George Schiaffino Real Estate Agent: Becoming a real estate agent is similar to starting a small business. Even though you'll work within a brokerage of established realtors or real estate agents, you need a startup fund for business expenses and to cover several months of personal expenses while you build your client base.

1. How toBecomeaRealHow toBecomeaReal
EstateAgent?EstateAgent?
GeorgeSchiaffinoGeorgeSchiaffino

2. IntroductionIntroduction
Be co m ing a succe ssful re al e state
ag e nt is a co m binatio n o f g e tting
the rig ht e ducatio n, finding an
e stablishe d bro ke r who can he lp
yo u g e t yo ur first clie nts, and
passing state and natio nallice nsing
e xam s. But that's no t all the re is to
the craft. Re ad o n to find o ut so m e
o f the m o re o ve rlo o ke d aspe cts o f
g e tting into the re al e state
busine ss.

3. Get EducatedGet Educated
No m atte r in which state yo u live , yo u
m ust take pre -lice nsing co urse s.
Ho we ve r, state re q uire m e nts diffe r
g re atly. Fo r instance , Califo rnia
re q uire s thre e co lle g e -le ve l co urse s.
O the rs re q uire a se t num be r o f ho urs
o f e ducatio n. Co ntact yo ur state 's re al
e state co m m issio n fo r yo ur state 's
re q uire m e nts fo r lice nsing . So m e re al
e state ag e ncie s have spe cific
e ducatio n re q uire m e nts, so yo u m ay
have to take an additio nalco urse afte r
be ing hire d o n with an ag e ncy.

4. ChooseaBrokerageChooseaBrokerage
Are al e state bro ke rag e is the ag e ncy o r o ffice fro m which re al e state ag e nts
and bro ke rs wo rk. Since wo rking with a bro ke r is a re q uire m e nt in o rde r to
practice as a re al e state ag e nt, yo u will ne e d to co ntact a bro ke r be fo re
g raduating fro m yo ur training co urse . Bro ke rs have at le ast thre e ye ars
additio nal re al e state training , and can g uide yo u thro ug h the q ue stio ns yo u
have whe n it co m e s to wo rking in the fie ld, as we llas listing and se lling ho m e s.
Whe n yo u lo o k fo r a bro ke r, think abo ut the size o f the bro ke rag e , its re putatio n
and additio nal training o ffe re d. Che ck bro ke r re putatio ns by re ading o nline
co m m e nts, asking frie nds and ne ig hbo rs who the y've had e xpe rie nce s with and
g e tting advice fro m yo ur instructo r o n cho o sing a bro ke r.

5. Get LicensedGet Licensed
Re al e state lice nse s re q uire the
passing o f state and natio nal
e xam s. In additio n, yo u m ay
have to pro vide a crim inal
backg ro und che ck. Be twe e n the
co urse s, e xam and lice nse fe e s
fo r a re al e state sale spe rso n,
yo u can e xpe ct to pay at le ast
$20 0 (usually m o re ), tho ug h
price s vary fro m state -to -state .

6. DevelopaRealEstateAgent BudgetDevelopaRealEstateAgent Budget
While be co m ing a re al e state ag e nt isn't che ap, it's che ape r than
e nte ring m any pro fe ssio ns. Start-up fe e s are e stim ate d be twe e n $1 , 50 0 -
2, 0 0 0 , which sho uld be divide d be twe e n lice nsing co urse s, busine ss
cards, sig ns and adve rtising and asso ciatio n fe e s – no t co unting
additio nale xam fe e s.
Since re al e state is a co m m issio n-base d busine ss, yo u'll also ne e d
e no ug h m o ne y se t aside fo r yo u to g e t by fo r a fe w m o nths. The se are
appro xim atio ns o f actual co sts be cause the y can vary base d o n
individualcho ice s and state -by-state co sts.

7. MaketheRealtor/Real EstateAgentMaketheRealtor/Real EstateAgent
DecisionDecision
In o rde r to utilize the title
"re alto r, " yo u m ust jo in the
Natio nal Asso ciatio n o f
Re alto rs (NAR). This is do ne
by cho o sing an affiliate d
bro ke rag e as we ll as atte nding
a se t num be r o f m e e ting s
de sig nate d by yo ur lo cal
chapte r.

8. BuildYourClient/Referral PortfolioBuildYourClient/Referral Portfolio
The be st way to build yo ur po rtfo lio is two fo ld: g e t a m e nto r, and use yo ur
pe rso nal ne two rk. The be st arrang e m e nt fo r a ne w ag e nt is to find a
m e nto r in the re al e state ag e ncy yo u cho o se who g uide s yo u to wards
buye r/se lle r co ntacts and splits co m m issio n. Yo u'll le arn the pro fe ssio n
fro m yo ur m e nto r, while g aining yo ur first co m m issio n che cks.
Also , asking yo ur frie nds and fam ily fo r re fe rrals o f pe o ple who are
co nside ring buying o r se lling a ho m e is a g re at way to be g in ne two rking .
So m e o ne 's always lo o king fo r a ne w ho m e , and that re fe rral m ay g e t yo u
starte d in yo ur ne w busine ss.

9. ConclusionConclusion
Be co m ing a re al e state ag e nt is
sim ilar to starting a sm all busine ss.
Eve n tho ug h yo u'll wo rk within a
bro ke rag e o f e stablishe d re alto rs o r
re al e state ag e nts, yo u ne e d a
startup fund fo r busine ss e xpe nse s
and to co ve r se ve ral m o nths o f
pe rso nal e xpe nse s while yo u build
yo ur clie nt base . Take e ve ry ste p
se rio usly, and yo u'll have yo ur first
"so ld" sig n up with yo ur saving s
acco unt stillintact.

10. Formoreinformationvisit at:Formoreinformationvisit at:
https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeSchiaffinoTheRealtor/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-schiaffino-6ab6b0120
http://www.slideshare.net/georgeschiafffino
https://twitter.com/gschiaffino
https://georgeschiaffinoblog.wordpress.com/
http://www.georgeschiaffino.us/
http://www.allperfectstories.com/author/georgeschiaffino/

11. Contact UsContact Us
GeorgeSchiaffinoGeorgeSchiaffino
1 0 220 S Do lfie ld Rd, Suite 1 0 6 ,
O wing s Mills, MD 21 1 1 7
http: //www. re bate re altyusa. co m /