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How to Choose a Real Estate Brokerage as a New Agent in Delaware and Chester County
The best brokerage for a new agent in Delaware or Chester County, PA is the one whose answers to ten plain questions hold up when you ask for them in writing. Ask what it costs, who trains you, who your mentor is, where leads come from, who handles your first contract, whether E&O is covered, what transaction help exists, what technology you get, what your split is, and who answers when you are stuck.
Ask every brokerage the same ten, including us. Below is each question and exactly what we do at Foraker Realty Co., with offices in Kennett Square, PA and Wilmington, DE.
A new agent is choosing a business partner before earning a first commission, so the choice is easy to get wrong. A brokerage can sound the same on a website as the next one. These questions make the differences concrete. Write the answers down and compare them side by side.
The ten questions
What to ask every brokerage
1. What will I pay, every month and per deal?
Ask for the full list in one answer: monthly fees, desk fees, technology fees, franchise fees, office fees, and anything charged per transaction. Then ask what is charged even in a month when you close nothing.
What we do at Foraker
Agents pay $0 in monthly fees: no desk fee, no tech fee, no franchise fee and no office fee. The one fee we charge is $300 for a transaction coordinator, and only when you use one.
2. How often is training, and who teaches it?
A new agent needs a steady rhythm, not a one-time orientation. Ask for the day and time, who leads it, and whether the person leading it is selling right now.
What we do at Foraker
Training is every Tuesday, led by active agents who are selling today. There is also a live Wednesday FSBO call block, and biweekly accountability pods.
3. Who is my mentor, and what does the mentor actually do?
Ask for a name and a format, not a promise. Find out whether the mentor is assigned, how often you meet, and whether there is a written plan for your first months.
What we do at Foraker
New agents are paired with a mentor, and the first months follow a 30-60-90 day plan, so you know what to do on day one and on day sixty.
4. Where do my leads come from, and who follows up?
Ask whether leads are shared with every agent or handed to a favored few, what you pay for them, and whether anyone helps turn a lead into an appointment.
What we do at Foraker
A lead database of 30,000 to 50,000 leads is open to all agents, and a full-time ISA works on setting appointments.
5. Who handles my first contract with me?
The first contract is where new agents are most exposed. Ask who reviews it, who you call with questions, and what the brokerage does to keep the deadlines on track.
What we do at Foraker
You have a mentor, and our AI-powered transaction management system maps the 30 steps of a deal from ratification to settlement. If you want a transaction coordinator, it is $300 and only when you use one.
6. Am I covered by errors and omissions (E&O) insurance?
Ask whether E&O coverage is included, whether you pay for it separately, and whether you receive proof of coverage.
What we do at Foraker
E&O is covered.
7. What transaction help is there, and what does it cost?
Paperwork is the part of the job that new agents underestimate. Ask who can coordinate a deal for you, what it costs, and whether you pay when a deal does not close.
What we do at Foraker
A transaction coordinator is available for $300, charged only when you use one. Our transaction management is AI-powered, so the steps of a deal are tracked in one place.
8. What technology do I get, and do I pay for it?
Ask which CRM you get, whether you pay a monthly technology fee, how you send documents for signature, and whether you keep your contacts if you leave.
What we do at Foraker
You get our in-house AI CRM and Lofty, both free. We also have AI-powered transaction management and our own e-sign platform.
9. What is my commission split, and can I have it in writing?
Do not accept a verbal answer. Ask for the split, any cap, and every deduction on paper before you decide, and compare the written offers side by side.
What we do at Foraker
Ask for it in writing. Ours is on the offer sheet we send applicants.
10. Who answers when I am stuck?
Ask who picks up the phone on a Saturday when a deal hits a snag. Find out whether you reach a person or a ticket, and how senior that person is.
What we do at Foraker
You have your mentor, Tuesday training with active agents, and your accountability pod. Brian Foraker, the owner, is an active producer, and Paige Rhoades is our Delaware Broker of Record.
Why the location questions matter
Foraker Realty Co. has two offices: 135 E State St, Kennett Square, PA 19348, in Chester County, and 3200 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803. Agents are licensed in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
If you live near the state line, ask every brokerage whether it has an office, a broker of record and agents in the state where you want to work, not only in the state of its headquarters.
A note from Brian
I started as a new agent at a big-box brokerage with no support and monthly fees. I wish someone had told me what to ask before I signed. Ask these ten questions of every brokerage you talk to, including ours, and judge us by the answers.
Brian Foraker, Owner & CEO
Quick answers
Questions new agents ask
- What is the best brokerage for new agents in Delaware?
- There is no single best brokerage for every new agent. The best fit is the one whose answers on fees, training, mentorship, leads, contracts, E&O, technology, splits and support hold up in writing. At Foraker Realty Co., agents pay $0 in monthly fees and get a mentor, a 30-60-90 day plan, Tuesday training and a 30,000 to 50,000 lead database.
- What should a new agent in Chester County, PA look for in a brokerage?
- Ask the ten questions on this page: what you pay, who trains you, who mentors you, where leads come from, who handles your first contract, E&O coverage, transaction help, technology, your split in writing, and who answers when you are stuck.
- Does Foraker work with new agents in Delaware and Chester County?
- Yes. Foraker Realty Co. has offices in Kennett Square, PA and Wilmington, DE, and its agents are licensed in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. New agents get a mentor and a 30-60-90 day plan.
- Do Foraker agents pay monthly fees?
- No. Agents pay $0 in monthly fees, with no desk, tech or franchise fees. A transaction coordinator is $300, only when you use one.
Keep reading
Want to ask us the ten questions?
See the open roles in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, or call the office.