First of all. The American real estate market is such that it is difficult to buy or rent a house yourself. Everyone in America values their time, so when it is time to sell a house or rent an apartment, they prefer to turn to professional realtors. And in many ways, it is right!

Secondly, even though in the U.S. widespread Internet sites and applications help buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, developers, and investors, the information in these resources is far from reality. Their purpose is advertising, through which people, one way or another, turn to realtors because only they have access to professional platforms (MLS - Multi Listing Services).

How to become a realtor in the United States?

Like many other professions, a Realtor is licensed. Imagine if a person who does not have a salesperson license (realtor is a trademark, the official name of a "salesperson" or "broker") shows you an apartment or house on behalf of the seller; he can not only be fined but also imprisoned. It's serious here.

To be licensed as a salesperson, you must be at least 18 years old. You must also have U.S. citizenship or residency permit and be fluent in English. You will also need to take 75 hours of special courses and pass the exam at the Department of State.

After passing the exam, the new agent must find an employer - a broker in a real estate agency. This broker submits a special application to the Department of State that he is ready to work with this particular agent, and only after that the realtor in the U.S. receives his license by mail.

What do they teach future real estate brokers?

Legal issues: land law, property types, inheritance, record keeping
Ethical issues: forms of discrimination, what you can say to clients, and what words and phrases are best avoided
Construction: structure of houses, materials, maintenance, repairs
Mortgage: types of loans, the procedure for obtaining a mortgage, requirements for applicants, rules for calculating payments
Real estate lease: concept of lease and sublease, conclusion and termination of contracts, rules for showing apartments and houses
Real estate taxes: how to calculate, how to pay, how to save
Commercial real estate, apartment building management, investing, etc.
How much does it cost to get a realtor's license?
Realtor training courses are plentiful in the United States. The starting cost is $99. This is the minimum package, which includes taking 75 hours and passing the "school" exam. Additionally, $50-60 costs a textbook. Usually, providers of similar courses offer several "packages" to choose from: basic (even without a reader), medium (with a reader and additional materials), and advanced (with materials "coaching" for the exam. As practice shows, the basic package is more than enough.

But that is not all. To start working as a realtor, you need to join the Association of Realtors. To do this, agents pay an annual fee to the local board (branch of the association) from $300 to $700, depending on the particular board, and also need to take another 3-hour course on ethics and pass the exam.

And one last touch before you start making the big bucks is getting an MLS membership, the one mentioned above. Unlike real estate sites, MLS allows you to explore the full picture of a particular property: not only the photos but also the history of the property, the condition of the house, size, communications features, size of utilities, etc. An average client will need help finding this kind of information. That's why realtors are needed. The MLS is also fee-based. The annual fee starts at $1,000 and up.

How much does a realtor make in the US?

Remember, a rookie realtor must first find an agency and broker to work with. Only then does he get his license with the name of that agency? In most states, realtors work for a commission, which they receive at the end of the transaction. How much do real estate agents make per sale https://www.fastexpert.com/blog/real-estate-agents-commission/

There is no limit on the number of transactions; hence the income is not limited.