Real estate agencies · Sales offices and principals
Fractional CFO for real estate agencies
An agency pays its rent, salaries and marketing every month, while commission arrives only when a sale settles. We help you see the gap between the contracts board and the bank, and set fees and splits so the office keeps its margin.
What agency principals are deciding
Rules and rates are stated in general terms. Your legal adviser or tax adviser can confirm how they apply to your business.
How much cash the office needs between settlements
Contracts written in spring settle weeks later, so the busiest months on the board can be the tightest in the bank.
Commission splits that still leave a margin
Each split, retainer and bonus decides what a sale earns the agency after the agent is paid.
What the new AML/CTF duties cost to run
Since 1 July 2026 agencies carry customer checks, reporting and a compliance program, and the time they take belongs in the budget.
When to sell, merge or bring in a partner
Price, timing and who takes over all shape what a sale is worth. The capital gains rules for individuals, trusts and partnerships also change on 1 July 2027, and your tax adviser can confirm how they apply to you.
Illustrative example · Sales agency · Queensland
Spring on the board, summer in the bank
In this illustrative example, a sales office runs on $70,000 a month of rent, salaried staff, marketing and systems. After each sales agent is paid, a sale leaves the agency $7,500 of commission, and contracts take about six weeks to settle.
In October the office writes 14 sales, worth $105,000 to the agency once they settle. But only 7 sales settle in October, from contracts written in August and September, so $52,500 comes in against $70,000 going out.
$105,000
Commission written in October
$52,500
Commission received in October
$17,500
Short in the month
6 weeks
From contract to settlement
The October commission arrives in November and December as those contracts settle. A forecast built from the contracts board, with settlement dates in it, shows how big a buffer the office needs to carry it through spring.
Illustrative, modelled on a sales office of this size. Not a client engagement.
Method: commission received in a month is the commission on sales that settle that month; settlement taken as six weeks after the contract for every sale. Worked in code on 22 October 2026.
How an engagement runs
Every engagement starts with discovery and a diagnostic in the first two weeks. We get under your numbers, from the contracts board and settlement dates to commission splits, payroll and the trust account reconciliations, and surface the issues and opportunities that matter most to an agency.
In weeks three and four we set up clean reporting, a cash flow forecast and the rhythm of reviews. The first decisions land in the second month, in pricing, cash or cost, and from the third month we are part of how the business runs, alongside your accountant and bookkeeper. The fractional CFO service page sets out the full scope.
Tools to start with
Free tools on the ProfitPulse tools site for the questions agency principals ask most, each with its result on screen straight away.
Reading for agency principals
- The spring listing surge: why agencies feel busiest when cash is tightest
- Real estate agencies: the steady income you may be underpricing
- The rent roll multiple: what actually determines what a real estate agency is worth
- The owner dependency discount: what buyers price in before they make you an offer
Common questions
Do you replace our accountant?
No. Your accountant keeps the tax returns, BAS and year end accounts, your trust account auditor keeps the audit, and your bookkeeper keeps the books. We add the forward looking work: cash forecasts, commission by agent and office, and the numbers behind decisions on fees, staff, funding and a sale. We share what we find with your accountant, so everyone works from the same figures.
What does it cost?
The fractional CFO partnership starts from $3,750 a month, billed month to month with no long term lock in. When you need a figure for the business, before a sale or a handover, an indicative valuation starts from $4,500 and a comprehensive valuation from $13,500. Each of these is a starting price.
How is the fee sized?
Engagements usually stay at the starting price. Some need closer oversight or a deeper assessment, and the scope and fee rise to match. Find your fit confirms your price based on the characteristics of your business, and the pricing page explains how everything is sized.
Do you work with agencies outside Brisbane?
Yes. We work with agencies across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and further afield across Australia. Most of the monthly work happens over video calls and shared reports, with visits to your office as each engagement needs, so distance changes little. The locations we serve page has the detail.
What do you need from us to start?
Read only access to your accounting software, the last two years of financial statements, your contracts board with settlement dates, your commission split arrangements, aged debtors and creditors, and your payroll summary. A first meeting with you covers how listings are won, sold and settled. Nothing needs to change in your systems before we start.
Talk it through with us
A 45 minute discovery call is complimentary. Bring your contracts board and your commission splits.