If you have the desire to become a certified real estate agent, there are some educational requirements you have to meet first. In order to legally broker a real estate transaction, in any state in the country you must first be a licensed agent. The licensing process is controlled by each state.
To become a licensed real estate agent there are educational requirements you must meet, but to find success in real estate you will want to take your education beyond the bare minimum.
Minimum Requirements
According to the US Department of Labor, the minimum educational requirement to become a real estate agent is a high school diploma and upwards of 90 hours of classroom time specific to the real estate industry, which usually results in an associates degree in real estate. In that class time you will learn how to process the paperwork in a transaction, the real estate laws you need to know for your state, and what you can and cannot represent to a client during the selling process. You are then required to pass a written exam.
You get certified as a real estate agent first, then after you have acquired the necessary field experience you can try for a broker's license. The amount of field experience necessary to qualify for a broker's license varies by state, but generally it is one to three years.
Continuing Education
The process of selling real estate in the United States continues to get more complicated as new laws are added and guidelines for real estate agents are altered. Because real estate tends to change, many real estate firms prefer their agents to have more than just the minimum educational requirements. A bachelor's degree in real estate can enhance your chances of success in the real estate business, and some schools are starting to offer graduate courses in real estate as well. The core of these programs is the study of real estate law, financing, and statistics with a strong concentration in real estate market analysis.
Optional Education
A real estate agent can enhance their background by taking courses that relate to housing but are not necessarily part of the required coursework for becoming an agent.
For example, courses in general contracting can help an agent better recognize potential problem areas in homes and recommend remodeling solutions. Studying residential construction estimating can help enhance the agent's ability to know how much value remodeling can add to a listing.
What Education Is Required to Be a Real Estate Agent?
