S
ince the pandemic, many real estate offices have felt eerily quiet. Agents discovered they could work from home, take calls from their kitchen table, and log into online trainings anywhere. While flexibility has been great, it's left brokers wondering: How do we get our agents back in the office? The answer isn't bribing them with free coffee or threatening to take away Zoom meetings.

    The key is creating a space and culture so valuable that agents want to show up. Here are five ways brokers can bring their agents – and culture – back:

    1. Provide an experience that can only happen in person. Give agents opportunities to gain value, grow their business, and solve problems together. This could be through live mastermind sessions, high-value guest speakers, or hands-on workshops.

    2. Create a "third place" vibe where agents feel comfortable and socialize. This means incorporating elements like comfortable seating areas, stocked snack bars, music, natural light, and design touches that feel inviting, not corporate.

    3. Foster connection and community by holding regular meetings to share wins and challenges, celebrating milestones in meaningful ways, and encouraging spontaneous collaboration.

    4. Offer on-the-spot support with in-house assistance, marketing staff, or tech troubleshooters available for drop-in advice or brainstorming sessions.

    5. Infuse energy and fun into the office through theme days, friendly competitions, monthly social events, and random acts of appreciation.

    The "secret sauce" isn't one ingredient – it's a recipe of connection, collaboration, and culture that makes agents feel supported, energized, and motivated to return to the office. If you make the office the best place to build their business, they'll come because it makes them better, and they'll stay because it feels like home.