How do you move your contacts and CRM when you switch brokerages in Virginia?

Before you switch brokerages in Virginia, sort your contacts into three piles: people you brought with you, data your brokerage may have supplied, and everyone tied to an open file. Then have your new brokerage import the first pile before your first day.

It’s a small piece of a switch that deserves more attention than it gets, because a database is the part of your business you can’t rebuild in a weekend.

Which contacts are yours to take?

Start with the contacts you built yourself: your personal phone, your email, past clients you’ve kept in touch with, your sphere. Many agents treat that database as theirs, and it’s generally the least contested pile.

But “generally” is carrying weight in that sentence. What an agent may take depends on the independent contractor agreement you signed and on how the data was collected. I’m not a lawyer, and this is general information, not legal advice. Read your agreement, and if it’s unclear, ask a Virginia real estate attorney before you export anything.

What might the brokerage own?

Lead data your brokerage generated or paid for is the usual question mark. If a lead came from the brokerage’s website, advertising or lead program, your agreement may say the brokerage retains it.

The same goes for client files on open transactions. Those belong with the transaction, and the listing or buyer agreement is between the client and your current firm. Our piece on what happens to pending transactions goes deeper.

A simple test: if you can’t show where a contact came from, don’t assume it’s yours. Sort it into the “ask first” pile.

How do you export without a mess?

Export from your CRM into a spreadsheet and clean it before you hand it to anyone. Remove duplicates, fix obvious formatting problems, and keep the fields you’d miss: phone, email, address, how you know the person, and a note on your last conversation.

Tag your contacts by type, such as past client, sphere or current buyer, so your new CRM can sort them. Keep a copy of the cleaned file somewhere you control. And do it on your own time using your own accounts, within what your agreement allows.

If you use text or email lists, check that you’re not carrying contacts who opted out. That’s something to ask a compliance-minded broker about as well.

What should your new brokerage do with it?

Ask a simple question: who builds my CRM? An agent shouldn’t be handed a login and a blank database. At Keeton & Co, every agent gets a CRM account configured with their database imported, and staff handle email and systems setup in week one.

Whatever firm you pick, ask three things. Who does the import, and how long does it take? What happens to my data if I leave? And is there a cost for the CRM? Those answers belong next to the others in what to ask a broker before you switch.

What should I do next?

If you’re thinking about a move, bring your sorted contact list and your last twelve months of closings to a confidential conversation. Keeton & Co commission plan details are shared privately during a confidential conversation with our team. You can also contact us with one question first, or see the Glen Allen office and Daniel Keeton.