You can send a referral two ways: directly to an agent you choose, or by posting it to the Referral Board and choosing from agents who apply. Either way, it ends with a Referral Agreement signed in Real Signature. This article walks through both paths from start to finish, including how to edit, pause, or cancel a referral along the way.
New to Referral Central? Start with Getting started: access and profile setup. Looking for help deciding who to refer to? See Finding the right agent.
Choose how to send
Send directly when you already know who you want. Post to the Referral Board when you’d rather have interested agents come to you.
| Send directly | Post to the Referral Board | |
|---|---|---|
| Best when | You already know the agent you want | You want to see who’s interested first |
| Where you start | Find an Agent | Create Referral |
| Who sees it | Only the agent you choose | Agents whose service area covers the referral location |
| When the agreement goes out | Right away, when you send | After you review applicants and select one |
| Can you edit or pause it? | No, it goes straight to signatures | Yes, while it’s on the board |
| If it falls through | The referral is cancelled or expires; create a new one to try someone else | It goes back on the board, and you can pick another applicant |
Both paths end at the same place: a Referral Agreement sent through Real Signature. Once everyone signs, your referral is Active.
Option A: Send a referral directly
Step 1: Choose the agent
For information on finding and comparing agents, see Finding the right agent.
Once you’ve found the agent you’re sending the referral to, click Select Agent to add the referral details and send the referral agreement.
Step 2: Enter the referral details
- Representation type: Buyer, Seller, Tenant or Landlord
- Referral location and radius
- Price range
- Timeline and referral fee %
- Language preference and notes (optional)
- Nickname (optional): a private label only you can see, to help you recognize the referral later
Step 3: Enter your client’s details and the expiration date
Enter your client’s name, address, email and phone, plus a Referral Agreement expiration date. Everyone must sign the agreement by this date or it expires.
If you already have an active referral for the same client in the same area, you’ll see a reminder showing the existing referral. It’s only a heads-up: click Got It and continue, or cancel if it’s a duplicate.
Your client’s privacy: Their contact information is used to build the agreement and is shared only with the agent you’re referring to. It’s never shown publicly.
Step 4: Review and send
Review everything, then click Preview Referral Agreement to see the completed document. When it looks right, click Send Document. The agreement goes out through Real Signature, and your referral shows as Pending Signatures on your Created tab.
What the receiving agent sees: If the receiving agent set up Referral Central, the referral appears on their Received tab and you can message each other about it. If they have not yet completed the Referral Central setup, they will still receive an email from Real Signature and sign from there.
Option B: Post to the Referral Board
Step 1: Create and publish the referral
For information on creating and publishing a referral to the Referral Board, see Finding the right agent.
Step 2: Review applicants
You’ll get a notification when an agent applies. To see everyone who has applied:
- Go to My Referrals > Created and click the referral.
- Click View Applicants. Each card shows the agent’s name, photo, application note, applied date and production stats.
- Use Sort By to order applicants by total sales, active listings or properties sold.
- Click an applicant to see their full profile: bio, service areas, application note and stats.
Want to ask an applicant a question first? Click Message on their profile. Each conversation is one-on-one, and applicants can’t see each other’s messages.
Step 2: Select an agent and send the agreement
- Click Select [Agent Name] beneath the referral application card, then Begin Selection to confirm.
- Confirm your client’s details and set the Referral Agreement expiration date.
- Review the referral, your client’s details and the list of people who will sign.
- Preview the agreement, then click Send Agreement. Check the recipients list and click Send Agreement again to confirm.
Nothing is final until you send. Until then, your referral stays Open on the board and no one is notified, so you can back out and choose someone else. If the agent you picked withdraws their application before you send, you’ll be asked to choose another applicant.
Once you send:
- Your referral moves to Pending Signatures and comes off the board.
- The agent you selected is notified and asked to sign by your expiration date.
- Other applicants aren’t told yet. When the agreement is fully signed, they’re notified the referral has been filled.
- Your message threads with other applicants become read-only. You can still reach them through a general message.
Tip: If your referral is paused, republish it before selecting an agent.
Change, pause, or cancel a referral
You’ll find these actions in the three-dot menu on the referral, either on your Created tab or in the referral’s detail panel.
Which actions you see depends on the referral’s status.
| Action | Available when | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Edit | Open or Paused | Changes go live right away; applicants get one email showing what changed |
| Pause | Open | Referral comes off the board; you keep your applicants |
| Republish | Paused | Referral goes back on the board; applicants are notified |
| Cancel | Any status except Cancelled or Expired | Referral ends permanently; everyone involved is notified |
| Deselect agent | After the agreement is sent | Agreement is voided; a Board referral reopens, a direct referral is cancelled |
Edit a referral
You can change the location and radius, referral fee, timeline, price range, language preferences, notes, nickname and your client’s details. You can’t change the client role. To switch roles, cancel and create a new referral.
Click Save Changes, then Confirm. If anything applicants can see has changed, they get a single email showing the old and new values, and they can decide whether to stay applied. Changes only to your nickname or your client’s details don’t trigger an email.
Editing isn’t available once the agreement has been sent. To make changes at that point, deselect the agent first (see below).
Pause and republish
Pause a Board referral to take it off the board without losing your applicants, for example while your client decides between areas. Applicants are notified, and the referral stays on their Applied tab marked as paused.
While it’s paused, you can still edit it, view applicants and message them, but no new agents can apply and you can’t select anyone. Click Republish to put it back on the board. Your existing applicants are notified and can be selected again.
Cancel a referral
Cancelling is permanent and can’t be undone. You can add an optional reason (up to 250 characters), which is included in the notification to applicants.
- No agreement sent yet: all applicants are notified.
- Agreement sent but not fully signed: the agreement is voided, and the selected agent and applicants are notified.
- Agreement fully signed: the agreement is voided, and the selected agent is notified. The signed document is kept on file.
Cancelled referrals stay on your Created tab so you can still view them.
Deselect an agent (back out after sending)
If you need to back out after sending the agreement, choose Deselect agent from the three-dot menu. You can add an optional reason. This voids the agreement at any stage of signing.
- Board referral: your referral goes back to Open on the board. The deselected agent returns to your applicant pool, other applicants are notified that the referral is open again, and you can select someone new.
- Direct referral: your referral is Cancelled. To refer this client to someone else, create a new referral.
Getting the agreement signed
Everyone signs in Real Signature from the email they receive, including you. Once all parties sign before the expiration date, your referral becomes Active.
Who signs
- US referrals (4 parties): you, your managing broker, the receiving agent and their managing broker. Your client does not sign.
- Canadian referrals (5 parties): the same four, plus your client.
Reminders
If anyone hasn’t signed 48 hours after the agreement goes out, they get a one-time email reminder with the expiration date and a link to sign.
If the agreement isn’t signed in time
If all parties haven’t signed by the expiration date, the agreement expires and you’re notified.
- Board referral: your referral goes back to Open on the board, and past applicants are notified. The agent you had selected would need to re-apply before you could select them again.
- Direct referral: your referral is Expired and closed. Create a new referral to try again.
Your client’s details are kept on the referral, so you won’t need to re-enter them.
If the receiving agent withdraws
The receiving agent can withdraw until the agreement is fully signed. They’ll see a warning if anyone has already signed. If they withdraw, the agreement is voided, and you’re notified. A Board referral goes back to Open; a direct referral is Cancelled.
Once everyone has signed, the agreement is binding, and the receiving agent can no longer withdraw. The expiration date no longer applies to an Active referral.
Track your referral
Every referral you send or post appears under My Referrals > Created, with a status that shows where it stands. The applicant count on each card shows active applicants only; agents who withdrew aren’t counted.
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Open | On the Referral Board and accepting applications | Review applicants, message, select, edit, pause or cancel |
| Paused | Off the board; applicants kept | Edit, view and message applicants, republish or cancel |
| Pending Signatures | Agreement sent; waiting for everyone to sign | Deselect the agent or cancel |
| Active | All parties have signed | Deselect the agent or cancel |
| Expired | A direct referral’s agreement wasn’t signed in time | View only; create a new referral to try again |
| Cancelled | You cancelled the referral, or a direct referral was declined or deselected | View only |
Open and Paused apply only to Board referrals. A direct referral starts at Pending Signatures.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I edit my referral?
You can only edit a Board referral while it’s Open or Paused. Once the agreement is sent, deselect the agent first. Direct referrals can’t be edited because the agreement goes out as soon as you send.
Can I choose a different applicant after I’ve sent the agreement?
Yes. Deselect the agent from the three-dot menu. Your referral goes back to Open, and you can select anyone in your applicant pool.
Can I send the same referral to more than one agent?
No. Each referral goes to one agent. Posting to the Referral Board lets several agents apply so you can compare them, but you select one.
When do the other applicants find out they weren’t selected?
When the agreement is fully signed. Until then, they’re not told, in case you need to pick someone else.
Can I see who has applied and message them before choosing?
Yes. Open View Applicants on your referral and click Message on any applicant’s profile. Each conversation is private.
Why don’t I see agents who withdrew in my applicant list?
The list shows only agents you can select. If an agent withdraws, they drop off the list and out of your applicant count. If they re-apply, they’ll reappear.
What happens to my client’s information if a referral falls through?
It stays on the referral, visible only to you, so you don’t have to re-enter it. It’s never shown on the Referral Board or to applicants.
I already have a referral for this client. Can I create another?
Yes. You’ll see a reminder about the existing referral if it’s for the same client in the same area, but it won’t stop you. Referrals for the same client in different areas, such as a client who is buying in one city and selling in another, won’t trigger the reminder.