Consider an alternative to "Parking your license"

Executive Summary

Not every licensed real estate agent needs the overhead that comes with operating like a full-time, high-volume agent. If you only handle a few transactions each year, brokerage fees, REALTOR® association dues, MLS costs, and other recurring expenses can make it expensive simply to remain active.

Before putting your real estate license on inactive status, consider another option. MLS Only Broker provides a streamlined brokerage solution designed for independent and low-volume agents who want to keep their license active and remain ready for their next real estate opportunity without the expense of a traditional brokerage model.

A Practical Alternative to Parking Your Real Estate License

Closing only a few transactions each year? Your brokerage costs should reflect that.

Thousands of licensed real estate agents aren't working real estate full-time.

Some have another career. Others are investors, semi-retired agents, or experienced professionals who simply handle transactions when opportunities arise. They may close only a few deals each year but still want the ability to represent a buyer or seller and earn a commission.

The problem is that many traditional brokerage arrangements are designed around full-time agents.

When you combine brokerage charges, REALTOR® dues, MLS fees, technology subscriptions, E&O charges, and other expenses, maintaining an active license can become surprisingly expensive.

That sometimes leads agents to consider parking their real estate license or making it inactive.

But reducing your expenses doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up the ability to practice real estate.

The Cost of Staying Active as a Low-Volume Agent

Real estate expenses can accumulate even during months when you aren't closing transactions.

Depending on your brokerage and memberships, you may encounter expenses such as:

• Monthly brokerage fees

• REALTOR® association dues

• MLS fees

• Technology charges

• E&O insurance charges

• Desk or administrative fees

• Transaction fees

• Required subscriptions and services

Those expenses may be reasonable for an agent closing dozens of transactions annually.

For an agent closing only a few deals, however, the economics can look very different.

Why maintain the overhead of a full-time real estate business when you aren't operating one?

Keep Your Real Estate License Active with MLS Only Broker

MLS Only Broker is designed for agents who want a simpler, lower-overhead way to maintain an active real estate license.  $175 per year fee and 10% broker fee per transaction.  Thats it.  

Instead of paying for an extensive package of brokerage services you may rarely use, our model focuses on providing an efficient brokerage home for independently minded agents.

This can be particularly valuable during years when you have little or no production.

When an opportunity does come along, you haven't parked your license or stepped away from the business. You're already affiliated with a broker and positioned to conduct real estate activity subject to your brokerage requirements and applicable licensing rules.

REALTOR® Membership Doesn't Make Sense for Every Agent

REALTOR® membership and MLS participation can represent a substantial portion of an agent's annual expenses.

For a full-time agent who relies on MLS access every day, those expenses may be worthwhile.

But what about an agent who completes only one or two transactions a year?

MLS Only Broker is designed for agents who don't necessarily need REALTOR® association membership as part of their brokerage affiliation.

That can make the brokerage especially attractive to part-time, referral-oriented, investor, semi-retired, and other low-volume real estate professionals.

Rather than paying for memberships and services simply because they're bundled into a traditional brokerage environment, agents can maintain a much leaner real estate business.

MLS Access Based on What You Actually Need

Not every licensed agent needs continuous MLS access.

Some agents primarily work with their own sphere of influence. Some receive occasional referrals. Others are investors who only encounter a transaction from time to time.

MLS Only Broker's model recognizes that agents have different needs.  Thats why MLS membership is optional.  

Depending on the transaction, market, and applicable MLS rules, agents may have options for obtaining the services they need without maintaining unnecessary year-round expenses.

The objective is straightforward:

Pay for the real estate infrastructure you actually need instead of paying for services you rarely use.

Designed for Independent, Low-Volume Agents

MLS Only Broker can be an attractive brokerage option for:

• Part-time real estate agents

• Low-volume agents

• Agents completing only a few transactions per year

• Experienced agents stepping away from full-time production

• Semi-retired or retired agents who still occasionally conduct business

• Investors who maintain a real estate license

• Agents with another full-time career

• Agents primarily handling business from their personal network

• Agents considering parking or inactivating their license because of ongoing costs

These agents may not need the infrastructure, training programs, office space, lead programs, and recurring expenses associated with a traditional full-service brokerage.

They need a broker relationship that better matches the amount of business they actually conduct.

Before You Park Your Real Estate License, Consider the Alternative

Parking or inactivating a real estate license can reduce expenses, but it also changes what you can do when a real estate opportunity unexpectedly appears. Parking your license means you may only receive referral commissions. You may not conduct duties requiring a real estate license.

A past client may call.

A friend may want to purchase a home.

A family member may need to sell.

An investment opportunity may appear.

If you want to remain active and able to conduct licensed real estate activity, maintaining your license with a brokerage designed specifically for lower-volume agents can offer an attractive alternative.

MLS Only Broker gives independent and low-volume agents another way to stay in real estate without carrying the overhead of a traditional full-time agent.

Keep your license active. Keep your options open. And keep your real estate expenses aligned with the amount of business you actually do.