Real estate agents are intermediaries between real estate buyers and sellers.
A licensed real estate agent has either acquired a real estate salesperson's license or a real estate broker's license. Most individuals first get their real estate salesperson's license, and after a certain amount of years of experience, they might undergo the state requirements for a broker's license. Real estate sales agents must be affiliated with a broker to work; however, real estate brokers may begin selling property after they procure their broker's license.
License Activation
Aspiring real estate sales agents and brokers are required to activate their license with the appropriate state government office that handles real estate licensing procedures. After completing real estate courses required by your state with a state-approved real estate licensing school, you are required to pass a state examination and activate your license by paying associated fees, including board fees, licensing fees and multiple listing fees. New real estate sales agents and brokers must wait until the state real estate commission office processes their application and mails them their licenses. If you are renewing your license, you must comply with your state's continuing education requirements to activate your license.
Brokerage
After activating their real estate licenses, many agents search for employment opportunities with real estate agencies. Most real estate agencies are brokerage firms, and the agency's sales agents sell residential or commercial properties under the guidance of the brokerage firm. Real estate sales agents are required to work under the authority of a real estate broker. On the other hand, real estate brokers may sell property without the assistance of a real estate agent. Therefore, if you have obtained your real estate broker's license, you are not required to work in association with another real estate broker.
Marketing
Many real estate agents are self-employed or work as independent contractors. Marketing your business to consumers in the real estate industry is an essential part of being a licensed real estate agent. Real estate agents spend a considerable amount of time prospecting for property listings and prospecting for buyers. Real estate agents also negotiate with sellers to create listing prices for properties and develop marketing strategies for finding buyers. This type of marketing may include listing the property's benefits and selecting ways to communicate this information to the target audience of potential buyers.
Continuing Education
Most states require real estate sales agents and brokers to complete continuing education courses to comply with state license renewal requirements.
