Some brokerages are leading with tech, support and training rather than bonus checks as they try to keep both new and experienced agents from leaving for other firms. iStock illustration

As the number of real estate agents are on the decline – particularly those who work in the business full-time – brokerages are under pressure to keep the agents they have.

And they’re doing so by to seasoned veterans and the support they give agents entering the industry, outside of splashing cash.

The number of Realtors in Massachusetts peaked in 2021-22 at just under 27,000, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. Currently, the association has around 21,500 members. The Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors said it currently has around 2,100 members.

Some Agents Stepping Back

Partially causing the decline is a lack of inventory, said MAR CEO Theresa Hatton: Fewer transactions mean fewer Realtors who are getting paid.

For some, the market slowdown has also forced being an agent to be more of a part-time pursuit than a full-time job, said Lamacchia Realty founder and owner Anthony Lamacchia.

“It’s less full time Realtors,” he said. “So many have other jobs now. It’s just wild, and honestly, it’s understandable. The market has been too slow for too long.”

Out on the Cape, some retirees stay active by working in real estate according to CCIAOR CEO Betsy Hanson.

“It’s a lot of people coming, and this is their second career, or sometimes it’s a part-time career,” Hanson said. “I think we see that more than you might at the MAR level, just because we are a resort and second home market.”

People in their 40s make up the largest group of Realtors with less than five years of experience, according to MAR. Just 9.4 percent of agents are less than 30 years old.

Newer Agents Need Help

Agents who are just beginning their careers need much more support than more experienced peers, and consultants’ reports suggest they’re more likely to switch brokerages, too.

While the homebuying experience has become increasingly digital, there is still a need to hand-hold newer agents through their first few transactions, brokers interviewed for this story said.

“That support is the most critical, especially people coming into the business,” Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty President Nicole Rideout Hartwick said. “You’ve got to feel supported. There needs to be somebody that you can talk to for anything in a pinch. You need to be able to do your job and not be bogged down in the background.”

Lamacchia Realty has an in-house training program it uses to help get its newer agents off the ground. Some real estate brokerages will even send their agents to get trained by the Lamacchia team,

William Raveis has a similar program and also believes its tech stack helps aid the development of newer agents.

“We have a tech stack [called] Raveis 365, which weaves together some of the best vendors in the industry, and kind of our secret sauce,” William Raveis Co-President Ryan Raveis said. “We’ve used our own developers and our own platform and our own AI so it is one seamless process. Then we have our managers, our coaches, and our mentors teach our agents how to use that most effectively.”

The company also has transaction coordinators and marketing assistants in every office to help newer agents build their business.

International Realty likewise blends technological support with human aid.

“We make sure that there’s people in our offices,” Rideout Hartwick said. “We make sure that there’s a constant support. I think those intangibles are really important. That there be someone there.”

The company also has an in-house counsel to aid with the changing regulatory environment governing the real estate business.

Consolidation and Competition

The decline in agents has come as brokerages continue to consolidate.

Compass’ purchase of Anywhere Real Estate and The Real Brokerage’s deal to acquire RE/MAX have generated the most national headlines so far this year. But the trend is observable on the ground in Massachusetts, too. Gibson Sotheby acquired Advisors Living in 2025 while Lamacchia, William Raveis and others have acquired a succession of smaller brokerages in recent years.

Sam Lattof

And with fewer brokerages, agents have fewer options if they want to move.

“It’s always interesting to see how the brands differentiate themselves and really have their own identity, even if they’re necessarily kind of under the same ownership umbrella,” CCIAOR’s Hanson said. “I think you’re seeing less jumping for choice, and maybe as a result of consolidation, someone doesn’t necessarily want to be part of the brand that they consolidated into, or they’re more interested to be part of a brand that is consolidating, and that represents a larger network that maybe they want to be part of.”

Money is still a part of the fight for talent, in some brokerage leaders’ eyes.

While big bonus checks from high-profile brands might be alluring, Raveis argued that agents have to consider what will help them in the long-term.

“Agents who land on us really are interested in building a career over the longer term, as opposed to a transactional check,” he said. “I don’t blame somebody for taking a check. When they are that large, they are tough to give up. Over the longer term, if you are going to build something and take out cost of moving places, jumping around is not a great strategy.”