Should You Join a Real Estate Team in Indiana?

Most new agents never make it to year three.

Not because they were lazy. Not because they could not sell. They ran out of money before they ran out of effort. Nobody handed them leads. Nobody gave them a plan. Nobody picked up the phone at 9pm when the deal was falling apart.

That is the real question behind "should I join a real estate team." It is not team vs. solo. It is: who is going to help me survive the first two years?

Here is the honest version. We lead a team of 30 plus agents with offices in Warsaw and Fort Wayne, so we have a point of view. But we will tell you when a team is the wrong move too.

Team vs. Solo: The Real Trade

Going solo means you keep more of each check. You also keep every cost and every job.

You pay for the leads. You build the website. You run the follow-up. You write the contracts. You chase the lender. You figure out what to say on a listing appointment by getting it wrong a few times in front of real sellers.

Joining a team means you share part of each check. In return, a good team covers the things that kill new agents: leads, training, systems, and admin.

Here is the math most agents miss. A bigger split on zero deals is zero. A smaller split on 15 deals is a career.

The right question is not "what is the split." It is "what do I get for it, and will it make me more money than I would make alone?"

What a Good Team Gives You

Not every team is worth joining. Some charge a split and give you a desk. Here is what a real team provides.

Leads. Not a promise of leads. A number. Our team aims for 55 new leads every week from Zillow, Google, Realtor.com, and social media. Ask any team for their weekly lead count. If they cannot give you one, that is your answer.

A plan for the first 90 days. New agents fail in the gap between getting licensed and knowing what to do on Monday morning. A good team closes that gap with a step-by-step roadmap.

Coaching from people who sell. Weekly training, script practice, and someone who reviews your deals. Not a video library you watch alone.

Systems that run for you. A CRM with follow-up already built. Listing checklists. Showing processes. A transaction coordinator who handles paperwork so you can be out with clients.

A culture that pulls you up. This one is hard to see on paper. Sit in on a team meeting before you sign. Do the agents look like they want to be there?

7 Questions to Ask Before You Join Any Team

Ask these in the interview. Write down the answers.

How many leads does the team generate per week, and how are they handed out?
What happens in my first 90 days? Show me the plan.
Who trains me, and how often?
What do you handle for me? Transaction coordination? Marketing? CRM?
How many agents on the team closed 12 or more deals last year?
What happens when I grow? Do I hit a ceiling?
If I leave, what happens to my clients and my database?

A team that answers all seven without flinching is a team worth a second look.

What It Looks Like on The Cavender Team

We will put our answers on the table.

We are a 30 plus agent team powered by eXp Realty, with offices in Warsaw and Fort Wayne. We sell everything from first homes to lake homes to commercial, across Kosciusko, Elkhart, and Allen Counties. This year the team is pushing toward $100 million in sales.

Leads. We aim for 55 new leads per week and we usually hit it. Agents earn lead access by showing up and doing the work in the first 90 days.

The 90-Day Roadmap. Every new agent gets a day-by-day plan. Days 1 to 10 are setup. Days 21 to 30 are contracts. Days 51 to 65 are lead access and conversion. By day 90, most agents have a deal under contract or closed.

Coaching. Friday trainings every week. Role play before you ever sit in front of a client. Kyle, our Head of Agent Success, runs onboarding and checks in on your progress.

Support. A transaction coordinator on every deal. E and O coverage through eXp. Branded marketing, listing tools, and a CRM with follow-up already built.

Culture. Four values we run the team on: Commit to the Standard. No One Out Works Us. We Show Up for Others. Obsessed with Growth. If those sound like work, they are. If they sound like home, keep reading.

Who it is not for. If you want to show up when you feel like it, we are not your team. The agents who win here treat it like a career from day one.

Not Licensed Yet? Here Is the Path

A lot of the best agents we have hired were in a different career six months earlier. Nurses. Teachers. Trades. Sales.

In Indiana you take a 90-hour pre-licensing course, pass the state exam, and hang your license with a managing broker. The whole process often takes 2 to 4 months.

You do not have to wait until you are licensed to talk to us. Agents who connect early get a head start on the plan before day one.

Fort Wayne or Warsaw: Pick Your Base

Our Warsaw office sits in the heart of Kosciusko County and the lake market. Our Fort Wayne office puts you in the largest market in Northern Indiana. Same team. Same leads. Same training. Different zip code.