How much should I expect from my real estate agent / agency?

[Bear Geiger]

I run a property development company. We buy large tracts of land and develop them for single family home sites. (We do not build homes) My current realtor has brought me several builders, but now these builders are repeat buyers taking down 10 to 15 lots at a time, so not requiring any marketing time. (She does help as an intermediary between us and builders) I use this realtor to buy my large tracts, sell my individual lots and she is the exclusive agent for our subdivision.

We will likely do over $3,000,000 in sales next year, meaning the agency will pull in about $200,000 from us. Furthermore, there will be about $20,000,000 in home sales, generating well over $1,000,000 in fees. With all of that income being generated from our business, what should I expect from the agency?

I will tell you if I had an employee that I was paying $200,000 a year, I would expect them to wake up every morning focused on my business. I would expect a dedicated employee working 40+ hours a week to get the job done.

What are my options?

• Should I expect a full-time agent? If so they may not assign the one I am currently having success with.
• Can we negotiate a lower rate on our commissions? If so, will the agent be less motivated to help us?
• Can we ask for a percentage of the commission on home sales?

I just feel that we need to get more value for the money we are shelling out.