate instructor. We have the knowledge and experience to help you succeed.
Referral Agents LLC is located in Reston, Virginia. We are available to support you with our website, by email and by phone. Our primary website is www.referral-agents.com. We are a licensed Virginia real estate company. The company is not a member of the Realtor associations and therefore you do not need to be a member.
Paul Hartke is the principal broker. He has more than 20 years of experience as a broker. He is a licensed Virginia real estate instructor and runs VaRealtySchool.com, an online pre-license school. He has a concurrent license as the principal broker of National Realty, licensed in VA, MD and DC. He is also associate status Virginia lawyer. Paul lives with his wife and son in Reston, Virginia.