Majority of licensed real estate agents with real estate brokerage firms as means of living, suffer from low morales and lack of efficiencies. This is because of government's lean-to-one-side policies, and shifted burdens of excessive compensation dam...
Majority of licensed real estate agents with real estate brokerage firms as means of living, suffer from low morales and lack of efficiencies. This is because of government's lean-to-one-side policies, and shifted burdens of excessive compensation damage responsibility. In addition, following the depression of real estate markets, brokerage industry is deteriorating further. In order to promote the lagging real estate field as a reputable industry, prior to implementing administrative regulations, special arrangements that can protect the survival of the brokerage firms are necessary. For actions, there are many strategies we can consider. These include business territory expansion, expansion into new industries, enhancement of brokerage assistant system, improvements of the licensed real estate agents exam system, legalization of mandatory brokerage system, prohibition of direct transactions, and others. Among these measures, improvements of brokerage commission rate system and increase of brokerage commission should be considered most urgently.
Therefore, this research suggests a reasonable rate system and proper rates, in order to resolve problems of brokerage transactions under the current brokerage commission rate system, which goes against current trends, and prolonged low rates.
As part of preceding studies, I researched various references, investigated operations and business management of brokerage businesses, and examined problems of current brokerage commission rate system to suggest the rate system enhancement and proper rates.
Problems found in the preceding research and analysis of actual data
1) Majority of brokerage firms are small. As a result, it is not easy to be specialized or to grow to be larger firms.
2) Operation expenses are higher than profits of brokerage firms, which makes survival difficult.
3) Because of low revenue from prolonged low brokerage commission rates, which is the only income source, many brokerage firm owners feel hardship in keeping livelihood, and try to seek other income sources in addition to legal commissions.
4) Majority of brokerage assistants who work in the brokerage firms do not have stabled living as they receive allowances based on capability instead of regular salaries.
5) Current rate system does not consider traits of brokerage targets. In step 1, it simply divides brokerage targets to housing and non-housing. In step 2, it classifies by brokerage types (buy and sell, exchange, and lease). In step 3, for housing targets, it divides into 3 sections according to amount of transactions and comprises of complicated multi-level retrogression rate system of 3-step-12-type set up by sections of each phase in the third step. Because of this complicated system, it provokes quarrels at times, causes many problems as it does not reflect differences in degrees of efforts, levels of difficulties, and risks of brokerage firm owners. In addition, the retrogression rate system is an unfair system, since it is contrary to principle of fairness, where high rates are applied to inexpensive houses and low rates to expensive houses.
6) Many disputes are caused because of regulations requiring brokerage firm owners to receive legal commissions under the "agreement" of "within", "limited amount" of maximum rate and within specified maximum rate.
7) Rate setting organizations should be selected under the ordinances of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and cities & provinces, but rates applied by most local governments are almost identical. Particularly, rates set by central governments are too low, and such rates are disconnected from reality and provide the brokerage firm owners with excuse to adopt an expedient. In other words, even though local governments have rate setting authority, such rates reflect rates of certain local government without changes considering expertises and practicalities.
8) Under current real estate brokerage commission system, as commissions on premiums are not mentioned, many complications arise in the process of receiving commissions on premiums.
Therefore, I suggest an unified rate for brokerage targets over 1.0%, discontinue the agreement obligation of limited amount and maximum amount, transfer control of rate setting organizations, systemization of brokerage commission payment on premiums, and others.