Help! I Just Changed Brokerages and Realized I Made a Horrible Mistake.

It happens to the best of us. It happened to me, too.

We’re not one-hundred percent happy in our current real estate office, and we accept a meeting with another broker. Or recruiter. Or whoever.

It’s just lunch. Or a drink. Or a walk in the woods. Whatever you like best (these are recruiting professionals, after all!). And there are so many promises.

A better split. More leads. You’ll never have to do another piece of paperwork again. And did we mention the AMAZING TECHNOLOGY THAT’S GONNA CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

It all sounds so amazing, and dreamy, and better than wherever you are. So you sign the agreement, and two weeks later, you’re sitting in a new office with your new colleagues and a a stack of envelopes with your new brand. And sometimes it’s AWESOME.

And sometimes it sucks.

I’ve been in both situations. I’ve loved and hated an agency within metaphorical minutes of arriving — and to be honest, my feelings didn’t change much six months following. And if you’re in the camp where something doesn’t feel quite right, I have a few recommendations to assess the situation and a three-step exit plan that will help you minimize collateral damage and ease the transition into whatever comes next — whether it’s a return to your previous brokerage or a leap into something totally different.

Assess the Situation

1) Take a deep breath. Examine your current situation. What is happening — both within the office/brokerage and in your gut?

2) Do you think more time will help (usually it doesn’t, but sometimes it does)?

3) Do you have philosophical differences with your broker and/or brand?

4) Do you have trouble getting excited about sharing or pitching your new company? Does the thought of a new sign going into the ground delight you, or fill you with dread (this actually happened to me, and it was the moment I knew I had to move)?

5) Do the people around you feel like they’re from Mars? A new cohort can broaden your horizons, but sometimes they’re just not a great fit. Even worse, you may have entered a toxic work environment.

6) Back to your gut. Listen to it — it’s usually right on. Human instinct is hugely underrated.

If you’re uncomfortable with your answers to any of these questions, it might be time for a clean, easy and early break.

Here are three things to do if you realize you need to leave.

Make Your Escape Plan

1) Minimize your brand mentions on social media and in your marketing. Most of your friends and clients will hardly notice a brand change unless you make a big deal about it. This is a good thing, and something you can capitalize on.

2) Reach back out to your former manager, or another manager you respect within the brokerage (or another brokerage, if that’s your intention). Now is the best time to have an honest conversation about perceived shortcomings and to negotiate better terms for the next step in your career journey.

3) Depart as quickly as possible. Bad news and uneasy feelings don’t get better with age, and you’ll feel relieved as soon as you’ve made and communicated your decision. If you have active deals, ask honest questions — like if your next company can “make you whole” on them, or if you would need to wait until everything is closed out to make the transition.

Last Words of Advice

One additional bit of advice for everyone — even those who are 110 percent certain about their new surroundings: Kindly request that your new brokerage hold off on making any major announcements about your arrival until you can “tell everyone about it in person.” It should be fine — after all, these announcements usually take a few weeks (and sometimes a few months) for the people sitting in corporate to put together and then distribute. Remember — the reason that many brokerages put these types of “press releases” out is to generate publicity for themselves and make it harder for you to transition out.

This will give you time to settle in and figure out — for yourself — if the new company is a good fit without the entire world knowing, too. And it will make it much, much easier to leave if that’s what’s in the cards for you.

And always remember — there’s nothing wrong with making a choice that seems right at first, but doesn’t quite work out. Life is too short to stay in a situation that doesn’t serve your highest purpose, whatever that might be.

Good luck in your journey — and here’s to every agent finding the right brokerage “home” so we can focus on the most important things within our lives.