Power Sessions — The Broker Admin Fee, HUDs and Foreclosures: Get It in Writing (8/31/2026)

Every deal you close has a broker admin fee attached, and the rule behind it is simple: it goes in writing, up front, in the agreement. Here is how to explain it. The broker support team opens with the fee that shows up on every transaction, what it actually pays for, and the several different names you will hear other brokerages use for the same thing. The through-line is disclosure. It belongs in the buyer agency agreement at the time you write it, signed by everyone, and asking the title company to add it at closing is not a substitute for that. From there it works through the situations where the fee behaves differently, from a for sale by owner where your brokerage carries the whole liability, to leases, small parcels and commercial deals where it comes down but only with approval before closing. The back half is the part most agents in the room had never touched: HUD homes, with their own portal, their own contracts and a registration step you cannot complete in advance; broker price opinions, and why a salesperson's license is not enough to be paid for one; and foreclosures, where the seller is a bank and the fine print in the listing decides what you can offer. What's covered: • Why the fee belongs in the buyer agency agreement when you write it, not on the settlement statement later • The other names brokerages give the same fee, so you recognize it when you see it from the listing side • Why a for sale by owner leaves one brokerage carrying the whole transaction, and what that changes for you • The VA rule that changed inside the last year, and what it means for how you disclose now • When the fee comes down, and why the approval has to happen before the deal closes • Where to look on your monthly statement to see how close you are to the point the fee becomes yours • The registration step on a HUD listing that cannot be done in advance, and the moment to start it • Why a salesperson's license lets you prepare a market analysis but not be paid for an opinion of value • How to answer a client who asks what the fee is for, without it turning into an argument Chapters: 0:00 What this session covers 0:41 The broker admin fee, and the other names you'll hear for it 2:34 Why a brokerage charges it at all 4:46 For sale by owner: one brokerage, and both sides of the deal 5:30 VA loans, and the rule that changed 6:27 You can't just ask the title company to add it 7:31 When the fee comes down, and getting that approved first 9:46 HUDs: a different animal, with their own rules 11:21 Get registered before your client asks to see one 12:33 The moment to call broker support 12:57 The step-by-step HUD walkthrough, and where it lives 14:13 Your offer goes in through the portal and comes back to the broker 14:59 Market analyses, opinions of value, and who can be paid for one 17:14 Foreclosures: the seller is a bank, so the rules change 18:35 Where the guidelines and disclosures hide in the listing 19:06 The sign on the door, and why your buyer can't get in yet 19:50 Redemption periods, and why six months may not be six months 21:08 Pre-foreclosure listings, and questions from the room 25:35 Put the fee in front of the client early, and in writing 26:01 How to answer "what is this fee for?" 27:32 When a client pushes back, and why the relationship wins 28:15 Why it gets disclosed on its own line Questions answered: Q: A client is asking why there's an admin fee on top of everything else. What do I tell them? A: That it covers the brokerage's side of the transaction, the insurance, the staff, the systems and the buildings, and that it is disclosed on its own line because it is separate from everything else. Say it at the first meeting rather than at closing and it stops being a surprise. Q: My buyer wants to see a HUD listing. What do I do first? A: Call broker support the same day. Getting you registered on HUD's portal needs a live transaction to start, so nobody can set you up in advance, and there is already a step-by-step walkthrough sitting in your transaction documents. Q: Can I be paid to give an opinion of value? A: Not on a salesperson's license. Michigan licensing law draws that line at an associate broker or a broker's license. A market analysis is different and any licensee can prepare one, but you can't be paid for that either, so refer the paid work on. Note: this conversation covers fee disclosure, agency and foreclosure scenarios for training purposes and is not legal advice. Bring specific situations to broker support or to counsel. Session: Power Sessions, recorded August 31, 2026 Hosted by the Five Star Real Estate broker support team. — Five Star Real Estate: the most supportive brokerage on the planet. Five Star: https://fivestarleaders.com Homebase, agent resources: https://homebase.fivestarleaders.com/ More Power Sessions:    • Power Sessions 2026