Recruiting: do you have too many ‘mature’ agents? The average age of a broker is 54. The average age of a real estate agent is 51. Whata��s the average age of the agent youa��ve been hiring? Although this isna��t a new concern, ita��s a larger concern than ever.

A few years ago, I was helping grow one of the largest and most successful franchises in the Northwest. The owner of the franchise told me he was worried that the agents in his top office were dying (literally!) and that no younger, energetic agents were being hired. The unvarnished truth: Unless youa��re hiring fresh, younger faces, youa��re not assuring the future of your brokerage.

The Problem with Having Too Many a�?Maturea�� Agents in your Office

The franchise owner I mentioned observed the very real, and somewhat disturbing phenomenon happening in this office. When the manager hired a new, younger agent, the a�?old guarda�� put every barrier in the waya��almost assuring that new agent would fail. In other words, to succeed as a new, younger agent in that office, you had to have nerves of steel, unbelievable tenacity, and unassailable confidence. Not only did you have to deal with those thousands of a�?nosa�� from potential buyers and sellersa��you had to deal with the negative reinforcement of those seasoned agents! No wonder few new agents surviveda��..

Do An a�?Inventory of your Group Now

If youa��re already hiring Gen X and Ya��congratulations. If youa��re not sure of your office a�?contoura��, take a minute and use the Career Life Cycle. Put the names of your agents n their appropriate cycle (just estimate). Where are most of your agents? Probably in a�?maturitya��. Or, perhaps, you have a preponderance of agents in a�?introductiona��. Not so fast. Not only do I mean where they are in terms of agent development, but, what AGE of agent are you hiring as a�?newa��?

Note: I know mind set is not just determined by age. You and I have both known a�?old geezersa�� that were twenty five! Wea��re generalizing here. But, with four generations of agents working together now, ita��s important that we address the needs of each groupa��not just our dominant group in the office or the group that wea��re most comfortable with.

In my next few blogs, I’ll give you some tips on changes you must make to your company to hire Gen X and Y–and assure the viability of your company for the future.