The Process
Every agent who joins us talks to the broker first. Here is exactly what happens, what we ask for, and how long each part takes.
Same process whether you are joining as a referral agent or as an active selling agent.
A short application. Your name, your DRE license number, how you want to hang, and the standard broker disclosure questions every brokerage has to ask.
About five minutes.
You get a calendar link right away. Jonathan Brier, our Broker of Record, speaks with every applicant. Referral agents included, with no exceptions.
Usually within a few business days.
Fifteen to twenty minutes, by phone or video. What you want out of the license, how you plan to use it, and anything on your record we should talk through.
Fifteen to twenty minutes.
Once approved you get the Independent Contractor Agreement, the policy manual and a W-9, all electronically. The broker countersigns.
Ten minutes on your side.
Basic, Plus or Pro. There is no separate startup fee, just your first plan payment. That payment is what we need before we can file, so nothing moves until it clears.
Two minutes.
We notify the Department of Real Estate that you are now with Platinum Star Properties. You get a welcome packet and your referral agreement form.
Filed within one business day.
Nothing exotic, and nothing before you need to give it.
Every broker in California is responsible for who they supervise, so these questions are not optional. A yes is not automatically a no.
If you answer yes to any of them we ask for the details and the broker discusses it with you directly. Plenty of agents with something on their record are working productively today. What ends an application is failing to disclose, not disclosing.
Same application, different destination.
| Referral agent | Active agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Keeps license active | Yes | Yes |
| Refers clients and earns a fee | Yes | Yes |
| Lists property and represents clients | No | Yes |
| MLS access | No | Yes, through your association |
| REALTOR and board dues | Not required | Required by the association |
| Errors and omissions coverage | Carried by the brokerage | Carried by the brokerage |
| What it costs | From $6.99 a month | Ask the broker, plans vary by production |
| Broker interview required | Yes | Yes |
Not sure which you want? Apply as a referral agent and raise it in the interview. Moving up to active status later is a conversation with the broker, not a new license transfer.
Apply, interview, and get approved while you are still hanging where you are. Nothing is filed with the DRE until you have signed and chosen a plan.
A short email is enough. Keep a copy. Some brokerages ask for a formal release form, and some do not.
Deals in escrow usually stay with the brokerage that opened them. Settle how those get paid before you move.
Association and MLS memberships often renew automatically. If you are going referral only, cancel them yourself. We cannot do it for you.
Start the application, pick a time with the broker, and we will take it from there.
Start my applicationPrefer to talk first? Call 760-424-8024.
Platinum Star Properties, Inc. is a licensed California real estate brokerage. Referral agents are licensed salespersons affiliated with the brokerage who refer clients to active agents and receive a share of the resulting commission. Referral agents do not list property and do not represent buyers or sellers. Nothing on this site is a guarantee of earnings. Commission rates are negotiable and are not set by law. Plan fees are non refundable. All referral relationships require a written referral agreement signed before closing.