Starting a career as a real estate professional isn’t only about knowing houses and building spaces. It is also about being independent in terms of everything. You will not receive a salary, but a commission. And a professional term for that is GCI!
You might be wondering what it is, why GCI in real estate is important, how you calculate it, and why it matters. These are the questions that are commonly asked by real estate agents.
So, to help you understand better, we have put together an informative article on GCI in the real estate industry. Let’s get going without any delay!
What is GCI?
GCI or Gross Commission Income refers to the total amount of money (commission) a real estate professional earns from a transaction. You can get a commission from the real estate transactions like buying, selling, or renting. However, it doesn’t include auxiliary fees like staging and others.
GCI is an amount that a realtor, an agent, or a broker gets upon selling, buying, or renting a space (before deducting other expenses). Then all the other expenses like marketing, commission splits, taxes, and other expenses are deducted to get the net commission income (NCI).
How do you Calculate GCI?
Next up, let’s learn how you can calculate your GCI as a real estate agent. The common formula for calculating GCI is:
Gross Commission Income (GCI) = Price of Property x Commission Rate (Fee)
Let’s say you sold a property worth $1,000,000 and your commission rate is 6%. So, you can calculate your GCI as follows:
$1,000,000 X 6% = $60,000
Hence, your GCI is $60,000. However, it can change or vary if you have sold the property to the buyers bought in by a broker where you listed the house. In that case, the commission will be divided between you both equally.
So, now your GCI would be $30,000 each.
Advantages and Disadvantages of (GCI) Gross Commission Income
No matter what topic or scenario you pick, there will be two sides to them. The same is with the gross commission income. Let’s have a look at the two sides of GCI:
Advantages:
- GCI allows agents to track their performance at regular intervals, which motivates them to pursue more leads and listings.
- It is the simplest and most direct way to calculate a real estate agent’s earnings. They can also use it to track their performance.
- GCIs are often split between brokerages and agents, which encourages agents to collaborate and refer business to one another.
Disadvantages:
- Real estate agents earn a percentage of the sale price as a commission. Hence, they may get motivated to focus on higher-priced properties, even if they may not be the best fit for the client.
- To earn their commissions, agents may prioritize their own interests over the clients to close deals quickly.
- If agents are competing for the same listings or clients, it can create tension and conflict within the brokerage. This could lead to a lack of collaboration and teamwork.
Importance of GCI to real estate agents
Now, the real question is why it matters so much as a real estate professional. Well, there are many reasons among which one is, the higher your GCI, the higher your offers will be. Apart from that, having a GCI at a certain level can help you advance in your real estate career.
By measuring gross commission income, you can determine your goals and how to achieve them while still having a measurable net income. Knowing your GCI will help you make business plans accordingly while gauging the expenses and getting you more profit.
How can you increase your GCI as a Realtor?
Last but not least section is about increasing your GCI as a real estate professional. By now, we both know, GCI in real estate is as important as the salary to a hard-working person. Here, in this section, we will be providing you with some tips on how you can increase your GCI.
- The first trick is a quote by a famous realtor Phil Dunphy, “If you show enough houses, you will learn all the tricks. Every realtor is just a Ninja in the blazer.” Show more houses and the chances of selling will increase.
- Market yourself well. As a real estate agent, it is necessary to get your name known in the locality.
- Encourage referral programs. Don’t ever close a deal before handing out your card and telling them about your referral program where they can also earn a small amount of commission.
- Set your goals and work towards them. Without goals, you won’t know where to start and where to reach.
- You can also take real estate coaching. Help students learn about the real estate market and how they can start their real estate careers. You will earn a certain amount to teach as well.
Conclusion
Gross Commission Income (GCI) is a commonly used metric in the real estate industry to determine an agent's or brokerage firm's earnings. It has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, there are ways you can improve them and take a stride in your real estate business, too.
