What a New Florida Licensee Should Look for in a First Brokerage

Published October 9, 2026 · Recalde & Friedman, PLLC

You need a broker before you can practice

A Florida sales associate performs brokerage services "under the direction, control, or management of another person" (§ 475.01(1)(b), (j), Fla. Stat. (broker associate; sales associate definitions)). You may not operate as a sales associate for anyone who is not registered as your employer (§ 475.42(1)(a)–(d), Fla. Stat. (sales associate may work only for registered employer; compensation only through employer)). Until a broker adds you through DBPR, your license isn't active with an employer. The Division of Real Estate notes that when a broker adds you online, the change is made in real time so you can start working (DBPR Division of Real Estate: Manage My License (Form RE 11, change of broker/employer; post-license education)).

Your first deadline: post-licensing education

Before your first license renewal, you must complete 45 hours of post-licensing education. If you don't, the license becomes null and void, and you would have to repeat the pre-licensing course and the state exam (§ 475.17(3), Fla. Stat. (45-hour sales associate post-licensing education); DBPR Division of Real Estate: Manage My License (Form RE 11, change of broker/employer; post-license education)). Ask how a brokerage helps new licensees get this done.

What matters most in year one

• Training and mentorship. Is there a structured program? Will someone review your first contracts, showings and listing presentations? Is mentorship formal, with a mentor share of your first few commissions, or informal?
• Broker availability. Can you reach the broker or a manager quickly when a deal goes sideways? Ask about response times and office hours.
• Escrow and compliance support. Who reviews your files? How does the brokerage handle escrow deposits? See our escrow chapter.
• Costs before you close anything. Monthly fees, technology fees and association dues add up when you have no income. A higher split with high fixed fees can cost more than a lower split in your first year.
• Lead opportunities. Floor time, open houses, team positions or company leads. Ask what share applies.
• Culture. Visit the office or attend a training session. Talk to agents who joined in the last year or two.

Read the independent contractor agreement

Most brokerages use a written independent contractor agreement. Federal tax law treats a licensed real estate agent as a non-employee for federal tax purposes when substantially all pay is tied to sales rather than hours and a written contract says so (26 U.S.C. § 3508 (qualified real estate agents treated as non-employees for federal tax)). Florida's workers' compensation and reemployment assistance laws have similar commission-only provisions (§ 440.02(18)(d)2., Fla. Stat. (workers' compensation: commission-only real estate licensees); § 443.1216(13)(n), Fla. Stat. (reemployment assistance: commission-only real estate salespersons)). Read the agreement for fees, termination, non-solicitation and what happens to pending deals if you leave.

Questions to bring to the interview

1. What does a new agent's first 90 days look like here?
2. Who will review my first contracts?
3. What are all of my fixed costs before my first closing?
4. How do new agents typically get their first clients here?
5. How do you support post-licensing education?
6. Can I talk to two agents who joined in the last year?

Compare your options with the table in our guide to choosing a brokerage, and keep studying with the free exam study guide.

Frequently asked questions