Real estate consulting engagement checklist
Before choosing a consultant for your real estate business, compare the work you will do together. This checklist helps established agents, team leaders and brokerage owners record the questions, responsibilities and evidence behind an engagement.
Use it after an initial conversation and before agreeing to a scope. A provider may combine consulting, coaching, planning and implementation. Ask what that combination means for your business.
Define the decision
- What priority or problem are we examining?
- What facts support it, and what remains an assumption?
- Which decisions must the work help us make?
- What would meaningful progress look like for our business?
Compare the involvement
| Area | Question | Record the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant experience | What comparable operating work has the advisor done, and who will work with us? | Advisor, relevant experience and evidence |
| Evidence | Which records, interviews or observations will inform the work? | Source, period, access and unresolved questions |
| Scope | What work and deliverables are included, and what is outside the engagement? | Included work, exclusions and completion criteria |
| Implementation | What will the advisor carry out, and what must our team do? | Responsibility and decision authority |
| Capacity | What time, people and resources must we make available? | Named owner and realistic availability |
| Commercial terms | How are fees, expenses, changes, duration and termination handled? | Terms to confirm in the agreement |
| Confidentiality | Who can access our information, and how will it be used? | Access, permitted use and relevant terms |
| Review | When will we assess progress, and what would change the plan? | Measures, review date and revision questions |
Check what the evidence supports
A case study can explain the work a provider has done. Ask which client situation it describes, what period the result covers and which changes were involved. Keep reported outcomes separate from a forecast for your business. A promise of growth does not replace an explanation of the work.
For an example of a published engagement account, read our franchise transition to boutique independence case study. It concerns that client’s experience, not a guaranteed result for another firm.
Write the next step
Complete this short record after the conversation. Compare specific answers across providers, and take unresolved questions back to them before agreeing to the work.
- The decision we want help with:
- The evidence we need to gather:
- The advisor’s proposed contribution:
- Our team’s responsibilities:
- The terms or questions still to resolve:
- The next action, its owner and its date:
For help choosing the type of support, read coaching versus consulting in real estate. To understand RELL’s involvement, read our approach to business consulting.
Talk with a consultant
Bring your priority and the questions around it to a complimentary one-hour conversation with a senior advisor and experienced operator.