Realtor Onboarding Checklist

Managing broker reviews the ICA with the agent — commission split, cap, post-cap, transaction fee, mentor split (if new licensee), and termination / lead-ownership clauses. The lead-ownership clause is the one that creates lawsuits two years from now; walk through it explicitly.

File the license transfer with the state real estate commission (CA DRE, FL DBPR, TX TREC, etc.). Agent cannot practice under the new brokerage until the transfer is reflected on the commission's roster — verify the status change before activating MLS access.

Most state commissions require a written release from the prior broker before the transfer posts. Confirm any pending transactions stay with the prior brokerage or are reassigned in writing — disputed commissions on in-flight deals are the most common transfer headache.

Confirm dues paid at NAR, state association, and local board. MLS access is gated on local board membership in most markets. Capture the agent's NRDS ID for the brokerage roster.

Add the agent to the brokerage E&O policy or confirm individual coverage meets the brokerage minimum (commonly $1M per claim / $2M aggregate). Agent must not take a listing or write an offer until E&O is active.

Review when the agency disclosure form must be presented — first substantive contact in most states. Cover seller's agent, buyer's agent, dual agency (and whether it is legal in your state — prohibited in FL, CO, KS, OK, VT, AK), designated agent, and transaction broker. Skipped agency disclosure is the most common file-review citation.

Cover federal protected classes (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability) plus state additions (sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, marital status). Train on steering language — the scripted answer when a buyer asks "is this a good area?" is school district info on request, not unsolicited neighborhood framing.

NAR's Fairhaven and Bias Override courses satisfy the requirement for REALTOR members in most boards.

REALTORS must complete Code of Ethics training every three years. Confirm the agent's current cycle status with the local board — missing the cycle suspends membership and MLS access.

The protocol: wire instructions are verified verbally to a known phone number from the title company's website — never the number in the email, never a PDF attachment, never a same-day instruction change. Agent must deliver this warning to every buyer at contract acceptance and again 48 hours before closing. FBI IC3 puts real estate wire fraud losses in the hundreds of millions annually.

EMD goes directly to the broker trust account within the state-required window (commonly 3 business days). No agent operating account, no personal account, no "I'll deposit it tomorrow" — that is commingling and a license violation. The transaction coordinator confirms deposit within 24 hours of receipt.

Create the Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account under the brokerage domain. Personal Gmail for client communication is a brokerage policy violation in most offices — the brokerage owns the lead record, and personal email creates the agent-leaves-with-the-database lawsuit.

Submit the agent to the local MLS (Bright, Stellar, MetroList, etc.) under the brokerage. Order the Supra eKey or equivalent lockbox credential — most MLSs require board membership active before key activation.

Provision the seat in Follow Up Boss, kvCORE / BoldTrail, Sierra Interactive, or BoomTown — whichever the brokerage runs. Import the agent's sphere list with source tags. Confirm lead routing rules so floor calls and Zillow / Realtor.com Connections leads route correctly.

Add the agent to Dotloop, SkySlope, Brokermint, or TransactionDesk depending on the brokerage stack. Confirm the broker-review workflow is enabled — every transaction file routes to the managing broker for compliance review before closing.

Load the brokerage's required forms library (state association forms + brokerage-specific addenda). The agent should never download a fresh form from another source — version drift on disclosure forms is a file-review citation.

Activate ShowingTime (or CSS / BrokerBay / Aligned Showings depending on the MLS) and the Supra eKey app. Walk through showing-instruction defaults and feedback workflow — feedback discipline is what makes the post-showing seller report useful.

Headshot, bio, license number, brokerage name, contact info. The license number and designated brokerage are required by state advertising rules on the agent's primary profile.

Confirm Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok bios all show the brokerage name and license number per state advertising rules. Update prior-brokerage references — listings under a prior brokerage's name on Instagram are an advertising violation once the agent has transferred.

Re-claim profiles under the new brokerage. Transfer past sales history where the platform permits. If the agent is buying Premier Agent or Connections leads, confirm the zip-code purchase and lead-routing rules into the brokerage CRM.

Use the brokerage-approved template — the designated REALTOR / brokerage name, agent name, license number, equal housing opportunity logo. Skip the template and the office manager sends them back.

Agent is a 1099 independent contractor — collect W-9, not W-4. Set up commission disbursement in Brokermint or the brokerage back office. Confirm any post-cap fee schedule and franchise fee deductions are loaded against the agent's profile.

Pair the new licensee with a producing agent who co-signs the first three contracts and attends the first listing presentation. Mentor split (commonly 25-35% of the agent side on the first deals) is documented in the ICA addendum.

Brokerage swag, office directory, vendor list (preferred lender, title, inspectors — note any RESPA Section 8 considerations on referral relationships), parking pass, and printed agent ID badge.

Managing broker reviews lead activity, CRM hygiene, first listing or buyer-agreement pipeline, and any open compliance items. Catch CRM neglect now — agents who haven't logged a contact by day 30 rarely produce in year one.

Mentor or team leader role-plays a seller appointment with the agent. Cover CMA delivery (Cloud CMA or RPR), commission conversation post-NAR settlement, seller's property disclosure walkthrough, and the lead-based paint trigger for pre-1978 homes.

Compliance officer pulls the first ratified contract and walks the file with the agent — agency disclosure, seller's property disclosure, lead-based paint (if applicable), EMD deposit timing, signed buyer rep agreement, written co-broke confirmation. Errors caught here become training; errors caught at year-end audit become fines.

Targeted re-training on the specific deficiency — agency disclosure timing, EMD handling, disclosure completeness, etc. Document the remediation in the agent's file; repeat citations escalate to the managing broker.

Review GCI pipeline, conversion from lead source, mentor sign-off on the first three deals, and graduation from mentor split if applicable. Confirm CE hours plan for the agent's renewal cycle.