Six Steps to Becoming a Real Estate Agent

by Kim Gibbons

If you connect well with others, enjoy a commission-based career, and love working variable hours, you are off to a good start for a career in real estate. On the other hand, if you require a stable monthly income and a standard Monday through Friday nine-to-five type job, a real estate career will not be the best match for you. Before beginning your career as a real estate agent you want to make sure that your personality is an ideal match. If so, here are the six necessary steps to becoming a real estate agent.

1.       Contact the Real Estate Commission for your home state.

Each state has its own pre-licensure requirements and procedures for becoming a real estate agent. It is important that you contact the Real Estate Commission for your home state to find out what these requirements and procedures are. In many states, you will need to be 18 years of age, have a high school diploma (or GED), and be able to pass a criminal background check.

2.       Research real estate schools.

Not all real estate schools are created equal. Therefore, it is important that you research several different schools.  You can either attend a real estate school in person or you can take your pre-licensing courses online. You can also check your local college and see if they offer the mandatory pre-licensing real estate courses. It is important to find out from each school what percentage of their students graduate their program. In addition, you will need to find out what percentage of their students pass the state exam the first time. The answer to these two questions will be a good indication as to the quality of the real estate schools you are considering.

3.       Attend real estate school.

If you are taking online courses it is likely that you will be able to begin your real estate program immediately. If not, you will need to wait until the official start date to begin your courses. Depending on which state you live in, you will attend school anywhere from 30-120 hours. However, if you tend to be a slow learner or have difficulty retaining information plan on spending quite a bit more time than the state required course hours.

4.       Take and pass your state exam.

Once you’ve completed your real estate program and are confident with everything you’ve learned, you can schedule and take your state licensing exam. Make sure you have adequately prepared for the exam beforehand.  In many states the exam will take three to four hours to complete.

5.       Affiliate with a real estate brokerage firm.

Affiliating with a brokerage firm simply means choosing the real estate agency you want to work for. There are many wonderful brokerage firms to choose from. Visit a few real estate agencies before committing to one. You will want to choose the brokerage firm that you resonate with the strongest.

6.       Obtain your license to practice real estate.

Once you have completed the above steps you are free to obtain your license to practice real estate.  There will be a fee to have your license issued.

Becoming a real estate agent isn’t complicated at all. It does require research, an investment of time, and dedication to completing each necessary step. It is a goal that can be accomplished in as little as a month (for the truly dedicated) or one that can be accomplished in a couple of years. 

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The Maryland Association of Realtors has a thorough and informative website that you can find at www.mdrealtor.org. The provide information on the benefits of being a real estate agent, specifics of commercial real estate, and education and events. You may want to go straight to their Rookie Realtors section, where you can register for seminars, request a brochure and read about the program’s history. It’s a good place to start if you’re considering real estate as a career. The State of Maryland requires candidates to be at least 18 years of age, to have completed 60 hours of approved real estate classroom instruction, and to have passed the real estate exams; a written commitment of affiliation from a brokerage needs to accompany the real estate license application.