Become a Real Estate Agent

The process of becoming a licensed professional in the real estate industry differs from state to state and country to country. Most real estate agents and brokers are required to have a certain number of hours of pre-licensing education – and, in some cases, experience – to become fully licensed. However, it's much quicker than most careers, so why wait any longer? Let's get started.

Steps

Getting Qualified

  1. Determine the general requirements for becoming a real estate agent in your state. Though there is an exam you'll have to pass that may differ in every state, the general requirements to be able to take that test are the same. There are actually just a couple basics. You must:
    • Be at least 18 or 19 years of age.
    • Be a US citizen.
    • Have completed your required pre-license education (varies by state -- usually 3+ related classes).[1]
  2. Consider getting your college degree. To be a real estate agent, you don't need a degree from a four-year university, keyword there being need. However, it's important to know that because degrees are becoming more and more common, it's good to have one to cover your bases. Those with degrees generally are regarded a bit higher and may see more opportunities for advancement.[2]
    • You can major in real estate at some schools, which starts you well on your way to becoming a broker (the one who manages all the real estate agents). If you don't want to major, you could take a few classes and see if the state waives the classes it normally would require you to take.
    • It's a good idea to have some knowledge of business, marketing, economics, and law. To succeed in the field, this is a good starting point to learn what you're going to be dealing with.
  3. Sign up for classes. Each state should have a webpage dedicated to which schools have accredited real estate programs. Most of these classes will be at the college level. You don't have to take them in any order or together, if time or money doesn't allow. Once you find a suitable school in your area, contact them! Classes should regularly be offered.
    • You'll be handing in your transcripts at the end of these courses to apply for a license, so get good grades! The better you do, the better you'll do on the exam. While the exam is pass/fail in nature, the more confident you are in your abilities, the better you'll feel overall.
    • You'll need to get in somewhere between 40 and 200 hours, depending on your locale.
  4. Make sure this is something you want to do. Each workday is spent making contacts with clients, prospecting, and simply getting yourself or your name in front of others. You are essentially working for yourself, which means taking care of your lead generation, your office management, and all your own advertising, education, scheduling, and paperwork. Are you looking to start your own business? That's what real estate is!
    • Real Estate provides a career that has unlimited potential for income -- which means you could make a lot if you work hard, or only a little if you don't. It offers you a very flexible schedule -- though often irregular hours --, as well as a chance to make a difference with many people.
    • This is not a hobby. Hobbies can be put down and picked back up whenever you feel like it. In order to stay viable in the real (estate) world, you have to be constantly making connections and working your butt off. Can you handle it?
  5. Set aside some cash. When you're just starting anything, it's an uphill battle. When you're just starting a job that's commission-based, it's slim pickin's until you get a solid foot in the door. Because of this, it's important to have some money saved up to get you through those rainy days. Your mom told you "it takes money to make money," right?
    • You'll mainly be taking these first few months to build up your clientele and get a feel for the market and for your niche. It's a necessary evil that every new agent goes through.

Passing the Exam

  1. Apply to take your state's exam. As with 99% of all things, it's now done online. You can find the forms (and the fee listings) on your state real estate commission's website. Once you fill them out and everything's accepted, you'll get notice of how and when to take your licensing exam.
    • If you're a little sketchy on the process, wikiHow probably has an article on how to get a real estate license in your state, whether you're in Submit a California Real Estate License Application, Florida, or Pennsylvania -- the list goes on and on.
  2. Submit your fingerprints and pass the background check. A routine part of receiving real estate licensure is passing a complete background check. The fee for this should be part of your application fee. Once you receive an entity number, you can then make an appointment to get printed (it can be done through the testing company). It'll all be there in the paperwork.[3][4]
    • You will not be given your license if you do not complete this part. This goes for renewal, too, so it's important to keep a clean record. Do this as promptly as possible so it's not a roadblock for your licensure.
  3. Register for the exam. After all the paperwork mumbo jumbo is completed, you'll receive notice of how to register for your exam and the details that follow. This will also be online. You'll go to the site, pick a date, time, and location and be good to go. It'll also (depending on state) offer you some study material and study tips, too.
    • Most licenses are only good for your state. While some states do have reciprocity agreements (they've agreed that certain other state licenses are valid in their state), others do not. Check where yours is good at before you go about moving or working across state lines!
  4. Study up. If it's been a while since you've taken your classes or really the information you learned there was in one ear and out the other, it's best to brush up. You should be given some study materials when you start the application process (usually referred to as the Candidate Information Booklet or Brochure), but also do some research on your own time.
    • Talk to a few other people who have taken your state's exam. What was it like? What areas did it focus on? How long did it last? Is there anything you can breeze over? What do they wish they would've known?
      • Make sure to submit fingerprints and complete the background check requirements prior to testing. This can expedite the time it will take to process and receive your license.
  5. Pass the exam with flying colors. Woo! After a trip to some bland-looking, sparsely decorated office, you'll hanker down to a computer, promise you are who you say you are, and answer a series of questions (again, each state's test is different). After that, you're almost home free! Almost.
    • This doesn't quite make you a real estate agent. You need to be working with a broker to do that. Right now you hold an inactive real estate license. As soon as you get employment (or a "sponsor" as Texas would call it), you can then file to get your license moved to active status.[3]

Starting Your Career

  1. Get to know your market before you get started. This isn't really like the stock market -- sure, there's a buyer's market and a seller's market, but there's much more to it than that. When we say get to know your market, that isn't some phrase to make you feel entitled -- it literally means your market. Every place is a bit different. Go around the area you plan on working and watch the agents. Note the current inventory and how it all works. You'll be way better off hitting the ground running.[5] How does your work?
    • For example, consider a college town. You're gonna be dealing with lots of renters (young ones), one year or nine month leases, and years that start up in September. That's a lot different than a snowbird community! Every market is a bit different and exposing yourself right away is the best thing you can do for yourself and your career.
  2. Be desirable to brokers. Virtually any broker is looking for personality, a business plan, and the right skill set. They want to see that you know what you're getting into (it can be a lot of work!) and that their demands and goals meet what you plan to accomplish.
    • Go around your area and talk to brokers and other agents. What are they looking for? What are their goals? Not only do you want to be what they want, but you want to find the ones that speak to you. Ask those around you what they think about their office, their broker and other broker/office managers to get the inside scoop.
  3. Choose your broker wisely. While it's true you're technically working for yourself, it's still crucial that you choose the right broker. And necessary -- a broker is the umbrella company you have to work under (unless you become one yourself). Think of it as a suit you'll be wearing for the rest of your working life. It's gotta be one that is comfortable, but also makes you look good. Where are you going to "hang" your license?
    • You want a company with an established name and reputation. One that people trust. You'll need to get noticed before anything and that will be much easier to do with a solid broker behind you.
      • This isn't to say to go for the big guys. They often will take a higher cut of your commission, actually. No, just because company A is international doesn't mean you shouldn't work for Auntie Lola's Hometown Realty -- everyone knows and loves Aunt Lo (or so they call her) within {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of your office. That's all that matters.
    • Consider the focus of any potential broker. If you want to work with middle America, you won't be happy working with a broker that specializes in celebrities' luxury homes. Do some research on the demographics they work with and their earnings.[5]
    • Make sure your broker is available. At the very beginning you'll probably have loads of questions. Working for a broker that doesn't give you the time of day will leave you wandering around aimless, losing focus and losing steam. And leave you in sticky situations!
  4. Activate that license of yours. About time, eh? Now that you're employed through a broker, you can start legally working as a real estate agent. Generally speaking, your broker can mail in your new status (or somehow alert your state's real estate commission) and you can begin practicing almost immediately.
    • Depending on your state, your active license will be good for anywhere from two to four years.[2] You'll have to get it renewed when it expires if you want to continue working.
  5. Get a mentor. Some companies will give you veritable training wheels -- they'll hand you some of their clients and in return, you'll give them a cut of your sales (don't rely on this however -- in most cases, you'll be left to your own devices).[5] A mentor is also useful to determine your path to success and help you have accurate expectations.
    • Even if your mentor doesn't hook you up with clients, it's great to have a person that can show you the ropes. There's way more to the market than first meets the eye and it'll be invaluable to you to have someone that can introduce strategy into the equation.
  6. Use your own personal network. Being a newbie real estate agent is going to be a lot of "Hey, are you looking to move? No? Do you know anybody who is?" It may seem awkward at first, but after the first 25 times or so, it won't phase you. You'll need to hit up all your friends, their friends, the brothers of their friends, and so on and so forth.
    • This may seem silly, but unless your broker has handed you a pre-established clientele, it's the only way to do it. And since you don't get any money if they don't give you any money, your acquaintances are risking nothing. So it doesn't hurt to ask!
  7. Market yourself. There are some hefty fees to being your own start up, but those fees are the kind that pay off. You'll be making business cards, putting ads in papers, magazines, anything read-able, putting your face on bus stop benches and billboards, bribing Google, and pretty much doing anything you can to seem credible.
    • This will be how you reach out to those not connected to your circle. After the first while, you'll be able to see what pays off and what doesn't and perfect your marketing tactics from there. What does your mentor have to say on the topic?

Rising to the Top

  1. Work with buyers and sellers. When it comes to housing, there are two types of people: buyers and sellers. In order to maximum your list of clients, you need to work with both. Simple logic. Hopefully your broker deals with both ends of the spectrum -- more commission for you!
    • You may develop a preference (both get stressed out in different ways), but you should still stay as flexible as possible and build up your experience on both ends. The more houses you sell, the better information you can give to your buyers -- and vice versa.
  2. Be reliable. You are not telemarketer #107 anymore. Your name and face are not only representing you, but they're representing the company you work for. If you're not reliable, you'll lose clients faster than Bruce Willis went bald. Work your hardest. It may not seem like it pays off now, but it'll pay off in the long run.
    • The thing is with real estate -- you have no repeat customers. It's all about Tammy turning to Tonya and saying, "You're moving? I had a good experience with this gal at Aunt Lo's. Here, lemme give you her card." You have to be so good they not only had a good experience, but it was so good they're confident enough to tell their friends.
  3. Join the NAR. If you want to become a realtor (and you probably do, at least eventually), you have to join the National Association of Realtors (the National Realtor Association didn't abbreviate quite right).[6] It basically comprises of you working with a broker who's affiliated with them, paying dues, and attending a certain number of meetings a month. Not hard work![7] In return, you'll get the status of Realtor, which will give you an air of professionalism and trustworthiness to tote behind your name.
  4. Hustle. Straight up, people are lazy. Selling and buying homes is hard. If you want clients, you'll need to do the brunt of the work. Tom and Nancy are thinking about buying a new home? A lunch date is certainly in order then -- and a stroll through a nice neighborhood near a good school that just so happens to have a few of your houses might just have to happen after.
    • You'll be able to make your own schedule, sure, but it doesn't mean that Tom and Nancy won't call you at 8 PM telling you that they're convinced now that they do want a new home that has that 4th bedroom and they're free tomorrow -- can you make it work? Why, yes, yes you can. That's what you do.
  5. Say goodbye to your nights and weekends. Your clients are probably working 9 to 5, so you'll need to fill in the other hours. Working 24/7 will be pretty common, especially early on in your career. There is nothing stopping a client from calling you on your birthday and giving you a three-hour window to make a sale. You will have to drop everything you have planned and go. That's how it works.
    • Your weekends will be full of showings and open houses. Your client wants the run down of all their options. The more clients you have, the more this will happen. Being successful means working when they want, not when you want.
  6. Widen your sphere of influence. After you've exhausted all your friends, their old college roommates, the mothers of your little sister's girl scout troupe, you name it -- you'll need to play with the big kids. You've got your business cards out there, your name in the local penny saver, now what else? Give a hoot about your community, that's what.
    • If you specialize in a town or neighborhood, you want that town or neighborhood of yours to be synonymous with you. Get on the neighborhood committee. Hold parties. Organize a 5k. Do something that gets people knowing you (for starters) and thinking of you as a trustworthy, go-getting leader. Soon enough, they'll be coming to you.
  7. Become a broker. If you want to be the guy that manages the guys (and gals), you'll need to become a broker. You'll need a few year's experience as an agent and then you can start working your way up towards the next licensed level.
    • Generally speaking, this requires some sort of degree. At the very minimum, you'd need additional classroom training, similar to the kind you got to become an agent. It may not be something to worry about now, but you may want to consider it for the future.



Tips

  • You may need to complete some post-licensing education, depending on your state.
  • This requires virtually shameless self-promoting. Get over yourself now! Dropping your own name has to be as simple as reciting the ABCs.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.bre.ca.gov/Examinees/RequirementsSales.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/real-estate-brokers-and-sales-agents.htm#tab-4
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.trec.state.tx.us/licenses/salesapp.asp
  4. ↑ http://www.bre.ca.gov/files/pdf/faqs/FAQ-RERAPS.pdf
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://placester.com/real-estate-marketing-academy/beginners-guide-to-being-a-real-estate-agent/
  6. ↑ http://www.realtor.org/membership/how-to-join-nar
  7. ↑ http://www.investopedia.com/articles/professionaleducation/10/6-steps-becoming-a-real-estate-agent.asp
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