Getting your license for the first time can be exciting, but also confusing. You’re suddenly “in business,” but you don’t feel like a business owner yet. You passed the test, but now the real game begins.
Here’s what I’ve learned over the years: Most new agents don’t struggle because they lack motivation. They struggle due to a lack of structure, repetition, and real-world coaching. That’s why teams exist.
Why the team exists
Real estate school teaches you how to avoid being sued. It doesn’t tell you how to be successful.
You’ll learn this business by participating in the game of showing homes, writing offers, negotiating with real customers, and solving real problems. In my experience, the quickest way to shorten the learning curve is to work with people who already know how to do it well.
Teams has built-in coaching and safety nets so you can jump right into the real deal.
How the real estate team works
A real estate team is more than just a group of agents working together. This is an intra-company business, with different people filling different roles, which allows for faster learning and greater consistency in production. For many new agents, a great team is the fastest start to real-world experience.
central role in the team
Most strong teams follow a similar structure.
Team leaders set the vision, build systems, and develop people. Their real job is not to sell homes. It’s about creating an environment where others can win.
Listing partners work with sellers to price the home, market the property, negotiate contracts, and more. The list is the engine that powers the team.
Buyer’s agents, which most new agents start, focus on showing homes, making offers, and negotiating on behalf of buyers. Many teams provide leads so that new agents can focus on learning rather than surviving.
Transaction coordinators handle contracts, deadlines, and post-closing communications, quietly preserving deals and preventing costly mistakes.
Additionally, marketing and administrative support handles signage, listings, scheduling, and back-end systems, so agents can focus on revenue-generating tasks.
Everyone has a role to play, so no one has to do everything alone.
What is life like in a team?
Strong teams operate with rhythm and a sense of responsibility. They hold regular meetings and daily huddles to review numbers, set priorities, role-play conversations, and solve problems together. Everyone knows their role and how to measure success.
Support is built into the culture. If someone falls behind, the team steps in. Responsibility is not punishment. It’s simply an agreed-upon standard that helps everyone grow faster. In such an environment, skills, confidence, and income tend to rise together.
Why team agents often earn more, even if the split is lower
This confuses many new agents. How can I make more money while giving up some of my commissions?
That’s because team agents typically don’t pay for marketing, management, transaction coordination, and often don’t pay for leads either. Almost all of their time is spent on activities that actually generate income, such as talking to clients, showing homes, writing offers, and negotiating.
You may earn less per deal, but you typically close more deals more consistently and experience far less burnout.
Why culture is a deal breaker
Every team has a culture. Some feel like social clubs, fun and friendly, but with lighter standards. Some emphasize production, coaching, tracking, and accountability.
In my experience, careers grow fastest when expectations are clear and performance is measured.
Before joining a team, ask:
Can I participate in team meetings? How do I train new agents? How is performance tracked? What does accountability look like here?
What the team does is always more important than what the team promises.
Is Teams suitable for all new agents?
It’s not for everyone, but for many it’s the quickest path to confidence and competence.
If you need coaching, structure, shared momentum, and operational support, teams are for you. If you have a strong desire for complete independence and responsibility from day one, your team may feel cramped.
There are no right or wrong answers. It’s all about fit.
conclusion
After many years in the business, here’s what I truly believe: Real estate is not a game that most people can master alone.
Real estate teams exist to speed learning, stabilize income, improve service, reduce costly mistakes, and create balance. A strong team will not only help you close deals, but also teach you how to build a real business with a real structure behind it.
Your job as a new agent is not to be completely independent from day one. Your job is to get better at the game. And for many agents, a well-run team is the quickest way to do just that.
Verl Workman is the founder and CEO of Workman Success Systems and author of Raving Referrals for Real Estate Agents. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Instagram.
