Is it unethical for a broker to knowingly recruit agents currently employed by another brokerage?
- No. (63%, 119 Votes)
- Yes. (37%, 69 Votes)
Total Voters: 188
Of course, agreements between competitors to abstain from luring away one another’s talent amount to possible antitrust violations in other industries. But do tacit anti-poaching prohibitions have the same impact on the California real estate market? We want to know what you think — share your thoughts in the comments below.
Illegal. Stealing clients & agents that are under contract with the broker, is illegal. Stealing is illegal, specially if you’re licensed & aware. The only way one’s agent can leave in good standing is if there’s no breach of contract & your agent is seeking other opportunities or brokerages. TREC loves thieves’ licenses.
Great… Your post is very interesting. Thank you for sharing with us.
In this day and age, i find it common, and tacky. in this business some of our most important relationships are with other brokers. Most agents/firms that practice poaching, are desperate and lead by likely unethical ideals. I had an agent leave (grateful, as she stole and lied) and said she was moving due to location, and her mentor from when she started in the business…reality…she always wanted to be in control, and when a narcissistic type moves on, its often for power…her new firm promised her to open an office (or so she claimed/thought) and tried to poach all my agents (not one left) and every other agent in the county (to date, don’t think she got one) Reality, an unethical agent is just that, unethical. Poaching is tacky… i find when an agent from another firm engages in a conversation, i offer to meet with them
Unethical from whose point of view? The agent being offered a possible improvement in his career position, or a broker who views agents as property. Just as in any other business your staff wants to be paid what they’re worth in the market place and if you can’t match the offers of the competition, tough. For some reason many brokers that are of the if you don’t like it leave type, don’t believe a agent should have the same right. So M/M Broker, the market is telling me I have a FMV of such and such, but I willing to give you first right of refusal.
As a broker for many, many years Someone leaving was a clue that maybe something is happening out there in the agent marketplace I should be aware of. Most of the time the reason was totally logical. Sometime agents would be offered a fantastic package especially by a new brokerage going after experienced agents and then in several months I would get the phone call, is there still a desk available for me there? Frankly when I was a salesperson I would have loved someone offering me maybe a better brokerage to work for, or better split, or whatever.
That’s part of competition. Whether you like it or not agents will move from one company or the other. You will never know what happens outside of your office. It is your job as the owner of the company to provide the best possible training, competitive compensation, etc, etc that will lead to higher retention rate. If your agent is not making money with your company he/she will find a company that will cater to his/her objective. The agent will be motivated to work hard if the company he/she is with provides the necessary support. And besides this will give the company to be competitive and evolve in the industry.
Norm may be right but it’s hard to build a real estate brokerage and make plans for the future when you never know what agents are moving on due to relentless recruiting. I receive many offers each day promising the world it you come to work for them. I thought there was something in the NAR Code of Ethics regarding this but I could not find it yet. So you have to kiss the butts of your agents, train them, help them and if someone else promises them something they can stab you in the back and leave. It may be capitalism but it gives agents an advantage to take advantage of the company owner.
Bob, I too am an agent and I agree with yiu 100%. To me it’s stealing some one else’s agent..
I call it poaching. I believe that advertising,,ie looking for agents for so and so , but NOT DIRECT.
Of course it’s okay, it’s just simple competition and keeps brokerages on their feet and up to date and those that aren’t will lose agents. It’s the very economic principle that built America. It happens in every business in America, why would it be wrong in real estate. It’s especially good for agents, because it gives them many options.