Over the years, Inman has published a series of stories on indie brokers, including surveys and reports on their DNA, their operations and their strategies. We have profiled a variety of companies and their founders and put the best ones on stage to share their successes.

The characteristics below represent the ideal makeup of a successful indie broker. Many of the fastest-growing indie brokers built their business in and around the Inman community, adopting things first introduced at Inman Connect conferences and building their networks with other fast-growing indie brokers.

Realize the value of like-minded brokerages and network with the nation’s best indies at the Indie Broker Summit in San Francisco August 7, 2017.

Register now

Higher margins, low overhead

Successful indie brokers can live with less office space because they’ve adopted open floor plans and utilize flexible working spaces where agents aren’t tied down to a desk. This in combination with smart technology, cloud storage, paperless transaction tools, virtual meetings and assistants — and ever improving communication tools like Slack — does much to keep margins high and overhead down.

Did we mention no franchise fees?

Fast moving

Without the baggage of a hierarchical org, rigid rules and internal politics, an indie broker is able to optimize, move fast and take advantage of technology and market trends. It is important for an indie broker to maintain a flat org and tech forward approach — fast and nimble is the name of the game for many indie brokers.

Agile

Indies are often more flexible with their plans and their systems, without compromising accountability, service delivery standards and agent and consumer expectations.

Register now

Tech-driven

Smart indie brokers have technology built into their DNA and are able to sort through what technologies to adopt, how to partner and where to double-down on a tech advantage.

Fearless

Many indie brokers were birthed out of the Great Recession in the late 2000s, so they know how to handle bad markets. They are driven less by legacy thinking, they avoid industry politics, and they have no fear of new technology and new entrants. Their impulse is to partner, not fight.

Push the envelope

Since many indies are new to the scene, they empower ideation and an “always be improving” mentality. They understand the value of testing, trying new approaches and moving decisively on whether innovations work or not.

Attracting top new agents

Driven by a culture of collaboration, social giving and independence, indie brokers are successfully recruiting the next generation of top agents.

Flat organization

Many indie brokers have flat organizational structures, and therefore they avoid the dangers of a top-down approach. The spirit of collaborations goes along with new agents and younger millennials who work with the broker owners to drive business success.

Register now

Diversity as an asset

Often indie brokers embrace diversity as a powerful weapon to enter new markets. Indie brokers realize the value of serving a diverse set of clients with a diverse workforce. Bringing differing ideologies, approaches and outlooks only strengthens the culture at an indie brokerage.

Social giving

Indie brokers emphasize social giving and being champions for the community in which they serve. Social giving programs are central to culture and business objectives.

Email Brad Inman

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×