As the landscape for real estate overall improves in Connecticut, another front has opened for busy brokers – the recruitment wars.

Overall, agent headcounts have dipped slightly at Connecticut real estate brokerages, as the long, slow, painful recovery of the Nutmeg State’s housing market gets under way. The number of licensed real estate salespeople in the state dropped 4.6 percent, from 15,713 in 2012 to 14,996 in 2014, according to data compiled by the state licensing board. (Agents who maintain their own broker’s license while working for another broker are not included in the tally.)

Consolidation was the name of the game, with a net loss of 85 independent brokerages over the two-year period. Agent headcounts were also up at some of the largest brokers, with William Raveis increasing its agent headcount to 1,786 from 1,661, up 7.5 percent, while Coldwell Banker went up from 1,521 to 1,556, an increase of 2.3 percent. The former Prudential Connecticut Real Estate, which rebranded itself as Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England Properties during this time, was down slightly in headcount, dipping to 1,204 from 1,273 agents, a decline of 5.4 percent.

That’s not necessarily troubling to Candace Adams, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New England Properties. She prefers quality over quantity. Her firm tries to recruit agents at the beginning of their careers, Adams said.

“The truth of the matter is that getting into the real estate business is not that difficult. You can take a 60 hour class and a test and then you have your license. So our goal is to make sure they go beyond that with their education,” she explained. “We really love, love, love to get people who are new to the business in because we do have an in-depth program that they go through, so we know that we’re getting good habits from the beginning.”

Big Vs. Small, High Vs. Low

Of course, it’s different when you’re the owner of a smaller, boutique brokerage, said Pamela Sawicki-Beaudoin co-broker/owner of P&L Realty Associates in Meridian. P&L increased its headcount by 50 percent in the past two years, from 10 to 15 agents. But that’s not so much a matter of her seeking out agents, as it is good agents, drawn by the firm’s reputation as the leading brokerage in the area, coming to her.

For a smaller, boutique brokerages, fit is the most important part of the recruiting process, Sawicki-Beaudoin said. One of the things that keeps her brokerage distinct from others is a supportive, family-like atmosphere, with flexible working conditions for agents with young children. Her agents don’t mind pitching in to help each other out should the occasion arise, perhaps offering to conduct a showing for a colleague – without necessarily expecting a cut of the commission check if the house is sold. For an ambitious, independent-minded agent used to the every man for himself ethos of some big box brokerages, that can be a bit of a culture shock.

“I’ve said to people, ‘You know, I think you’d be happier at a Coldwell Banker,’” than with her firm, said Sawicki-Beaudoin.

Maintaining that distinctive, inclusive culture is also important to Sawicki-Beaudoin, because she refuses to compete on price when it comes to recruitment. Many brokers feel pressured to offer bigger and bigger splits to attract and retain top agents, which can imperil their own bottom lines. Showcasing the supportive environment her brokerage offers puts Sawicki-Beaudoin in a position to hold firm on some of the bottom line items. She also points out that many big brokerages that offer deeper splits nickel-and-dime agents with fees for technology, office supplies and marketing materials, something that her brokerage provides as part of the package.

That’s important to Adams, too. “We don’t compete on price; we compete on values. We do that on high-quality support and high-quality resources for our agents and their clients,” she said, pointing to things like the innovative new website and mobile apps Berkshire offers. 

Email: csullivan@thewarrengroup.com