An increasing number of agents are fleeing bigger firms to avoid breaking the bank
From the June issue: A few years ago, it would have been almost unthinkable for an agent to willingly leave Prudential Douglas Elliman, the city’s largest brokerage, to join a small upstart firm like 40-agent Barak Realty. But that’s exactly what Chuck Sage did. Before the recession — when he was earning six figures — he didn’t mind paying an annual “business fee” to Elliman on top of his commission splits. But the fee recently rose from $1,200 to $1,600 a year, he said, and to pour salt on the wound, the firm took away his desk, saying his earnings during 2009 weren’t high enough. [more]