What’s The Fastest Way To Become A Realtor?

So you want to be a successful realtor in the quickest time frame. You’ll need to invest time in your education, pass the licensing exam, and find a broker to help you manage your first clients. Is that all? No, there’s a lot more for stepping into the industry. Check out some of these really important aspects and find the fastest way to become a successful realtor!

Getting Educated

For becoming a realtor, at first you need to be educated. Research real estate schools and get yourself enrolled at a real estate school. Different states have varying hour requirement and there are a few states offering online courses too. In many states, you must complete a 90 hour real estate course. The students taking these courses may choose to attend the classes on weekends or continuously over a period of time. If your aim is to become a realtor in the fastest possible timeline, it’s better to sign up for a course which is carried out in consecutive days. That way you get to complete a 6 month course within 2 weeks!

Finding a Brokerage

One of the main function of a real estate brokerage agency is to offer clients for realtors. For practicing as a realtor, you must work with a broker. It’s good to contact a broker when you’re attending the training course. Brokers can be really helpful as they are highly experienced and have gone through additional training in this industry. They can help you and guide you whenever you’re in a critical situation regarding your work field, listing or selling homes and any other issues.

While choosing your broker, it’s important to keep in mind the size and reputation of the brokerage. This can be done by studying web comments and checking out references from friends and neighbors. Sometimes your course instructor can also be very helpful and advice on choosing your brokerage.

Getting Licensed

For getting your realtor license, you’ll have to contact with the real estate department of your state. The department will inform you of everything required. Basically an applicant has to pass the state approved real estate course, pass the state exam and submit an application to the real estate board. Learn about all the requirements of your state. This will be help you to quickly prepare and move towards your goal.

Usually the state departments require fingerprints and background checks. Have them done as fast as possible. If there is a possibility that your background has questions that might delay the process, make sure to resolve them right away.

After completing the real estate course and passing the class test, the next step is to go to a test center and take the state exams. A delay in the exam will result into delaying your time for getting that real estate license and in most cases, will increase your probability of failure.

You’ll need to pay approximately $200 for the exam and the license fees, although this amount is most likely to vary a little from state to state. .

Planning A Realtor Budget

You can’t become a realtor at a very cheap price. However, it is cheaper than the entrance cost for most other professions. You can start with around $1500-2000, which will be distributed for paying for license courses, signs, advertising, business cars, community fees etc.

You have to keep in mind that the real estate industry is fully based on commission. So you’ll need to have sufficient money to get along for the first few months. The approximated costs will vary depending on the choice of individuals and the costs in a specific state.

The Timeline To Becoming A Realtor

It’s not easy to provide an exact timeline as becoming a realtor depends on a lot of factors. For becoming a real estate agent, you need to get educated first. And the required coursework has different time frames for different states. For the state of Florida, you need a 63 hours approved course and in New York, the required coursework is 75 hours. In California, the requirements are lengthier comprising of three 45 hours long courses.

The timeline will also vary depending on where exactly you’re completing your real estate education. The traditional real estate schools offer a fixed number of courses per week and the completing of the course usually requires 4 to 6 months. If you go for online courses, this can be completed in just a couple of weeks. However, you need to research properly and determine the best online course for getting your real estate education.

Apart from the education factor, the application and exam process time also matters. It can take from days to weeks for getting a real estate license. There are some states where the test results and temporary license are offered at the spot. The states where automated licensing system has not started yet, will require applying via mails and a waiting period for the results to be published.

As a realtor, you will have to go through extensive training, examination and certification before being awarded with the license to sell real estate. So the average time for becoming a realtor is about 3 months and in the fastest cases – 45 to 60 days.  

Becoming a realtor is almost like starting a small business. Although you’ll have to work under a brokerage or a group of experienced real estate agents, a startup fund is important for covering your first few months, as you develop your client base. Make sure that you’re extremely determined at whatever you’re doing and you’ll see yourself as a successful realtor in no time!