Become a Costera Luxury Property Agent

If you, the Agent (Scout), refer other real estate agents (Recruits) to join Costera Luxury Properties (Broker), you, as the Scout, will receive a $100 Recruiting Bonus (commission) each-and-every time one of your Recruits closes a Qualified Sales Transaction* with us.

* Qualified Sales Transactions are based on a minimum sales transaction of $500,000, and both the Recruit and Scout must be current Real Estate Associates with the Broker.

Upon Your Request as a Costera Real Estate Sales Associate, our basic training program includes but is not limited to the following: Advertising & Marketing Strategies (e.g., online and traditional); Appraisals; Communications (e.g., Public, Sellers, Buyers, Agents, your Broker, etc.); Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) Reports; Counter Offers & Addenda; Disclosures (e.g., MCA, SPQ, TDS, SBSA, Company, Local Area, etc.); Escrow & Title; Financing & Cash Offers; Home Inspections & Reports (e.g., AVID, MII, MOI, NHD, Wood/Pest, etc.); Homeowner Associations (HOA); Home Warranty Plans; Leasing Agreements & Rental Applications; Listing Agreements & Appointments; MLS Rules, Regulations & Ethics; Negotiations; New Home / Development Procedures & Transactions; Online Security; Personal Safety Practices; Personal Time & Financial Management; Purchase Agreements; Referrals (Offering and Receiving); and Risk Management.

Although the use of a Transaction Coordinator (TC) is highly encouraged for all Agents in Residential Sales Transactions, it is NOT required or mandatory to use a Transaction Coordinator for Experienced Agents who have over $2 million in proven California Residential Sales Transactions. However, Agents who have no residential sales experience or have sold less than $2 million in proven California Residential Sales Transactions; or do any commercial real estate transactions are required to use a Transaction Coordinator. Please note that Costera Luxury Properties (Broker) is not affiliated with and does not employ Transaction Coordinators to manage transaction files for any of their Agents.

Typically, a TC will charge a transaction coordination fee for their services of approximately $400 to $600 per transaction side. Additionally, all TC fees are the responsibility of the Agent, not the Broker, and are to be paid through escrow once the transaction is closed and complete. 

Agents who have no residential sales experience or have sold less than $2 million in proven California Residential Sales Transactions (RST) must pay the Broker, at the Close of Escrow, a ONE-TIME ONLY New Licensee Supplemental (NLS) fee of $2,500 on their first sales transaction. The NLS fee is used to recover the Broker's costs associated with, but not limited to, the Broker's time involved with training and mentoring licensed agents with little to no California residential sales experience as a REALTOR®. The NLS fee applies to all of our Commission Plan Options.

All Agents with Costera Luxury Properties (Broker) are encouraged to purchase and utilize all tools necessary to effectively run their own business and are responsible for their own expenses including, but not limited to the following: Agent websites; Associated REALTOR® membership dues, including lockbox and key access fees; Automobile insurance, maintenance, registration, fuel and expenses; Business cards; Client meal and entertainment expenses; Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools; Door-knocking pieces; Email accounts; Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance deductibles (per applicable occurrence, and is commensurate with Agent's BFPO commission split percentage and fee structure, including applicable attorney fees, court costs, damages, expenditures, and judgment / settlement sums); Event planning; Flags, posts, stakes and banners; For sale, open house, riders and yard signage; Graphic design services; Greeting cards, brochures, postcards and flyers; Internet service; Mass email platforms; Name badges; Phone service; Postage and courier fees; Professional photography, virtual staging, virtual tours and professional headshots; Staging costs; State licensing and DRE fees; Transaction Coordinator (TC) fees; and Venmo, PayPal and credit card transaction service fees.

Costera Luxury Properties (Broker) is associated with 6 local Southern California REALTOR® Associations as Designated REALTOR® members and a participant to the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS). All California REALTORS® are members of the California (CAR) and National (NAR) Association of REALTORS®.

With that said, and in order to perform real estate transactions with us, you must be a REALTOR® Member as described in footnote [10] below and pay REALTOR® membership dues to just one of the following local REALTOR® Associations of your choice. For more details and information related to the associated dues/fees involved becoming a REALTOR® Member, please click on any of the following local REALTOR® Association hyperlinks:

1. Orange County REALTORS® (OCR) with main board office locations in Laguna Hills and Fountain Valley. OCR has nearly 14,500 members and is ranked #1 in California and the Pacific Region for highest local REALTOR® Association membership.
2. Pacific West Association of REALTORS® (PWR) with main board office locations in Anaheim and Long Beach. PWR has nearly 11,500 members and is ranked #4 in California and the Pacific Region for highest local REALTOR® Association membership.
3. Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS® (SRCAR) with main board office locations in Murrieta, Hemet, Lake Elsinore and Menifee. SRCAR has nearly 4,600 members.
4. Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS® (PSAR) with main board office locations in San Diego, Chula Vista and El Cajon. Additionally, PSAR members may get service at all North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® (NSDCAR) service centers in San Diego, Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido and Fallbrook. PSAR has nearly 3,400 members.
5. Tri-Counties Association of REALTORS® (TCAOR) with main board office locations in Walnut and Chino. TCAOR has nearly 2,800 members.
6. Rancho Southeast Association of REALTORS® (RSAOR) with a main board office location in Cerritos. RSAOR has nearly 1,800 members.

NOTE: For Agents who wish to join or stay with another REALTOR® Association that is not listed above, please refer to footnote [8] directly below for more details and information.

Costera Luxury Properties (Broker) is a member of the California (CAR) and National (NAR) Association of REALTORS®; a participant to the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS); and associated with 6 local Southern California REALTOR® Associations as Designated REALTOR® members as described in footnote [7] above.

An Agent cannot join or continue to remain with other REALTOR® Associations if the Broker holds no membership in that particular real estate association. HOWEVER, if an Agent insists on joining or remaining with such association, the Agent must have the Broker's expressed written approval to do so. Please keep in mind that additional Brokerage fees/charges may be applicable.

As a REALTOR® (independent contractor that is a licensed real estate agent), your income / compensation is completely commission-based and will vary based on your skills, experience, location, market conditions, connections / sphere of influence, work ethic, and so on. If you're looking for a very general average, the average annual income for REALTORS® throughout the state of California hovers around $100,000.

Obviously, California is a very large state and the real estate market can vary significantly from area to area. While the average annual income throughout the state of California represents a fairly high number vs. the national average, the salary range, as an example for REALTORS® specifically located in Mission Viejo, CA (our headquarters), falls somewhere between $50,000 on the low end and around $500,000 for top earners - averaging around $150,000 annually.

Why is there such a huge gap in pay? Well, in order to become a top-earner, agents must commit a significant amount of time, energy and money into their business. Getting out there and meeting people, along with hard work is essential to high salaries. Like any career, real estate agents who build a solid foundation of hard work and dedication to the business will find the most success. Agents who don't put out a dedicated and consistent effort, typically fail to succeed in the business. Also, according to a recent publication by Inman Connect, "71% of active real estate agents (Realtors®) didn't sell a single home (in 2024) last year".

With that said, multi-million dollar homes around Los Angeles, Newport Beach, San Diego, Palm Springs, and other areas, mean there are REALTORS® making well above the average annual salary. Star agents in California can make millions annually! While these numbers may seem out of reach, if you are a REALTOR® in California - your chances of multi-million dollar sales are higher than any other state.

REALTOR®

In order to perform real estate transactions and services with Costera Luxury Properties (Broker), you must be a current REALTOR® Member [7] participant. REALTORS® can refer and receive client / customer leads, receive Referral Commissions, and can also participate in and receive Recruiting Bonuses [2].

REALTORS® are qualified to consult and advise on real estate transactions. Associate | REALTORS® with the Broker can be engaged in listing, selling, leasing, renting, consulting, advising, and providing comparative home values of real property. REALTORS® with the Broker are NOT allowed to engage in or provide any of the following professional services: legal; financial; tax; appraisal; architectural; engineering; building construction; property management; or prepare / arrange the financing of real property. However, REALTORS® with the Broker can REFER their clients / customers to consult with the appropriate professionals. REALTORS® with the Broker are participants and subscribers to the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS) and can also gain REALTOR® access to the MLS, lockboxes, etc.

All REALTORS® with the Broker MUST be able to drive to and access properties that your Southern California real estate clients are interested in leasing, purchasing and/or selling. Additionally, REALTORS® are required to physically perform agent visual home inspections and hold open houses, which includes but is not limited to meeting appraisers, professional home inspectors, and termite inspectors at the Southern California properties you are helping your real estate clients lease, purchase and/or sell.

Non-REALTOR® Agent / Real Estate Licensee

Agents who are Associate-Licensee's with Costera Luxury Properties (Broker) are defined as Non-REALTOR® Agents who hold their real estate license with the Broker. Associate-Licensee's can be engaged exclusively in soliciting and/or referring clients and customers to the Broker for consideration (receive Referral Commissions) on a substantially exclusive basis. Associate-Licensee's can participate in and receive Recruiting Bonuses [2], and can also ASSIST other REALTORS® with the Broker, but are NOT allowed to engage in listing, selling, leasing, renting, managing, consulting, advising, appraising, or arranging financing of real property and are NOT participants or subscribers in any Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

For more information on what a typical REALTOR® does, please click the button directly below.

Agents with Costera Luxury Properties (Broker) and their real estate clients agree that Broker or others (i.e., professional photographers) may photograph or otherwise electronically capture images of the exterior and interior of Broker's transactions / listings for static and/or virtual tours of the Property for use on Broker's website, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and other marketing materials and sites.

Agents and their clients further assign any rights in all electronically captured images submitted to the Broker or MLS and agrees that such images are the property of Broker and that Broker may use such images for advertising, post sales, post employment, etc., for Broker's business in the future.

If you should have any questions or concerns regarding intellectual property rights, please feel free to call us direct or simply click the button directly below.