HowIndiaEarns

Earn without capitalCommission workChecked Oct 2026

Real Estate Agent (Property Broker)

प्रॉपर्टी एजेंट / ब्रोकर · इस्टेट एजंट

Bringing buyers and sellers, or tenants and landlords, together for a brokerage on each deal. Needs local knowledge and patience more than money, and a RERA registration to sell flats in projects.

Not yet confirmed with people doing this work

The short answer

Possible to start small with rentals in your own locality, where all you need is a phone and knowledge of the buildings. It is not a no-money trade if you want to sell flats in builders' projects: in Maharashtra that needs training, an examination and a registration fee of about ₹10,000. Income is lumpy, with long gaps between deals, so keep another source of money for the first year.

Money to start
₹5,000 to ₹25,000
Education
No minimum
Vehicle
Not needed
Skill
Learnt on the job

A broker's work is finding who wants to let, sell, rent or buy, matching them, showing the property, negotiating the price and seeing the paperwork through. Most small brokers begin with rentals in a few housing societies they know well, because deals close in days and repeat every eleven months. Resale and new-project sales pay far more per deal but take months and often fall through. The trade runs on trust and on being the first to know about an empty flat. Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, anyone who helps sell a flat or plot in a registered project must be registered as an agent with the state's RERA authority.

What you need

  • Age 18 or above.
  • A smartphone, and a two-wheeler helps for site visits.
  • Close knowledge of one area: its buildings, rents, societies' rules and who the owners are.
  • To deal in registered projects: RERA agent registration in your state, with PAN, Aadhaar, address proof and photographs.
  • In Maharashtra: a 20-hour training from an institute approved by MahaRERA and a pass in the certificate of competency examination, before you can register or renew.
  • Savings to live on for several months, because the first brokerage can take that long.
Before you startCost
MahaRERA agent registration, individualValid for five years. Reported as ₹10,000, or ₹10,590 with charges; confirm on the MahaRERA portal. Fees in other states differ.₹10,000–₹10,590
MahaRERA training and examinationFee set by the training institute. Ask before enrolling.Ask first
Listings on property portals, visiting cards, a boardOptional at the start. Free listings and WhatsApp groups are enough for rentals.Ask first

How the money works

You are paid a brokerage when a deal is completed, by the buyer, the seller, the tenant, the landlord or the builder, depending on the deal. Nothing is paid for the visits and calls that do not end in a deal. There is no rate fixed by law, so it is whatever you agree, preferably in writing, before you show the property.

  • Rentals: commonly about one month's rent, sometimes shared between tenant and landlord.
  • Resale: commonly 1% to 2% of the price, often from each side, and lower on large deals.
  • New projects: the builder pays the agent (a 'channel partner') a percentage of the flat's price, in stages as the buyer pays.
  • Brokers often share a deal: one has the property and the other has the customer, and the brokerage is split.
  • Customers sometimes deal directly with the owner after you have shown the flat. A signed visit slip helps, but recovery is hard.

What people actually take home

We do not estimate earnings ourselves. Each line below is someone else's figure, with who said it and when.

What we could not find

  • Any survey of what small brokers earn in a year, or how many deals a new broker closes. This is why the number of deals in the calculator is empty.
  • A confirmed builder commission rate for Mumbai or any other city.
  • The exact date from which MahaRERA's certificate became compulsory: sources give 1 May 2023 and 1 January 2024.

Work out your own number

Put in the rates you are actually offered. The starting values are examples, not what you will get.

Fill in the empty boxes to see the result. We have left them empty because we found no figure we could trust.

For a sale, enter the property price and your percentage. For rentals, enter the monthly rent as the value and 100 as the percentage if you get one month's rent, or 50 if it is shared. Reduce the figure for any split with another broker.

Commission does not arrive evenly. Expect months with nothing, and count the months before your first sale as unpaid.

Is it legal where you live?

  • All India

    Under the RERA Act, a person may not help sell or buy a flat, plot or building in a registered real estate project without being registered as an agent with that state's RERA authority, and penalties apply for each day of default. Registration is state by state. Plain rental broking and resale outside registered projects are generally not covered, but state rules vary.

    As of Oct 2026

  • Maharashtra

    Individual agents must complete a 20-hour training with an approved institute and pass the MahaRERA certificate of competency examination before registering or renewing. The examination is reported as 50 questions for 100 marks in one hour with 40 marks to pass; confirm the current pattern on the MahaRERA site. The registration number must appear on your advertisements and documents.

    As of Oct 2026 · Housing.com: MahaRERA starts agent training programme

How to start

  1. Pick one area you already know and list every building, its usual rent and its society's rules for tenants.
  2. Work for an established broker for a few months if you can, even on a small share, to learn agreements, police verification of tenants and society paperwork.
  3. Start with rentals. Tell watchmen, shopkeepers and society offices that you handle flats in the area.
  4. Agree your brokerage in writing before each visit and keep a signed visit slip.
  5. Before taking up any builder's project, complete your state's RERA agent registration. In Maharashtra, do the training and examination first.
  6. Register for GST if your yearly brokerage crosses the threshold, and keep a record of every deal.

What is good about it

  • Rentals can be started with a phone and local knowledge.
  • One sale can pay what months of other work would.
  • No shop is needed at the start and the hours are your own.
  • Contacts and reputation build up, and old customers return.

What is hard about it

  • Income is irregular. Several months can pass with no completed deal.
  • Most enquiries do not turn into deals, and the visits cost you time and petrol.
  • Customers and owners sometimes close the deal behind your back.
  • Crowded trade: every locality already has established brokers.
  • You can be drawn into disputes over deposits, title or possession if you do not check documents carefully.

Traps to avoid

  • Courses and 'real estate academies' promising large incomes for a high fee. Only the regulator-approved training is required, and only in states that ask for it.
  • Builders or 'mandate firms' who delay or refuse the agent's commission. Get the commission terms on the builder's letterhead before you bring a buyer.
  • Being asked to sell plots or flats in a project that is not registered with RERA. You share the liability. Check the project's registration number on the state RERA website.
  • Taking token money or deposits into your own account. Money should move directly between the parties.

Where this can lead

Questions people ask

Do I need a RERA registration to work as a property broker?+

You need it to deal in flats, plots or buildings in projects registered under RERA. Working without it attracts a penalty. Broking of rentals, and of resale outside registered projects, is generally outside the Act, but check your own state's rules.

How much does MahaRERA agent registration cost?+

For an individual or sole proprietor it is reported as ₹10,000, or ₹10,590 including charges, valid for five years. The training institute's fee is extra. Confirm both on the MahaRERA portal before paying anyone.

How much brokerage can an agent charge?+

There is no rate fixed by law. Common practice is about one month's rent on rentals and 1% to 2% of the price on resale. Whatever you agree should be written down before you show the property.

Can I start as a real estate agent with no money?+

For rentals in your own locality, nearly: you need a phone and time. For project sales you need the RERA registration and, in Maharashtra, the training and examination. In either case you need savings to live on until the first deal closes.

Sources

Pay rates, fees and rules change often and differ by city. Confirm them with the company or the regulator before you commit money or leave other work.

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