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We at CENTURY 21 Home Center hope the following information will give you the essential facts about getting started in a career that promises to open new success opportunities for you. WHAT IS A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE? Many successful real estate careers are built in the exciting area of residential sales, but there are many other areas of specialization from which to choose. Some of the more common ones are commercial and industrial sales and/or leasing, property management, and real estate appraisal. Any one of these areas, or a combination of them, provides all the right ingredients for a fascinating and rewarding career. In addition, the CENTURY 21® SYSTEM is one of the largest international real estate sales organization in the world, with 8,900 offices participating in a worldwide referral and relocation network which brings more business and money to our sales associates. WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO EARN? There is no limit on the amount of money you can earn in this business if you are willing to invest your time and effort. Of course, incomes may vary dramatically with geographic region, property types, commission rate, as well as other variables. But one thing is certain, the business will yield a return that is in direct proportion to the amount of effort expended. The more energy you put into it, the more you will get out of it in financial rewards and satisfaction. IS IT TRUE THAT I WILL RECEIVE 7% OF EVERY There is no set rate paid by a seller when using the services of a real estate agency. The rate paid is completely negotiable between the seller and the agency. In a simple transaction, when the property is sold, the agency will receive the commission agreed upon with the seller. The agent who was responsible for the sale will then receive a percentage of the commission. The agent who obtained the listing will also receive a percentage of the commission, and the broker will retain the balance. So, it is possible to earn a commission not only for selling real estate, but for listing it as well. Commissions can be earned in other ways also, such as renting property and through the CENTURY 21 REFERRAL NETWORK. WHAT HOURS CAN I EXPECT TO WORK? Hours are generally dictated by office policy. In many cases, however, you have much flexibility as to when and how long you will work. This will entirely depend on your own personal and financial goals. Also, it should be noted that a career in real estate may require some irregular hours, as it is during these times when buyers and sellers are often available. IS A LICENSE REQUIRED TO BECOME A REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON? HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING THE LICENSE? You must first take a 60 hour pre-licensing course has been approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Maryland Real Estate Commission as satisfying the minimum educational requirements to sit for the Maryland Real Estate Salesperson Examination. The objective of the course is to familiarize the student with the basic principles involved in the sale, purchase, lease, ownership, transfer of real estate from the contractual, financial and agency perspectives of real estate transactions and Maryland Real Estate Law. All 60 hours must be attended. A course exam must be passed before a certificate of successful completion can be issued. A passing score of 75% is required on both the General and Law exam. Students may have 2 chances to obtain a passing grade on the final exams. If the student fails on either exam on the 2nd try, the student will not be eligible to receive a certificate of successful completion. . Upon successful completion of the course, students will be given a "Certificate of Completion" required to sit for the State PSI exam.
WHEN ARE THE COURSES OFFERED? Most schools offer the course mornings, full days, evenings and Saturdays. You can take the course based on your schedule. Here are lists of approved real estate schools in the area. Camelot Real Estate Academy Click here for schedule. Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate (online course) Click here for schedule Long & Foster Institute of Real Estate (Instructor led-Live Class) Click here for schedule School of Real Estate.com Click here for schedule. ASIDE FROM THE COURSE AND THE EXAMINATIONS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER PREREQUISITES? To qualify for a Real Estate Salesperson license, you must be at least 18 years of age and have high school diploma or the equivalent. AFTER COMPLETING THE COURSE, MUST I TAKE THE STATE EXAM IMMEDIATELY? Obviously it is to your best advantage to take the exam as soon after completing the course as possible. However, you have up to one year to complete the entire licensing process. After that, the certification of having successfully completed the prescribed course will expire. IS THE REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON´S COURSE AND STATE EXAM VERY DIFFICULT? No, the education requirements are easily met, including the math involved with the course which is simple arithmetic applied to real estate situations. With regular attendance in class and home study, the passing requirements are well within the abilities of most students. WHAT IF I DON´T PASS THE EXAM? If you fail the exam, you may continue to take it each month until passed, up until the expiration of the school certification. AFTER PASSING THE STATE EXAM, HOW LONG UNTIL I ACTUALLY RECEIVE MY LICENSE? Normally, you will receive your exam results within two weeks of the examination date. When you pass, you will receive a temporary license with your results, which qualifies you for immediate employment until your permanent license is processed. WHAT ARE THE JOB OPPORTUNITIES ONCE I GET MY LICENSE? Good real estate salespeople are always in demand. Your real estate license is easily transferable to any real estate broker.
The primary objective of the Real Estate Salesperson´s Course is to prepare you to pass the state examination on the first attempt. Practical and formal training will be provided by our firm once you affiliate with us. The CENTURY 21® SYSTEM is recognized as having the best training in the industry designed to make you more productive faster, along with more advanced, specialized continuing education options at no charge to you other than your training materials. In addition, CENTURY 21 Home Center will provide an in-house training program which will guide you through the steps of each transaction until you acquire the confidence to handle them on your own. IS IT TRUE THAT I WILL BE MY OWN BOSS? Most licenses are independent contractors, which relieves many of the pressures that commonly exist in an employer/employee relationship. IS IT EXPENSIVE TO GET STARTED? Not at all. Your initial costs will be those of the pre-licensing course, the examination fee, and nominal licensing fees. There are very few professions with the income potential of the real estate business that have such low entry level costs. In addition to the licensing costs, there are various other expenses such as business cards, career apparel, Board of Realtors and MLS dues which are also tax deductible business expenses. Remember, you are essentially in business for yourself and your real estate expenses are tax deductible. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REAL ESTATE BROKER AND A REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON? A broker is the person who actually owns or manages the real estate office. He or she represents the property owner or seller in a real estate transaction. The broker has served an apprenticeship as a salesperson and has met the more stringent educational requirements for earning a broker´s license. A salesperson, on the other hand, comes under the direct supervision of a broker and represents the broker/agency in real estate transactions. DO I NEED A REAL ESTATE BROKER TO SPONSOR ME? You do need to associate with a broker after passing the exam and before going to work because all real estate salespeople must be under the direct supervision of a real estate broker and are not permitted to practice on their own. WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE CENTURY 21? Why not start at the top? The CENTURY 21® SYSTEM is the largest International real estate sales organization in the world. Since 1971, the CENTURY 21® SYSTEM has grown to 8,900 offices in the United States and 61 countries worldwide with a highly recognized image, training programs, largest referral network in the world, and one of the best mass media advertising campaigns in the real estate industry. On a local level, CENTURY 21 Home Center has been in actively in business for over 30 years providing quality service to it´s clients and a career to it´s associates who have affiliated with us. We have an unprecedented agent retention rate in the industry of over 17 years on average. As for our management team of Boyd Campbell (owner), Gene Sementilli (owner) and Sherri Campbell (General Manager) there is a combined over 90 years of real estate knowledge and more importantly success waiting for you to tap in to. As you can see here, at CENTURY 21 Home Center, we treat real estate as a professional career not just a job. Click here for 21 more reasons. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SET UP A CONFIDENTIAL INTERVIEW CONTACT GENE SEMENTILLI OR SHERRI CAMPBELL AT 301-552-3000 |
