When should a property owner choose contingency search over retained search?
Contingency fits most site, regional and specialist property roles: you pay only if you hire, and the risk of a search that produces no one sits with the recruiter. Retained search, with fees paid in stages, tends to suit rare executive mandates where the client wants an exclusive, structured process from the outset.
The models differ in commitment as much as payment. A retained firm is paid to run the process regardless of outcome, which can buy dedicated time and a formal timeline. A contingency recruiter is paid on success, which aligns the incentive with a hire but means the client should ask how much attention the search will receive.
Ask any firm how many searches each recruiter carries, how candidates are qualified and what you receive with each introduction. Those answers tell you more about quality than the label on the agreement. Some contingency work is deep and selective; some retained work is thin.
Our standard model is contingency, with no upfront fee. If a mandate needs a different structure, the terms are agreed separately and written into the signed agreement before anything starts.
What questions settle the choice between the two models?
Ask how critical and rare the role is, whether you need exclusivity and a formal timeline, how much risk you want to carry if no hire results, and how much attention each firm will give. Clear answers to those questions usually point to one model without needing a long procurement exercise.
For a site or regional manager in a reasonably active market, contingency usually fits. For a confidential chief operating role where few candidates exist nationally, some owners prefer the structure a retained mandate brings.
Whichever model you choose, insist on the same basics: a written brief, qualified introductions and honest feedback from the market.
Owners sometimes switch models midway when a contingency search reveals the role is rarer than expected. That is a legitimate change, but agree it in writing and reset the brief so the new structure has a fair start rather than inheriting stale outreach.
Choose a search model that fits the mandate.
Real Estate Headhunters: Contingency fits most site, regional and specialist property roles: you pay only if you hire, and the risk of a search that produces no one sits with the recruiter. Retained search, with fees paid in stages, tends to suit rare executive mandates where the client wants an exclusive, structured process from the outset.
This is what we do all day: recruit property management and real estate professionals.
The fee trigger, scope and decision process matter more than a label.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Real estate only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
Signed terms: We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Contingency search
In our standard model there is no upfront fee and you pay only if you hire. The agreement defines what constitutes a hire, the fee calculation and the obligations surrounding an introduction.
Retained search
Retained search generally involves a commitment to pay for the search engagement, often through agreed stages. Exact obligations vary and must be read in the proposed agreement.
An employer may prefer a retained engagement when its governance process calls for a dedicated commissioned assignment. That is a choice about the engagement, not evidence that one model guarantees better candidates.
Know the role you need to fill?
Send Us Your Open RoleWhat to ask
Establish who performs the work, how candidates are qualified, what the written brief includes and how feedback will be managed. Then compare fee triggers and contractual protections.
What should you ask before choosing a recruiting firm?
Is retained search more thorough than contingency?
Not by definition. Thoroughness depends on the recruiter workload and method. Ask how candidates are found, contacted and qualified under either model.
Can a contingency search be exclusive?
It can, if agreed in the signed recruiting agreement. Exclusivity is not assumed in advance.
When do we pay the recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire under the standard contingency agreement. The signed agreement sets the terms; read the fee page before authorizing the search.
How long does it take to see a short list?
The scope of the job, candidate availability and your interview decisions affect the search. We explain the market response and agree next steps rather than promise a numeric deadline.
What if our chosen candidate gets a counteroffer?
We ask about the reasons for a move before an introduction. You still need a clear offer and an honest account of the job; an increase in pay alone may not resolve why someone considered leaving.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not sell job-board reposting or send an unqualified resume stack. Standard permanent search is not hourly consulting or a retained assignment. Different engagements require agreed terms.
Tell us the role. We go find the person.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Our process
What do you get from The Six-Step Search?
Real Estate Headhunters begins with the decisions behind your vacancy, not an advert. You get a clear brief, a mapped candidate pool and evidence from direct conversations. We help you distinguish an interested person from a qualified fit, then support interviews and the decision without promising a completion date.
- 1
Search Calibration
A brief that settles the operating problem, reporting line, location, compensation and who can approve the hire.
- 2
Market Mapping
A view of relevant working backgrounds, asset types and experience rather than a search based only on titles.
- 3
Professional Contact Intelligence
Direct ways to approach relevant people respectfully, without relying on applications or exposing a confidential vacancy.
- 4
Persistent Personalized Outreach
A conversation about your actual role, with follow-up that establishes whether a move is worth discussing.
- 5
Live Candidate Qualification
Evidence about responsibilities, relevant results, systems and the practical reasons someone would accept the move.
- 6
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
A short list with context for interviews, objections and decisions, not a stack of unexplained resumes.
CAM has different meanings. NAA CAM is the Certified Apartment Manager credential. The Florida community association manager license is a separate license, cited here as an example of state licensing. In commercial budgets, CAM means common area maintenance. We check the credential or license relevant to the opening, where the state requires it.