Hi Melody –

I would take a look to see if Kaplan has any live or live online classes available to you. Having that real-time instruction, a teacher to be able to create visuals for you, and the back-and-forth of conversation sounds like it would be just the ticket.

Good luck!

Chris

Hi Kim –

Thanks for the question. In order to get started with your real estate career, you’ll need to be affiliated with a brokerage. Most major brokerages are actively recruiting all the time, so it’s a matter of reaching out, letting them know you’re a newly licensed agent (or about to be), and setting up some interviews. As far as joining a real estate team, that is a little trickier; there’s got to be a team that is actively looking for new members that you’ll be a good fit with. If you’re interested in joining a team, I’d start by taking a look in your market at the teams that are doing well and just start doing some cold outreach. Let them know you’re interested in joining a team, inquire as to whether or not they’re looking for new members for their squad, and start to determine if you’d be a good fit.

I’d also suggest checking out our article about the Best Real Estate Brokerages to Work for, as well as How to Get a License in Texas. Both of these articles will provide some helpful insight!

Good luck!

Chris

Hi Diana –

Thanks for the tip, I’ll take a look!

Chris

Thanks,
Diana

Hi Yan –

In Texas, there are required classroom hours (1,000) and an experience threshold (four years of active business in the last five years), plus some other specifics you can read about on the Texas Real Estate Commission’s website.

Chris

Hi Mandy –

Thanks for the question. You can in fact buy and sell real estate without being under the umbrella of a broker, but you would be doing so “for sale by owner”. If you want to have the option of the facilitation of sales of other people’s property, or if you want to charge a commission for your work, you need to have a broker affiliation.

There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, including if you’re a licensed attorney (in some states) or a licensed residential builder (in some states), but even then, doing so without working with a broker wouldn’t give you access to the multiple listing service; the place where the vast majority of sales occur.

If your long term goal is to do flips, getting a real estate license makes a lot of sense. You can act as your own agent, and if you end up finding the buyer for your property, you capture both sides of the commission, minus the broker percentage. After enough transactions and history in the business, you can apply for a broker’s license, which would allow you to work independently as you envisioned.

Chris