Once you make it through real estate school and pass the exam, you may wonder, now what? Most people become real estate agents with their real estate license, but that’s not the only opportunity. The sky is the limit once you’ve proven your knowledge in real estate.
Here are the top careers you may consider.
1.Real estate agent
This is the most common use of a real estate license right out of the gate. With your newfound knowledge, you can help buyers and sellers facilitate a sale. You can work as a buyer’s agent, helping them find the perfect home, or a seller’s agent, helping homeowners market and sell their property.
No matter which option you choose, you will need to network, market, and consult. You may help sellers come up with a fair asking price, tell them how to stage the home, and you’ll definitely list and market the property.
If you work with buyers, you’ll help them find properties online and view them in person. You may help them come up with the right bid or suggest certain properties. Once they choose a property, you’ll help them place the offer, handle any counteroffers, and the paperwork that ensues once you make a bid.
2.REALTOR®
If you want to take your experience to the next level, you can join the National Association of REALTORS®. To join, you must undergo more schooling and get certified. While you’ll do the same things a real estate agent does, REALTORS® have a distinct reputation of providing a higher level of professional service and possibly provide more guidance.
The REALTOR® works well if you’re thinking about focusing on luxury homes in high-end areas.
3. Real estate broker
If you’ve always dreamt of owning your own business, becoming a real estate broker provides the best of both worlds – you’re an entrepreneur and you assist people with real estate transactions.
As a real estate broker, you sign new agents on versus being the real estate agent who signs on with a broker. The broker receives the funds from the deals and pays commission to its agents.
You won’t start as a broker right after getting licensed, but if you’ve always wanted to own your own business, it’s a good goal to work towards achieving.
4. Real estate investor
With your real estate license, you can also invest in real estate. While you don’t need a real estate license to invest in any property, it helps in many ways.
With your license, you’ll have a better understanding of the real estate industry and can make better purchasing decisions. You’ll know how to tell when a property is a good buy and when it may not profit you. You’ll also have faster access to properties since real estate agents have access to MLS listings.
You can use your knowledge about real estate to invest in fix-and-flips, or buy and hold properties based on the information you know and find out about the area.
5. Real estate appraiser
If you understand property values and enjoy looking at the comparable sales of properties around a subject, you can add real estate appraiser to your resume. Whether you work as a real estate agent and an appraiser on the side or vice versa, it’s a great way to diversify your income.
Real estate appraisers need a solid understanding of the real estate industry, how sales work, how pricing works, and what should and shouldn’t count in a property’s value. While you’ll need to be certified as an appraiser too, having a real estate background can help tremendously.
6. Property manager
Real estate investors often hire property managers to manage the property for them, especially if they invest in a property in another state. As the property manager, you’ll handle the day-to-day operations including finding tenants, keeping the property maintained, collecting rent, handling evictions, and keep the property rented.
7. Home inspector
The home inspection is one of the largest parts of the real estate transaction process. The inspector lets buyers know about any issues the home has before they close on it so they can decide between buying the house (or not).
While you don’t need your real estate license to be an inspector, the knowledge you learn in the courses can help you be an even more effective inspector alongside the required courses and certification of working as an inspector.
8. Real estate marketing specialist
If you don’t want to deal with people all the time, you can work the back-end of real estate – the marketing tasks. This is just as important as selling a property to buyers or selling it for sellers.
As the real estate marketing specialist, you’ll market properties by listing them in the MLS, advertising them on social media, and networking in local groups. Your job is crucial to how fast a home sells since marketing is half the battle and most of it is done online today.
Have Fun With Your Real Estate License
Most people equate a real estate license with a real estate agent. While that’s true, it’s not the only career path you can take. Many people start as real estate agents to get real-life experience and not just experience from the book and certification classes but often move onto other careers.
There are many aspects of real estate that require professionals like you who hold a real estate license. If you haven’t gotten licensed yet, but are thinking about it, go for it. The sky is the limit and there will always be a demand for real estate professionals no matter how digital the world gets in the future.