Working in real estate offers a great deal of variety. There are many clients and different types of properties, so you certainly won’t be doing the same thing every day. If you become a real estate agent or run a real estate agency, you will get to meet many people and benefit from the satisfaction of helping both buyers and sellers go through significant milestones in their lives.
Apart from the satisfaction, real estate offers good money as well. By now, you are probably hooked and thinking where to begin, right? Here’s a quick breakdown of how to get into real estate.
First Steps
Getting into real estate is relatively easy compared to other careers with the same earning potential. Also, the process of getting the license is relatively affordable, and you don’t need to go to college and obtain a degree for it.
Step 1: Research Your Local Options
With real estate, each state has its legal requirements. Therefore, before you decide which pre-licensing course you need to do, it is essential to go through your local requirements first. This is not a complex process. All you need to do is search online, and you will probably find all the information you need. Once you have that information at hand, you can then make a sound decision regarding training.
Step 2: Take a pre-licensing course
There are several pre-licensing courses you can do. With the proper course, you will learn everything that’s needed for you to become a real estate professional. These real estate courses are available both in class or online. However, the course content might vary depending on your area and the laws regarding the practice of real estate in your state.
Step 3: Pass your licensing exam
People usually get pretty nervous upon hearing the word “exam.” However, with real estate, the success rate with exams is relatively high. There are a lot of resources that you can use to get ready for your real estate exam. You can use online programs to prepare for your pre-licensing exam as well.
Once you feel you have prepared enough, go online and look for a testing center near you. There usually is a registration process, after which you will be given an exam date. If possible, the center might even offer you a simulation test before the actual exam so that you can get enough practice and gain confidence.
About the Licensing Exam
The real estate licensing exam contains both the national and state portions. Depending on how the particular center structures its exams, you may have to take these sections separately or simultaneously.
Remember to bring valid identification on the day of the exam. If you don’t know which identification is needed by the exam center, ask them before the day of the exam to avoid any unnecessary inconvenience. You don’t want to prepare for an exam then fail to enter because you brought the wrong ID.
Launch your real estate career
Once you are done with the exam and pass, it will be time to launch your real estate career. This usually involves locating a brokerage in your niche:
Below are some points to consider when looking for a brokerage:
- Do they provide any lucrative opportunities?
- Do they use technology to promote and manage their real estate business?
- Are they staying up to date when it comes to the current marketing best practices?
- Is the brokerage working in a niche that you are interested in?
- What form of financial support system do they have for their agents?
Your brokerage will have a significant impact when it comes to how much you will learn. If you manage to get a good brokerage, your earning might even triple.
Grow your real estate business
Statistics show that your income as a real estate agent will likely double after the first year. So don’t despair if it seems like things are not going as planned when you are just starting. To grow your career and business, you must find a mentor to point you in the right direction. There is a lot to learn from someone who has been in the industry for a while.
Apart from that, you should make it a point to network with other agents and professionals in the industry. You never know that opportunities might arise from associating with the right people. Also, try to stay committed when it comes to best practices. Research shows that high earners know and adapt their workflow to the latest real estate trends.
Getting into real estate might seem like a challenge when you start, but it’s a simple and straightforward process. When it comes to satisfaction, real estate professionals are ranked as some of the happiest workers. Taking the first steps to launch your real estate career might be the best move you will ever make.