The profession of the real estate agent is very promising one since it can provide people with flexible working schedules and good payments. This article will provide a step by step process on how to become a real estate agent in the United States especially Texas, California, and Florida.
Steps To Becoming A Real Estate Agent
To become a real estate agent, one has to pass certain academic requirements and take a state-accredited course and take a license.
Basic Requirements
They should be not less than eighteen years of age, and have passed high school or its equivalent, and have valid Social Security numbers.
Real Estate Agent Education
Real estate agents are very crucial in the selling of properties hence education for the agents is very crucial. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know:
Required Hours
The set time of real estate education courses per state differs, but they range between 60 and 180 hours.
Course Topics
These courses cover a wide range of topics, including:
- Real Estate Law: Knowledge of legal provision and legislation on real estate especially regarding contracts and transactions in general.
- Contracts: Luckily for me, I have already taken an aspect on contracts and as such I was able to learn on different types of contracts, laws associated with contracts as well as the procedure involved in forming and even disposing contracts.
- Ethics: The mapping of the foundational concepts reflecting the ethical code of conduct and practice in trading in real estates.
- Appraisal: Be well informed on the materials and techniques concerning properties appraisal and appraisals.
- Real Estate Principles: Types of property owners’ configurations, property rights, and common real estate terms.
- Real Estate Practices: Acquiring more knowledge about the daily functioning of the average real estate agent, the work he/she performs: advertising properties as listed properties, selling the property or showing the properties, and the ability to complete transactions.
- Finance: Knowledge of some of the most frequent sources of funds for investing in the real estate, namely mortgage and other credits.
- Market Analysis: The main advantage is the learing the skills of evaluating its conditions, the supply and demand, the tendencies level and the prognosis of future changes on the market.
Course Format
These courses can be taken in various formats, including:
- Classroom: More specifically, face-to-face teaching interacts with students, as well as, synchronous online classes with a presence of an educator.
- Online: Flexible, fully-online courses that may be done at one’s own convenient time.
- Correspondence: That is, course mail or online that can be done independently.
Provider Requirements
These courses have to be completed through an accredited provider, this depends on the state the teacher is practicing in. Some popular providers include:
- Real Estate Schools
- Community Colleges
- Online Education Platforms
- Real Estate Associations
Upon the completion of these courses, the real estate agent is in a good stand to pass the exam because of the knowledge and adequate skills that the courses provide together with real estate agent occupation.
Real Estate License
Take and pass the real estate licensing exam that is given by the state in order to become a licensed agent. The exam will be aimed at checking your knowledge about real estates.
How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Texas?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to becoming a real estate agent in Texas:
- Meet a minimum age of 18 years and be a citizen of the United States of America or a legally admitted alien.
- Pass the state written exam and complete 180 hours of Pre-Licensing education courses from a state-approved school.
- pass the final exams for the course.
- To conclude, the licensing application should be done via TREC Online Services.
- Scrape fingerprints to MorphoTrust for the purpose of the background check.
- Therefore, become a licensed Texas Real Estate Salesperson.
- Select a Sponsoring Broker.
How To Become A Real Estate Agent In California?
To become a real estate agent in California, you must:
1. Complete 120 hours of approved real estate education courses, covering topics such as:
- Real estate law
- Contracts
- Ethics
- Appraisal
- Finance
- Real estate practices
2. Pass the licensing exam administered by the California Bureau of Real Estate (CalBRE).
This 120 hours of education and this licensing exam are the important prerequisites to real estate agent in California. You will need the education courses to prepare you for the real estate field while the licensing exam will determine you competence on the California Real Estate laws and practices.
Here’s a breakdown of the 120 hours of education:
- Real Estate Principles (45 hours)
- Real Estate Practice (45 hours)
- Real Estate Law (30 hours)
By the full completion of these courses and passing the licensing exam, you will be in a good standing for getting a license to be a California real estate agent.
How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Florida?
To become a real estate agent in Florida, you must:
1. Complete 63 hours of approved real estate education courses, covering topics such as:
- Real estate principles and practices
- Real estate law
- Contracts
- Ethics
- Appraisal
- Finance
2. Pass the licensing exam administered by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
These 63 hours of education and the licensing exam presented in this work are the fundamental stages on the way to becoming the real estate agent in Florida. The education courses will give you appropriate knowledge and experience needed for the real estate business, and the exam will check your fluency of the Florida real estate laws and procedures.
Here’s a breakdown of the 63 hours of education:
- Real Estate Principles (45 hours)
- Real Estate Law (15 hours)
- Real Estate Ethics (3 hours)
If you obtain these courses and pass the licensing exam, you will be in the right track in attaining your goal of being a Florida licensed real estate agent!
Note: The DBPR also permits you to complete the education courses and sit for the licensing exam within two years from the time you apply for the actual real estate license.
Conclusion
It is not simple to become a real estate agent since it needs hard work, but with hard work, determination and the right education, it is easy to transform this noble business into a success. This information should be studied and it is even better if one can update this knowledge whenever there is a new content to note in order to achieve successful occupation in the capacity of a real estate agent.
