BROKER CAREER START

Intern: Sir, for us RE Management students, what would you suggest — join a developer or a brokerage firm?

JPRE: Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

🏢 Working with a RE Developer

Pros

+ Built-in clients. You’ll get warm leads and walk-ins — perfect if you don’t yet have a network.

+ Structured training. Developers provide formal sales programs and clear systems.

+ Early access. You’ll know about new launches before the rest of the market — a real first-mover advantage.

+ Allowance. A small stipend helps you stay afloat early on.

+ Brand credibility. Being tied to a top developer boosts trust.

Cons

– Limited inventory. You can only sell your employer’s projects — risky if sales are slow.

– Shrinking primary market. The “gold rush” years of double-digit price growth are over.

– Little flexibility. Most developers prohibit selling secondary or rental listings (though some quietly find ways around it).

– Fixed schedule. Expect office hours and weekend events.

🏠 Joining a Brokerage

Pros

+ Freedom. You can sell any project — pre-selling, resales, or rentals.

+ Wider reach. You can directly tap your own network’s property needs instead of being confined to primary market buyers.

+ Broader learning. You’ll handle negotiations, documentation, and deal structuring — real-world exposure that in-house brokers rarely get.

Cons

– Steeper learning curve. Not all brokerages provide mentorship; expect trial and error.

– Expenses. Some charge desk and have commission split schemes.

– Reputation risk. The secondary market is less regulated — your professionalism defines your success.

Before the slowdown in 2023, I would’ve advised most graduates to start with a developer. Many top-producing brokers began in-house — it gave them structure, discipline, and early exposure to high-net-worth clients.

But given today’s weak primary market (even big developers are cutting new launches), I’d start in secondary brokerage. There are simply more ways to earn — from resales to rentals to buyer-side work — and it builds the agility you’ll need when the market isn’t in your favor. Just make sure mom and dad are ready to back you up — it’s an extremely tough market currently.