The highest earning real estate agents in America are loyal to their firms, but cite better technology, more support staff and a more fitting culture as the biggest reasons to switch, according to a national survey released yesterday by Inman, whereas low income agents seek better commission splits. Then again, the survey found that high grossing agents are already enjoying friendlier splits.

Among agents earning $100,000 or more, 26.5 percent keep their entire commission, and more than one-third of agents making at least $200,000 keep their entire commission. [more]

South Florida real estate brokers are getting paid again — if they can manage to land a sale. During the boom years homebuyers were easy to find, and sellers, who had historically paid a 6 percent commission, began questioning the need for a broker to sell a home. Simultaneously increased competition lowered commission fees as more people entered the real estate brokerage profession to capitalize on the volume of transactions. Nationally, the average commission rose to 5.4 percent in 2010, compared to 5.04 percent in 2005. And in Broward and Palm Beach counties 6 percent is once again the standard, brokers say. “No one really has given me any grief about commissions,” Broward broker Beverly Rothstein of the Christopher White Group said. “In this market, your best friend is your real estate agent.” [Sun Sentinel]

From the January issue: The real estate data website Zillow.com has launched a new program that allows clients to rank and review real estate agents on a one-to-five scale in categories like “local knowledge,” “process expertise” and “responsiveness.” While Zillow is keeping the rankings relatively quiet as they cull more reviews from users, the feature is familiar territory for Zillow: The site’s Mortgage Marketplace, which allows borrowers to review lenders, has a database of roughly 6,500 user reviews. Amy Bohutinsky, vice president of marketing with Zillow, said that she’s optimistic the feature could be a boon for top agents. “For good agents, public reviews and endorsements by past clients can be a powerful tool to grow their business,” Bohutinsky said of the feature. [more]

South Florida’s real estate ranks, thinned by the market collapse, are
starting to increase again as brokerages anticipate an upturn. Some struggling part-timers left the business as the boom times faded, and others near retirement exited gracefully. Those who hung on are sharpening their swords in preparation for
renewed opportunities. Home sales are once again on the rise, but
different strengths are needed for a market characterized by lower
prices, fewer buyers, and rising foreclosures. Companies like Flagler Development are taking advantage of the down
economy to recruit talented brokers and train them to leverage market
opportunities. In the last six months, the firm has hired four people,
taking advantage of cutbacks at rivals such as CB Richard Ellis. [more]