Something unique about the real estate industry is that you can find agents from just about every walk of life. People enter this field with various educational degrees, occupations, and careers. However, the way they obtain their real estate license remains relatively consistent throughout the nation, with slight variations from state to state. Each state, including Washington, DC, regulates its own licensing process, but typically, they consist of the following requirements:

Have to be 18 years old,
have legal US residency,
complete pre-license education,
pass the real estate license exam.

First things first, if you meet the first 2 above requirements, you must enroll in a Real Estate Prelicensing Course. Prospective real estate agents must choose which class they will enter wisely since this education will make or break their careers. Attending a course with respected professors, a comprehensive lesson plan, and at a respected institution will give an advantage over others. In Maryland, for example, 60 hours of approved prelicensing education is required, and some states, like Maryland, will require you to take a final exam at the end of the course in front of a “proctor” and pass with a 70% or higher.

Next, you will have to apply to take the Real Estate Salesperson Exam. You want to set up taking your test soon after you finish your course, so the information is still fresh in your mind. Some states will require you to submit fingerprints and a background check, which could take weeks to process. Check into your state’s requirements early so you can plan to have this part of the application done on time.

Within 1 year of completing your course, you will need to pass the Real Estate Salesperson Exam. Passing this exam might be challenging on your first try, so it is recommended that you take careful time to study and even enroll in prep classes that allow you to take practice tests to get ready for the real one. In Maryland, the national portion of the exam consists of 80 questions and a 90-minute time limit, and the state portion has 30 questions with a 30-minute limit.

When you’ve successfully passed your exam, you still technically aren’t licensed, yet. You will now need to be affiliated with a broker so you can practice when licensed. Only when you have a sponsoring broker will you officially apply for your Real Estate Salesperson License with the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

It is essential that you choose a broker that shares the same values, has a good reputation, continuously trains and educates their realtors, and has a comprehensive marketing plan for their listings.

The Reynolds Team is known for “Reynolds Team University” in which Team Leader, Sarah Reynolds, personally trains her realtors in a weekly course that includes lessons from the top real estate agents in the country. This course has been specially crafted to create the best agents who are adept at problem-solving and negotiating and sign 90% of the appointments they go on.

In addition, The Reynolds Teams’ ISAs (Inside Sales Agents) book appointments for their realtors, so they can spend more time face-to-face with their clients! Debbie and Sarah Reynolds also adapted a unique “servant” leadership style that revolves around how they can serve their employees, not how their employees can serve them. This servanthood also applies to the worthy causes they donate a portion of their income to (Children’s National Hospital, The Fisher House Foundation, etc.), which means that when you work for The Reynolds Team, you are a part of something bigger than just selling homes!

We wish you luck on your journey to becoming a real estate agent! Our team is always hiring and looking for those that match our core values and can keep up with our championship mindset, if that sounds like you, reach out to us at [email protected].

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We are looking to grow in 2021 and bring more like-minded team family members on board! If you are interested in being on the #1 Team in the DMV, #1 Training Team in the WORLD, and match our core values. We would love to talk! [email protected]