The world of Chicagoland residential real estate has seen some high-profile moves between brokerages in 2016. As executives trade one acronym for another, new real estate groups form, and agents are enticed by commission splits and brokerage resources, affiliation proves to be fluid over time.

Propelling that movement are the recruiters who are constantly on the hunt for top talent. Managing brokers, sales managers and recruiting professionals are always watching for breakout rookies and top sellers, and each have their own recruiting methods and philosophies.

In real estate, recruiting is an ongoing task. The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2016 Profile of Real Estate Firms found that 47 percent of responding firms are actively recruiting sales agents, compared to 44 percent in the 2015 profile. That number is even higher among residential real estate brokerages, with 51 percent saying that they are actively recruiting.

Larger brokerages are more likely to be recruiting than smaller ones, with 88 percent of those with four or more offices saying they are recruiting, versus 39 percent of those with only one office, according to the survey.

Whether a firm is big or small, recruiting new agents can be a laborious task – but if done right, the payoff of employing a stable of high-powered agents will be worth it.