to become a real estate sales agent do they have to own properties. like what do they work as ? and how can i become one in the future. Im 17 yrs old ! please give me as much as infromation possible. Thank You
You do have to take a real estate course and pass a state licensing exam. Then you find a broker to work for. As a real estate agent you will list properties for sale and you will show properties to potential buyers. As a Realtor you have to belong to the Board of Realtors and usually the MLS. So, be advised that there are fees involved in becoming a Realtor. First, you have to pay to take the real estate classes, then you pay to take the real estate exam, then you pay to join the Board of Realtors and MLS. Also, you will split your commission with the broker or pay a monthly fee to the broker. Then you have to take continuing education each year and renew your license each year. The Board of Realtor fees and MLS fees are also yearly fees. Depending on where you live, you might do really well as a Realtor or you might not. It is not an easy job. You have to get out there and work it. Most people don't succeed in real estate working it part time. If you want to do this as a career then you have to put forth a lot of effort, like calling people who have their houses for sale by owner and try to convince them to list it with you, calling people whose listings have expired and try to get them to list with you, calling potential buyers, contacting people you know to see who they know who is looking to buy or sell, etc. There's also quite a bit of paperwork involved. There's paperwork for when you list a house and paperwork for when you sell a house. You also attend the closing at the lawyer's office with your clients. Real estate is not a Mon - Fri 9-5 job. You have to be available evenings and weekends or whenever is convenient for your clients.
As the others said, no you are not required to own property to be a real estate agent. In most states, you have to take a course, pass a background check, take and pass the test. It was almost $2,000 for the course, the background check, testing fee, membership fees, etc., etc. when I was licensed. You are essentially your own boss, so you have to be disciplined, organized and meticulous. It is very easy for new agents to fall into bad habits, and they do not become successful. There is a high percentage of people that enter the business and leave within 6 months without closing a transaction, most quit within 2 years. But if you have the right skills, are a people person, can develop good work habits, are self-motivated and are a good negotiator, you may do fine. There is no typical day for me in this business. It usually starts off with me checking my emails, looking at what is new on the market today, generally working on the computer. That is where any consistency ends. On any given day I could be showing property, going to a closing, fixing problems, working on my marketing, listing property for sale, cleaning my car (you take clients out in your car, it has to look good), developing advertising, holding an open house, chatting on various social media venues, negotiating offers, doing paperwork, volunteer work, it goes on and on.
Whoa... no you don't have to own property to be a real estate agent. They work as pretty much a middle man in deals. If you have someone who is looking for a house... the agent will do the research and leg work to find a house that fits their needs... they will set up the appointments and act as the mediator in the deal if they do decide to buy the house. They also are the ones who SELL houses. They once again would do all the leg work of listing the house, advertising it, and finding potential buyers. I do NOT suggest going into this proffession fresh out of high school. It can be very expensive at first. Schooling/license can cost $1800 or more... most of the advertising, cell phone, gas, computer, etc are ALL your expenses. You are pretty much running and owning your own business.
In most states, you must attend a real estate sales school, then take a state test to get your license to sell real estate. Then you must find a broker willing to hire you for a set number of years (3yrs in my state) then you can go back to school and take another state test to become a broker. If you get your broker license, you can go out on your own. Owning real estate is not a requirement, but most people selling real estate do own real estate investments.
