Real estate agent referral networks connect you with clients nationwide

If someone in another state is moving to your state and wants to buy a house, he'll be looking for an agent. He may ask the real estate agent who helped sell his current house for a referral. Participating in real estate referral services gives you access to this lead.

I recommend: For a small annual fee, The National Real Estate Referral Network connects top-producing agents and brokers around the country. Agents agree on a referral fee between them. If you refer someone to an agent in another city or state, you'll earn a fee when that agent closes a real estate deal with the client. Likewise, you'll pay a referral fee to agents who send business your way.

Hang your license with a franchise real estate office and rake in the referrals

Franchise real estate offices maintain real estate agent referral programs. The offices agree to a referral fee for their agents. Once again, you can earn referral fees by sending clients to other franchisees or benefit from receiving leads from within the franchise network.

I recommend: Work with RE/MAX and use their Mainstreet program to share referrals with other RE/MAX agents. Visit the Mainstreet page and take a tour of the real estate referral service. The Century 21 Global Referral Network offers worldwide referral sharing for Century 21 agents and brokers.

Utilize a lead generation service for referrals

Real estate buyers and sellers often search the Internet for information on property values and the real estate market. By partnering with a well-known website, you set yourself up for a continuous stream of real estate agent referrals.

I recommend: HouseValues.com provides free property value reports to home sellers. Their sister-site, JustListed.com, emails lists of homes for sale to buyers. Real estate agents can partner with these websites to receive referrals of the people using their services. New agents without a lot of contacts often benefit from this type of real estate referral business.

Get your name listed in all the right places to generate self-referrals

If you want to get the call when a buyer or seller is browsing directory listings for an agent in their area, then you need to be listed. Most services offer a basic listing for free, with expanded listings costing a small fee.

I recommend: RealtorFinder and Valuecom Real Estate offer real estate referral agent listings by state. Experienced agents should consider signing up with Number1Expert. You must meet their qualifications as a top agent in your area to use their real estate referral services.