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A pending deal generally stays with the broker you were with when it was written. The listing agreement or buyer representation agreement is a contract between the client and the broker, and the sales contract was negotiated under that broker's license. Your commission on it is paid by that broker, on the terms in your independent contractor agreement.
That is not a reason to stay put. It is a reason to plan. At Vince Young Realty, every deal written after your move pays 90/10, with a flat $250 a month and no transaction fees.
At closing, the title company pays the brokerage, not the agent. In Texas, a sales agent can only accept compensation for brokerage work through their sponsoring broker, so your old broker then pays you under your agreement. Agreements handle departed agents in different ways:
Which of these applies is written in your contract. Read it before giving notice, and treat this page as general information, not legal advice.
Also check what the agreement says about deductions. Some brokers net unpaid monthly fees, marketing charges or other balances against a departed agent's final checks. If you owe $500 in back fees, expect to see it come off the first check after you leave. Clear balances before you resign and ask for a written statement showing zero, so the only numbers left to settle are the commissions themselves.
Take a hypothetical $450,000 purchase with a 3% buyer-side commission (commissions are negotiable in Texas). Gross commission: $13,500.
The gap between the first and last line is $2,700 on one closing. You cannot move the pending deal to capture it, but you can make sure the next one is written under better terms.
Option periods, inspections, appraisal, lender conditions and the walkthrough all still need someone. Once your license moves, you act under your new broker, so you cannot keep working the file as your old broker's agent without an arrangement they approve. Common outcomes:
Whatever you agree, get it in writing. Clients should never feel the handoff.
Most agents with 2 or 3 pending deals do best by picking a move date just after the last one closes, or by negotiating the transition up front. List each file with its closing date, gross commission and what your agreement pays a departed agent. The total at risk usually makes the right date obvious. For the TREC side of the calendar, see how long it takes to change sponsoring brokers, and for active listings, see what happens to your listings.
The pending deal is a one-time cost of moving. The split is permanent. Over a year of 12 closings averaging $10,000 gross, the gap between keeping 70% and keeping 90% is $24,000, before the $3,000 in annual monthly fees at our end. At Vince Young Realty your next sale and your next lease both pay 90/10 with no transaction fee, and you get a custom website, free yard signs, listing print, a buyer mobile app and the AGNT AI CRM on day one. See the full offer or call (512) 785-7489.
A pending deal is any transaction where a contract is signed but has not closed or funded. That includes sales in their option period, deals waiting on appraisal or financing, and leases that are signed but not yet paid out. It can also include deals under a signed listing or buyer agreement that have not reached contract yet, though those are usually treated as active business rather than pending. The key question for each file is the same: which broker holds the client agreement, and what does your contract pay you after you leave?
Possibly, and your independent contractor agreement is the only document that answers it. Some agreements pay departed agents in full, some reduce the share, and some pay nothing unless you are affiliated at closing. On a hypothetical $13,500 gross commission, the difference between a full 70% payout and a reduced 50% payout is $2,700. Add up every pending file under each scenario before you set a date. If the terms are unclear, ask your broker for the answer in writing or have an attorney review it.
Often, yes, when your agreement pays departed agents less or nothing. Waiting a few weeks for one or two closings can protect thousands of dollars. It makes less sense when your pipeline never empties: a busy agent always has something pending, so waiting for zero can mean never moving. In that case, negotiate a written transition with your current broker covering pay and who services each file. Either way, choose your new broker first so you are ready to move the day the timing works.
The principle is the same for both. A listing under contract sits under the seller's listing agreement with the broker, and a buyer deal sits under the buyer representation agreement with the broker. Either way, the broker holds the relationship and pays you through your contract. The practical difference is workload: listing-side files often involve more coordination with the seller, repairs and the title company, so who services them after you leave matters more. Put that responsibility in writing for each file.
Bring a list, not a feeling. For each pending file, write the client name, closing date, gross commission and what your agreement says a departed agent is paid. Then propose something specific: you stay affiliated until a date, or you keep servicing the files under a written arrangement, or another agent takes over at an agreed split. Keep the conversation professional and short. Brokers respond well to clear proposals that protect the client. Get the final arrangement in writing and signed before you give formal notice.
Generally not on your own. The client agreement is with your current broker, so moving a transaction would require the current broker, the new broker and the client to agree, and in many cases the brokers will simply keep the file where it is and settle compensation between them. Do not tell a client to terminate an agreement so you can move the deal. That risks the client and your reputation. Review your contract, ask your current broker, and consider legal advice for anything unusual.
The same way as sales: a signed lease was written under your current broker, so that broker receives the leasing commission and pays you under your agreement. Austin has a large lease market across Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, and many agents carry several pending leases at once, so they add up. On a hypothetical $1,250 leasing commission, 90% is $1,125. Leases written after you join Vince Young Realty pay 90/10 with no transaction fee on lease deals, which matters when your volume is high and each check is small.
The listing and the sale stay with your current broker, because the seller signed with that broker. At a hypothetical 3% listing-side commission, the gross is $9,000. If your agreement pays a departed agent 70%, that is $6,300; if it requires affiliation at closing, it may be nothing. Three weeks is short, so many agents in this spot set their move date for the day after closing. If you must move sooner, agree in writing with your broker who handles closing and what you are paid.
In Texas, a sales agent receives compensation for brokerage work only through a sponsoring broker, so referral fees are paid broker to broker. A referral fee earned while you were with your old broker is typically paid to that broker and then to you under your agreement, even if it arrives after you leave. Referrals you send or receive after switching run through your new broker. Make a list of any outstanding referral agreements and ask your current broker, in writing, how each will be handled.
Because once your pending files are settled, every new deal pays more of what you earn: a 90/10 split, a flat $250 monthly fee, and no transaction fees on sales or leases. You also get your own custom website, free yard signs, listing print, a mobile app for you and your buyers, the AGNT AI suite, and access to health and private club benefits, with details on request. Vince Young Realty reports $490M+ in total sales. Start at vinceyoungrealty.com/join-us or call (512) 785-7489.
90/10 split, $250 a month, no transaction fees on sales or leases. Nothing goes to your current brokerage.