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Associate Degree in Real Estate

How to Earn your Degree in Real Estate

Your first question might be can I get a real estate license online? The answer is YES. For starters you have chosen an exciting career and we wish you all the luck with your new adventure. Becoming a licensed real estate agent in your state is easier that you might think. Each state has rules and requirements you must meet in order for you to receive your license and practice in your state. We have compiled a list of all real estate commissions for the US. After requesting information from our listed approved real estate schools, be sure you check out the rules and regulations in your state. All states have an age requirement that you must meet which is typically 18 years of age. Most of the states require that you have a certain amount of education credits. These credits can be in the form of a college education or experience. If you don’t have the property amount of education requirements, most of the schools have courses you can take to satisfy those requirements. You can find real estate license classes online easiely by selecting your state first.

Your first step, and this depends on each state, is to take what is called a Principles Course or pre-license course(s). This courses will teach you all about real estate including rules and regulations in your state, how to conduct a sale, etc. As mentioned every state is different when it comes to requirements but you’ll need to ask the school where you will be taking your course what those requirements are. This is a real quick stage in obtaining your license and will involve taking quizzes and tests in order for you to pass the course. Your second step once you have completed the mandatory pre-licensing course is to study for the state required exam. Every school has their own proven methods to study for the state exam. Some provide you with CD-ROM guides that contain questions and answers for the state exam while others have video and DVD’s on helpful tips and tricks on how to pass your test. The thing to remember when choosing a school is to pick a course that best fits your needs. If you are great with a computer and would love to be taught online then consider one of the real estate schools we have listed. Also remember that even online schools will send you books so you have the option of studying online or the traditional method. If memorizing questions and answers is easy for you then you should consider a school that has such a product. This second step is the most important step as you need as much information as possible when you go and take your state exam.

Your last step is to register to take your final exam with the state. This is where all of your hard work and preparation pays off. Of course every state is different when it comes to taking the exam. Some are multiple choices and contain 100 questions where some are longer and might have T&F or essay type questions. All of the test no matter what state you are in will have a minimum passing score that must be reached in order for you to get your license. Once you are completed and pass the state exam you are given a salesperson trainee status where you will be allowed to work under a broker as an agent or salesperson. Some schools offer placement packages and help you find a job. With your license you can now apply to real estate jobs with some of the largest real estate brokers in the nation. Here is list of some of the largest ones that you can research.

Why should you start a career in real estate?

The best thing about becoming a salesperson is the freedom of being your own boss. You have the luxury of setting your own hours and the harder you work the more money you will make. With the real estate industry booming across the nation, you’re choosing a lifelong career and one where you can be successful as long as you work hard. I’m sure you see it or have heard other talk about the business they have just opened up with a friend or family member selling real estate. You see more mother and daughter real estate teams or husband and wife teams. This is a great career where you hold the keys to your success. Also the great thing about real estate is you don’t need a college degree to get started. The job outlook is strong and as long as people are buying and selling houses you’ll have a great career. Agents typically earn a commission for every house they sell. Either they are helping a buyer find a home or they helping a seller sell their home. As an agent your #1 priority is to work with clients and help them with all of their real estate needs. Most agents earn 2-3% of the total selling price of the home. In California, where the medium single family home price is over $500,000, you would make approximately $15,000 in commission if you sold a house in that region. Not a bad paycheck for showing a house. Some of the wealthiest individuals in the world all hold a stake in real estate.

Where do you go to take your real estate test?

The test that you take from the real estate school typically can be proctored. That is you’ll need to have someone that is not related to you watch you take your final exam. If this is an online school please ask them how this can be accomplished as they will send you the proper forms or instruct you on how to have the exam proctored. When it comes time to take the actual state exam you will go to your local real estate state office. They are the ones that must administer the final test. Every state is different so please check with your local real estate commission to find out where and when they administer the exams. A common Scenario is a potential buyer wants to purchase a house and start to search for an agent to sell their home. They check the local papers, perhaps have received a flyer from you in the mail or they might have done an internet search. Once they find an agent they will set up an appointment for a meeting. This is where you as an agent determine the needs of the buyer as well as pre-qualify the buyer.

At this point you as the agent will want them to sign a loyalty contract simply stating that they won’t work with any other agents. You don’t want to start showing homes without this agreement. Then what you’ll do after looking into what type of home the buyers want to purchase is to pull listing from the MLS system on home that are for sale in the area and price range they are looking for. Typically agent pull a wide range of higher priced and lower priced homes to give the buyers a nice selection. Once you have all the listings is it time for you and the buyers to start to look at the homes. It might be a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with the area before you take a look at the property with your potential buyer. As the buyer’s agent you need to know everything you can about the property. Point out both the good and bad in regards to the house. Once they have decided on a house it is time to put in an offer. This can be very time consuming as most sellers will come back with a counter offer if you are not willing to pay full price for a home. In some markets like California it is not uncommon to actually pay more than the listing price of the home to secure the deal.

When an offer is accepted then it is your responsibility to make sure all the proper paperwork and loose ends are taken care of. Once a home inspection is taken place of the property it is up to you as the agent to negotiate with the sellers what areas you would like fixed. Again in some markets there might not be room for any negotiation, especially if the property is in a hot market. Once everything has been completed the house goes into escrow and can take approx. 30 days to close. This is where the bank goes over the documents; the appraisal work is completed, etc. You might think that once the deal is done your done with the sale but in fact this is a great opportunity to continue to make sure the homeowners is 100% happy. Remember that if the buyer is happy then they will use you again and again as well as refer you to other people that they know. Also when it comes time for the new owners to sell their house they won’t even think twice about calling you to list their house. If you want to get your real estate license online then you found the perfect site. Research any of the real estate schools listed above and request your free information.


 

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