PS: I am a real estate bvroker and I am the sole contractor for the associates, by state regulation. Can they be on a 1099 basis?
My son is a real estate broker too. If your associates work with any other broker, you're home free. If they work strictly for you, you should be handling them as W4/W2 employees. My son has 60 employees. Some qualify to work on a 1099 basis. Most of them don't.