How To Become A Real Estate Agent

October 21, 2009 7:17 PM

What's required to become a real estate agent?

Is it possible to do this type of work freelance and not through an agency? Or perhaps at home without having an office?

posted by VC Drake to Work & Money (9 answers total)

Best answer: You have to be under the supervision of a Broker in Charge. They are responsible for overseeing agents and making sure they follow real estate laws and basically, don't do anything that would cause them to lose their license. However many agents do go on, do the studying and take the test and become a Broker themselves, in which case you can be your own agency.

You really do want to work with a company first, however. There is a lot to learn and much of it has nothing to do with what you learn in real estate school or what is on the exam.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:23 PM on October 21, 2009

(I am married to someone who has been in the industry for years and has worked in a supervisory capacity to agents.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:24 PM on October 21, 2009

St. Alia is correct. If you become a broker then you don't need to work for Century 21 or whoever. Century 21 takes so much of your paycheck it's ridiculous. If you want to work at home you need to get your broker's license.
posted by water bear at 7:32 PM on October 21, 2009

Response by poster: Thank you for these excellent replies. Before becoming a broker, what is required to become an agent? Schooling? Tests? Licenses? Etcetera?
posted by VC Drake at 7:45 PM on October 21, 2009

I don't know what it's like in Kansas but here in CA you can sit for the salesperson license after passing 3 classes (which are available online). The broker's license requires another 7 or so classes. Last I checked college grads are waived from the requirement to get practical experience as a salesperson before going for the broker license.

There are a zillion fiddly bits with real estate law, eg. the rules for adverse possession. If you can inhale that wiki page and want more, then getting a real estate license is for you.
posted by mokuba at 7:49 PM on October 21, 2009

Kansas Real Estate Commission
posted by mokuba at 7:50 PM on October 21, 2009

In CA at least, if you are a licensed attorney you may take the Real Estate Broker's exam and get your broker's license without ever needing to be a salesperson/agent.
posted by dbolll at 8:02 PM on October 21, 2009

So you CAN be a salesperson without going to any classes training? If a broker will hire you? I'm in GA. Sorry for the confusion, I've never heard that before.
posted by pearlybob at 8:36 PM on October 21, 2009

pearly

Georgia schools.

FAQ for salespeople, which is not a model of clarity.

I'm no expert but it's my understanding that as a salesperson it is reasonably straightforward to (more or less) pay for a desk with an actual broker office when starting out.
posted by mokuba at 9:15 PM on October 21, 2009