The only reason, not necessarily an advantage, I can see is a place to hang one's license. There may be a personal reason for affiliating with a broker/age 4 hours away. With so many virtual offices today, I do not know if there would be any disaddvantages.  It will depend on the agent, and the broker/age.  

I made the decision to join Sotheby's about 8 years ago.  I've never been in the brokerage or met the broker.  I am the only agent in my market and love love love that!   I'm not a joiner and don't play well with others.  This suits me just fine.

I don't know of any advantage. Perhaps the agent who is at issue should be asked. Speculation is not advantageous.

You would not compete with other agents in that brokerage?  Maybe your new brokerage is not represented in that area at all? In that case, you are a new face and sometimes that helps on a well known brand. 

I don't see an advantage. You are not a local expert. Your competitors will keep that top of mind! 

None.

But, if you are a virtual agent, it doesn't pose any disadvantages other than a long drive to the office if you ever had need to.

I want to belong to a local broker for local business branding and support.

As Candice said, don't see any advantage. In fact I'd wonder if the agent was lost everytime they were in the area.

Well if I still owned a home up in Flagstaff I might want to do business up there and it's about 2 1/1 hours up.  But I'm got enough to handle right here in the Phoenix area.

There could be a lot of reasons.  Maybe they know the Broker personally?  Maybe it's one heck of a commission split?  Maybe they want to be in another board/MLS than the primary one for the area (I've seen many take advantage of this in our area)?  Maybe they don't want to compete with others? 

Out here the couple non-NAR brokerages are 100% virtual and based out of "timbuk-tu".

I wouldn't see any advantage, unless they want to say they belong to that brokerage.

Might be a better board or commission split.  This works for agents that are not dependent upon the name recognition of the agent within the community.  Many corporate companies such as Redfin have agents in many areas and the main office is not necessarily local.

No advantages in our area.

I don't see any advantage. The competition may see it as an advantage over that agent.

If you don't like being micromanaged, less likely to be ridden like a bad pair of underwear.

Depends on the circumstances.  I have an agent with my brokerage who lives in another market.  He has a weekend house here.  He belongs to a different MLS as well as the local MLS and has no issues working from home in the market he's living in Monday to Friday.  But he still gets the support from me that he needs to do his job well.

Which brokerage are you considering joining?

Wanda,

It really depends on the person.  The first person I thought of is Susan Emo .   She does very well on her own.  A

Advantages:
1. Folks you don't want to find you won't. But in Florida, the professional licening bureau shows the agents home address, not the brokerage.
2. Show me dah money. More money makes consessions easier.
3. Vapor brokerages may have visionary leadership. There is an expressed consumer preference that the current industry configuration does not meet. We exist becuase it's a monopoly.
4. Vapor brokeages are more likey to have a culture of "YES" meaning the 'burn out' is less likely. Meaning the curious remain inspired.
5. Demonstrable evidence this brokerage and it's agents are the 'new wave' with new solutions and better results. (This is tied to #3, not to existing performance metrics.)

I think the agent with agile thinking can make this work and be advantaged the the economic. I have observed the 'vapor' brokerages DO NOT PASS the $$$ benefits to the agent.

For quite awhile, one of our local 'online' brokerages that doesn't have office presence (at least in NC), had their managing broker 2 hours away from Charlotte.

Several years ago, I was recruited heavily by several agents in this company and that is one of the main reasons I didn't go with them.  

I don't see any but I'm sure others may

Four hours away!?  So, conservatively, you're talking about 200 miles away? 

I can't see any logical reason for belonging to a brokerage that far away, without a local presence.

Maybe the broker provides useful tools and marketing to the agents, but the agent wants to work closer to where they live, and has a home and/or mobile office.

Not something I've ever considered... can't think of an over-riding advantage.

Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can! You're asking for a friend right? If the agent was brand new, had a license but did not know how to fly... the four hours away from mentoring, from every day a new series of questions needing answering makes that agent one giant liability to the brokerage and to themselves.

If seasoned agent, has a brand new territory but is a local expert and active in the community, it could be win win. But if all established why are they looking? Don't like the people around the water cooler wearing the same company color blazer?

Tailgating and hooked as an independent contractor opening up new territory could be like having your own brokerage but like a franchise when you already know how to ride the bike, they are costly and those darn splits. Ouch.

I never go to the office these days and all our meetings and communication is via the phone. There is no difference for me where is the location of my broker. I believe 2020/21 moved most independent contractors to work.....independently:) 

It would depend so much on how effective a virtual office would be to that agent.

You are the expert and "Go to "Realtor for leads and referrals for that broker. "The expert from afar". Jeff 😎