The everyday problem
MB
Managing Broker
"An agent lists a property, another agent brings a buyer, and by closing day nobody can tell you which side of the deal is ours or what commission split applies."
Without one record for the property itself, listing details get copy-pasted between spreadsheets every time a new buyer shows interest, and there's no clean way to see every deal a property has ever been part of, or reconcile commission at the end of the month.
What good looks like
One Property record stays linked to every deal it's ever been part of. Every stage change notifies the right person automatically. Commission reporting is a live report, not an end-of-month scramble.What you're building
| Record type | Kind | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Standard (built-in) | A buyer or seller inquiry from a listing portal, open house, or referral |
| Contact / Account | Standard (built-in) | The buyer or seller client |
| Property | Custom (you build it) | Address, list price, MLS ID, listing Agent — one record per property, independent of any single deal |
| Opportunity | Standard (built-in) | Linked to the Property, tagged Buy-Side, Sell-Side, or Dual Agency |
Business outcome
- One Property record stays cleanly linked to every Opportunity it's ever been part of
- Every stage change notifies the right person automatically — nothing stalls in an inbox
- Commission reporting is a live report, not an end-of-month scramble
Step-by-step build
Do these six pieces in order. Total time: roughly 35–45 minutes the first time through.
1 Capture the inquiry
Connect the listing portalIntegrations → Webhooks → register an inbound Webhook so a buyer/seller lead from a listing-portal form creates a Lead automatically.
Or use an open-house sign-in formSetup → Object Manager → Lead → Sharing tab → Web-to-Lead section, embedded on a tablet at open houses.
2 List the property once
Create the Property objectSetup → Object Manager → New Object. Label: "Property", Plural Label: "Properties".
Add its fieldsNew Field → "Address" (TEXT). "List Price" (NUMBER). "MLS ID" (TEXT). "Listing Agent" (LOOKUP → related object: User, or Contact if agents are tracked as Contacts).
3 Open the transaction
Convert the LeadCreates the Client Account/Contact — see the Lead-to-Cash Trail.
Add a Property lookup to OpportunitySetup → Object Manager → Opportunity → Fields → New Field. Label: "Property", Type LOOKUP, related object: Property. Also add "Deal Side" as a PICKLIST: Buy-Side, Sell-Side, Dual Agency.
Create the OpportunityLink it to the Property and set the Deal Side.
4 Move the deal forward
Create the workflow ruleSetup → Workflow Rules → New Rule. Object: Opportunity. Trigger: On Update, when Stage changes.
Set the actionNotification to the transaction coordinator, for each stage: Offer → Under Contract → Inspection → Closing.
5 Gate commission exceptions
Create the approval processSetup → Approval Processes → New Process. Object: Opportunity.
Set the entry conditione.g.
commission_split_exception__c = true — any non-standard split routes for review.Add the approval stepStep 1: Managing Broker. Nothing is finalized until approved.
6 Run the commission report
Create the reportReports → New Report. Object: Opportunity. Fields: Property, Agent, Amount, Close Date.
Filter and groupFilter: Stage = Closed Won AND Close Date = This Quarter. Group by: Agent.
Save itName it "Closed Volume by Agent This Quarter" — this feeds the commission run without a manual spreadsheet.
Day-to-day: listing agent
List a new propertyCreate one Property record with the address, price, and MLS ID — it's ready to attach to any future deal.
Day-to-day: buyer's agent
New buyer inquiry arrivesA Lead appears automatically from the portal or sign-in form.
Open the transactionConvert the Lead, then create the Opportunity linked to the existing Property record — no re-entering the listing details.
Move the deal through stagesUpdate the Opportunity's stage as the deal progresses — the transaction coordinator gets notified automatically each time.
Day-to-day: managing broker
Review commission exceptionsCheck the Approval Inbox for any non-standard split requests.
Run the quarterly commission reportOpen "Closed Volume by Agent This Quarter" — no spreadsheet reconciliation needed.
What to try next
Look at the Workflow Automation and Opportunity Pipeline trails to go deeper on the pieces used here.