Having been with EWM Realty’s Miami branch for more than two decades, Realtor Cecilia Tavera-Webman has developed a strong rapport with her clients. So when she felt the need to switch to a new brokerage firm, she had no trouble retaining them, a task that can sometimes be a tough challenge during a transition. Cecilia, who had a six-month stint with Coldwell Banker before settling with ShowcaseMiami Realty at the end of May, said neither client-resistance nor pending transactions complicated her transition, a result of sound planning and trusting relationships with her clients.

“When you do a transition like this, you finalize everything that you have pending because usually they will cut your commission if you leave anything pending,” said Tavera-Webman, who added it took about a month to make the transfer from Coldwell Banker to ShowcaseMiami. “When you make the decision, then the transition is easy. At that point, I didn’t have any listings and my buyers would come with me anyways.”

Although Tavera-Webman said clients could opt to stick with the brokerage, her clients have chosen to go forward with her, the agent who they trust.

“My clients work with me because of me, not because of the firm,” Tavera-Webman said. “It’s the customer service I give them and the results that I accomplish for them [that keeps them], which is—at the end—selling their property or buying a property.”

As an independent contractor, Tavera-Webman said she is used to handling business on her own and believes the brokerage firm provides support. However, the type of support is often times what pushes an agent to make a change, as was the case with Tavera-Webman.

When she started with EWM Realty, it didn’t have the international reach it has today; in fact, Tavera-Webman said it had only two offices in Miami. Though it wasn’t a family-owned business, it initially had that close-knit atmosphere, which she said she prefers to a large, corporate environment. Having spent time with two big firms in EWM and Coldwell Banker, Tavera-Webman set her sights on a boutique-like agency where she would be able to have direct contact with the owners and give input on decisions.

This intuition led her to ShowcaseMiami. Since joining her new firm she said she has closed several deals and currently has eight transactions on the table.

Ultimately, Tavera-Webman said agents considering a change need to do research and meet with different firms to see what each one offers, a claim that aligns with advice from Realtor Jackie Penate, who joined The Keyes Company Realtors in March after two years with Crown Homes Realty.

“Be sure what you want to do and follow your dream,” Penate said.

A Realtor for 12 years, Penate knew she wanted to join a firm with a broad reach and known reputation. Keyes has that, she said, and it’s a large reason why her clients decided to stick with her when she made the switch.

Penate said her transition went smoothly, primarily because of the destination, which provided a two-week training program covering many aspects of real estate. Penate also said her old firm helped the transition by allowing her to finish out any pending transactions and paying her accordingly. Having a professional and communicative relationship with her previous broker made things easier, Penate said, and that also rings true for Realtor Kristen Mathiesen.

Mathiesen, who has previous experience working with professional athletes as a private flight coordinator, missed the connections she made with the players and thought Campins Co. could help revive those relationships. Campins Co., cofounded in 2004 by Katrina Campins, the focus of the Style Network’s Hot Listings Miami, works extensively with entertainers and professional athletes. A few minutes into a face-to-face meeting with Campins and cofounder Ben Moss, Mathiesen had made up her mind.

MMD might not have had the clientele Mathiesen wanted to work with—she has added six Miami Dolphins players as clients since joining Campins Co.—but she did credit her good relationship with MMD in making the transition easier.

“Any clients that I already had that I was currently working with, I was given a lot of lead from my previous employer,” Mathiesen said. “Anything that I was working, I continued to work with, and any deals I had that were on the table, they were split when they closed.”

Mathiesen’s clients had the option to stay with the brokerage, but she said they all followed her to Campins Co.

Tavera-Webman, Penate and Mathiesen said they enjoy the family-like atmosphere their respective firms carry and are glad they made the change. As these agents attest, it’s important for Realtors to know what they want to do when considering a transition, and it’s equally important to clearly communicate their intentions with all parties involved. Agents need to research their current firm’s policy with transactions—many firms charge a fee for overseeing a transaction that agents leave on the table. Firms usually retain the rights to listings, too. The simplest advice from Mathiesen could go a long way in making any agent’s transition a smooth one.

“For the most part, educate yourself,” Mathiesen said. “Meet the broker. Try to meet a couple agents at the office. Make sure you feel comfortable. Keep it clean. [If] you keep it a nice, clean, even transition, I think it makes it easy for everybody.”