When Do You Need To Register With A Broker After Passing State Test

How to Become a Real Estate Agent

Posted by: Kaplan Real Estate Education
Updated: November 22, 2021

Deciding to become a existent estate amanuensis is a major career shift. People enter the real estate industry from diverse occupations and careers and at diverse stages of life. Anybody has different reasons for choosing real estate as the best career choice for them. Only, ane question consistently comes from people looking to enter the real estate industry: "How practise I become a real estate agent?"

It mostly depends on where an private wants to practice real estate. Becoming a real estate agent requires a state license. Each country regulates its own real estate licensing process, and each state'south regulations or rules are slightly different. Only, there are a few basic requirements that are always consequent when getting started in your real manor career.

General Requirements to Become a Real Estate Agent

To be eligible to become a licensed real estate salesperson or agent, you must:

Exist at least eighteen or nineteen years old (depends on the land)
Have legal US residency
Consummate your required prelicense education
Pass your land real manor license examination

These items represent the high-level checklist of what it takes to become a licensed existent estate agent. Just at that place are a lot of decisions you lot need to make along the style that volition determine your level of success in your real manor career.

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Is Becoming a Real Estate Agent Right For Yous?

The kickoff step in this procedure is making sure that real estate is right for you. As a real manor salesperson, each day is spent working for you. This means handling your own office management, paperwork, prospecting leads, developing relationships, managing contacts, and dealing with buyers and sellers.

As for the salary range of a existent estate agent, that corporeality depends on the number of backdrop you sell and your commission pct for those sales. This earning construction is known equally operation-based committee. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the salary of an average existent estate agent is around $62,990 (2020).

Attain out to local real estate agents and brokers and inquire them questions about what the day-to-day work is similar. Ask questions about real estate as a long-term career. Starting a full-time career every bit a real estate agent can't exist treated like a hobby. It requires a full commitment.

Thinking nigh starting a real estate career? Download the Launching Your Real Estate Career eBook.

What Can Yous Practise With a Real Manor License?

More than condign a existent estate agent, getting your real estate license opens the door to other opportunities within the housing industry. Here are just a few examples of real manor-related careers:

Real Estate Broker: Manages a team of real estate agents.
Appraiser: Verifies the value of a real estate belongings.
Property Manager: Oversees and maintains real estate backdrop.
Real Manor Investor: Buys and sells existent estate properties for financial gain - similar to business firm flippers.
Real Estate Attorney: Provides or examines the closing documents of a real estate transaction.
Dwelling house Inspector: Inspects the condition of a belongings before purchase.
Mortgage Loan Officer: Works with a fiscal institution to originate belongings loans.
Real Manor Photographer: Captures interior and exterior images of commercial and residential real estate properties.
Firm Stager: Ensures a property looks its best for potential buyers.

How Long Does it Take to Go a Existent Manor Agent?

On average, information technology takes 4 to 6 months to complete your required real manor courses and pass the licensing exam. However, there are a few factors that influence the time it takes to become a real estate agent. These factors include whether you accept your real estate courses online or in-classroom, which land you're obtaining your real estate license, and how many times it takes y'all to laissez passer the licensing test.

Online vs. In-Classroom Real Estate Courses

Ane of these factors depends on your learning style. If yous prefer learning in a traditional classroom setting, that could take around 4 to six months to consummate your courses and become your real estate license. But if you'd rather take your real estate courses online, it could take a mere 8 weeks.

Land-Specific Real Manor Educational activity Requirements

Each state has its own requirements earlier issuing a real estate license. Overall, states require specific pre-licensing courses earlier you accept the examination. These requirements, including the number of credit hours needed, can vary from state to country.

How Many Attempts You'll Demand to Pass Your Real Estate Licensing Test

The topics covered in a real manor licensing exam tin can vary in each state. Passing your examination on the first try might be ideal, merely it doesn't always work out that way. In the event that you lot need a second endeavor, consider these variables:

How many times can I have the exam in my country?
How ofttimes is the existent estate exam offered in my state?
Is at that place required downtime between exams in my state?

How Difficult is it to Get Your Real Estate License?

In brusk, getting your real manor license doesn't accept to exist difficult or overly complicated. Just empathize the time and try needed to:

Complete your required real manor prelicensing courses
Written report for the real estate exam
Pass the exam
Register your new existent estate license with your country

How Much Does it Cost to Go a License and Get a Real Manor Agent?

It might not cost as much as you look - from a couple of hundred dollars to merely over a m. How much you'll spend on existent manor schoolhouse depends on your preferred learning fashion and the required education hours in your state. Find your state from this list to see what you tin can expect.

A few dissimilar options are available to you, including live online courses, on-demand courses, domicile study, and prelicensing didactics.

Live Online: $300 - $900+: Combines the stability of having a scheduled class time with the convenience of a live instructor from the condolement of your ain dwelling.
On-Demand: $200 - $800+: Complete the work on your own time! This is a great option for busy parents, students, and professionals who aren't able to attend courses on a set schedule.
Dwelling Study: $180 - $600: For those working with a tight upkeep and have the drive to consummate courses independently.

What is the Difference Between a Real Manor Agent and a Real Estate Banker?

Simply put, you have to be a real estate agent first to get a broker. Only real manor agents aren't always brokers. Real estate agents must achieve and maintain a professional license to help their clients buy, sell, and rent real estate backdrop. A broker is a real manor professional with further education, preparation, and license requirements. Brokers might work independently, but often hire a squad of real estate agents to work for them.

How to Become a Real Estate Agent

While the specifics vary by state, there are v steps that every individual must have to earn their license and go a real estate amanuensis.

Pace ane to Becoming a Existent Estate Agent: Empathise Your Country's Real Estate Licensing Requirements

Each state'southward real manor licensing requirements are different. Your land's real estate commission website volition list the official prelicensing requirements. Kaplan Real Estate Education offers a couple of resources that narrow this noesis gap down. The Steps to Licensing resources below is designed to show, in simple steps, what it takes to get licensed in each state, including California, Minnesota, and North Carolina. In addition, Kaplan offers a page dedicated to each state'south real estate licensing and continuing education requirements.

Step 2 to Becoming a Real Estate Agent: Enroll in a Real Manor Prelicensing Course

There are a diversity of ways y'all can complete your real estate prelicensing instruction requirements. For example, live classrooms at real manor schools, some realty firms, universities, and technical schools offer real estate licensing programs with home-study and online course opportunities.

This is an important decision in your journeying. Make sure you enroll with a schoolhouse that has an excellent reputation, offers quality content and instructors, and is focused on positive educatee outcomes. Your real manor licensing didactics will be comprehensive, but it will besides be the springboard to a successful career equally a real estate professional. Kaplan Real Estate Education offers a variety of user-friendly ways to complete your education.

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Real Estate Agent Reciprocity

By and big, real estate is a state-specific profession. This is because existent manor laws very oftentimes differ from each land. However, existent estate license reciprocity allows electric current agents from sure states to utilize for a real estate license in a different state without taking all of that state's required pre-licensing courses.

For case, the land of Colorado allows license reciprocity for all fifty states. Existence able to fulfill your job duties in multiple states tin lead to a various and exciting career. With a career in real estate, the possibilities are endless!

Step 3 to Condign a Real Estate Agent: Employ To Take the Real Manor Salesperson Exam

Timing is important at this footstep. Make sure you are following the awarding process with your state so you tin can sit down for your real estate agent examination soon after you terminate your courses. This process will be state-specific and include a fee. Check with your state'south real manor regulatory authority for complete details on how and where to take your real manor test.

Some states require you to submit fingerprints and pass a background check. This tin accept weeks to process. In many states, the application process must be consummate before y'all can annals or schedule your examination engagement. Don't let the paperwork become a roadblock to getting started in your new existent estate career.

Pace 4 to Becoming a Real Estate Agent: Pass the Real Estate Salesperson Examination

Passing the existent manor test takes more than than finishing the educational requirements—it takes preparation. Not everyone passes the exam the first time. Preparing yourself to pass the state exam takes additional study time.

Kaplan highly recommends enrolling in a existent estate test prep form. Because the ultimate goal is to assistance you laissez passer the exam, nearly of Kaplan's prelicensing packages include the comprehensive Test Prep Course. Taking practice exams, measuring your strengths and weaknesses, and working through the comprehensive topical reviews will acuminate your knowledge and prepare you for exam 24-hour interval.

Show up to the exam location with a positive attitude, respond the questions using the massive knowledge banking concern you accumulated in your studies, and walk out with a passing form on your real manor test!

Step 5 to Becoming a Existent Estate Agent: Find a Existent Estate Broker

Your passing grade on your existent estate licensing examination doesn't quite hateful y'all have a license yet. A real estate salesperson (agent) is licensed to human action on behalf of a banker, however, may non act as a real estate agent independently. Consider finding a real estate broker early in your licensing procedure.

Once y'all have completed your prelicensing education requirements and passed your test, you and your broker volition both need to complete the last paperwork with the land. After your form is accepted, your license will exist issued, and you may practice real estate under the sponsorship of the banker. Keep in listen that at that place are a number of items to consider when finding the right existent estate brokerage.

Good luck on your journey to condign licensed, besides as your eventual successful career as a real estate agent! Each solar day tin can be unique and different for a real manor agent, and information technology can be a very rewarding and exciting career!

To get started obtaining a existent manor license where yous live, merely select your state from our list of real estate course options.

FREE eBook: Launching Your Existent Estate Career

Wouldn't it be great if you lot could sit downwardly with a room total of successful existent manor professionals and inquire them for career advice? We asked several accomplished real estate professionals what they wish they knew before they earned their license and started their career, and what they thought all aspiring existent estate professionals should know. We put all of their communication into a value-packed eBook.

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