The real estate industry is fast-paced and ever-changing, and life as the head of a brokerage is typically the same. It can be a full-time job to simply stay on top of the day-to-day running of a busy brokerage, so blocking out the time to develop a sustainable growth strategy can be daunting.
It’s about smart planning, embracing tech-driven tools, and creating a solid foundation for long-term growth. Whether you’re focused on improving agent recruitment, strengthening your marketing efforts, or optimizing operations, every move matters.
Crafting a Strong Foundation for Your Brokerage
Building a successful real estate brokerage starts with a rock-solid foundation. Just like constructing a home, you need to ensure every part of your groundwork is carefully planned, well-researched, and strategically aligned with your goals. From understanding your market to defining your niche, the steps outlined below are crucial to setting up a thriving business.
Research Your Market Area
The first step in establishing your brokerage is to understand the market you’re stepping into. Real estate is as much about local expertise as it is about your negotiation or management skills. You need to gain insight into the trends, players, and unique dynamics within the region.
Here’s how to get started:
Identifying a Target Market and Ideal Clients
No business can serve everyone effectively, and a brokerage isn’t any different. Once you understand the local market, it’s time to refine your focus. Who are you building this brokerage for? Knowing your ideal audience helps you craft a message and services that resonate.
To identify your target market:
The clearer you are about your niche, the easier it becomes to attract the right clients and agents.
Creating a Comprehensive Business Plan
Would you build a house without a blueprint? Of course not! Your real estate brokerage needs a detailed business plan to stay on course and scale sustainably. Without one, even the best intentions can quickly unravel into chaos.
An actionable business plan is not merely a document—it’s your roadmap. Continuously revisit and refine it as your brokerage evolves.
Each of these elements contributes to the strong foundation necessary to establish and grow a flourishing brokerage. Starting on the right foot provides the stability and direction you’ll need to thrive in an ever-competitive market.
Get to Know the Competition
Once you’ve decided to enter a new region, getting to know your competition is important. Many real estate business owners overlook this, which is a major mistake.
Here are three things to consider:
1. How Can You Take on the Major Players?
The real estate market is highly competitive with big players seemingly dominating the market, so breaking into new regions can seem a little like David and Goliath. However, tools like Showami’s brokerage solution put smaller firms on the same playing field as companies like Zillow and Redfin regarding availability and scaling outside of a given region.
2. What Are the Region’s Unmet Real Estate Needs?
Is there an unmet need in your targeted city or state… and can your brokerage fill it? Whether you specialize in residential, commercial, or industrial property, do your research on who the real estate agents and brokerages serving that area are, and whether there is scope for you to take a piece of the pie.
3. How Does the Competition Operate?
What does the local competition look like? What do they offer and how do they operate (and is that system working)? Analyzing and understanding the competition is a step that many real estate business owners overlook. However, this knowledge can inform your marketing plan, provide invaluable insight into your target audience and potential clients, and put you in a much stronger position to compete with established players.
Grow Your Network
In real estate, your network isn’t just your most valuable asset—it’s the foundation of your success. Expanding your brokerage means building strong relationships within your team and fostering connections that bring long-lasting results. Let’s explore actionable strategies to grow your network effectively.
- Attend networking events – online and in-person professional meetups are great opportunities to make local and national contacts in your industry
- Volunteer in the community – giving your time to local organizations and events is an effective way of demonstrating that you are genuinely invested in the community
- Hand out business cards – you never know when ideal customers will cross your path, so make an effort to strike up conversations with folks in the local area
- Subscribe to newsletters and magazines – industry publications are a great source of information on real estate trends, players, and events
- Stay active on social media – create a strong online presence by connecting with other real estate professionals and getting involved in conversations
Minimize the Number of Team Members Needed for a New Region
In the fast-paced real estate industry, embracing modern technology isn’t just an option—it’s mandatory. Effective tools can save time, simplify complex processes, and boost client satisfaction. Whether you’re focusing on operational efficiency or innovative market strategies, technology serves as the backbone of a thriving real estate brokerage. Here’s how to stay ahead of the curve.
Leverage Software and Automation
There are plenty of day-to-day tasks that can be handled by software to free up more of your team’s time.
- Customer relationship management (CRM) – balancing multiple clients at various stages of the buying journey is time-consuming, but a good CRM tool like Realvolve will take care of a lot of the legwork for you
- Accounting – financial software takes the headache out of tax season and can free up hundreds of hours of administrative peoplepower throughout the year
- Email marketing – we use Mailchimp for our mailing list and it saves us a lot of manual labor by automating email sequences and tracking metrics
- Efficient Lead Generation: AI tools like chatbots can determine which leads are worth pursuing based on their online behavior and queries. This saves precious time for agents who would otherwise screen clients manually.
Scaling Your Support Team via Virtual Assistants
An in-office administrative team is highly important for serving your local market. The value of having support on hand to work directly with local clients on property-related tasks cannot be overstated, and an in-depth knowledge of local values and regulations will help keep your brokerage running smoothly.
However, many of your brokerage’s administrative tasks can be handled by a virtual assistant instead. Virtual assistants have the skills and knowledge needed to support your team of real estate brokers without the expensive overheads that come with a team of in-house assistants. A real estate virtual assistant also offers better agility and flexibility than a solely full-time in-house team because they don’t need to be in your state or even in the U.S.
Remote virtual assistants can help with tasks including:
- Managing listings and keeping property information up to date
- Scheduling and calendar management for in-house brokers and external agents
- Supporting marketing efforts including creating and posting social media content
- Client communication via email, contact forms, and direct messaging
- General administrative support for your in-house team
Leverage Local Showing Agents
When exploring opportunities in new cities and states, it goes without saying that you’ll need a team of experienced agents to show properties for you in your targeted regions. Traditionally, hiring full-time team members has been the only option, but this isn’t a cost-effective approach and is unappealing to many modern brokerages.
Showami’s showing service is a convenient and cost-effective alternative that provides flexible and reliable support from showing agents across the U.S. Showami works by connecting real estate agents and brokerages with licensed real estate agents who are willing to show properties on your behalf. The broker keeps every cent of their commission on the sale, too, making it a win-win solution.
Leveraging showing services can make a significant difference, especially if you’re trying to expand your reach or manage your brokerage’s resources more efficiently.
These benefits include:
Invest in Marketing Strategies for New Target Regions
Research shows that almost three-quarters of people only interview one real estate agent when looking to buy property. With that figure in mind, it’s clear that growth can’t happen without being highly visible in the region you’re expanding into. Successful marketing strategies typically utilize a variety of platforms and techniques, such as the following:
- Maintain a social media presence – paid ads on Facebook and Instagram are a great way of targeting key demographics in new regions
- Create content – establish yourself as an expert by publishing informative videos, emails, and blogs that your network will want to engage with
- Request testimonials – sharing testimonials from satisfied clients establishes trust, which is an essential factor in any successful marketing strategy
- Optimize your website – a brokerage’s website should be on-brand, easy to navigate, and fully optimized for use on all devices
- Leverage traditional media – magazine features, paid print ads, and regional TV are often-overlooked marketing tools that can offer fantastic value to growing brokerages
High-quality, consistent content creates value for your audience and positions your brokerage as a trusted resource. Whether through blogs, emails, or social media posts, the key is authenticity—speak to your audience in a personal, relatable tone, just like how you’d guide them through a home-buying journey.
Conclusion
Growing a real estate brokerage in 2025 requires commitment to innovation, consistent planning, and strong leadership. By focusing on building a solid foundation, expanding your network, and leveraging technology, your brokerage can stay competitive, attract top talent, and deliver exceptional client experiences.
Every decision you make, from refining your business plan to implementing the right tech tools, impacts your long-term success. Remember, the key is not just to grow but to grow efficiently and effectively. Look for opportunities to continuously adapt, improve, and provide value.
Start implementing these strategies and explore additional insights to enhance your brokerage’s growth by visiting How to Grow a Real Estate Brokerage. There’s no better time than now to take your brokerage to the next level!