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Become a REALTOR®

WANTED: Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, Investors, Marketers, and Real Estate Enthusiasts

Are you ready for a successful career in real estate?

Since 1776, U.S. real estate has doubled in value every 20 years — and, according to the latest survey by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), real estate salespersons with the REALTOR® designation earn almost twice as much annually as real estate agents without it.

Now, imagine working for yourself, as an independent contractor, in an industry that offers significant earning potential and allows you to become an integral part of your community. What if every day you were focused on helping people achieve The American Dream of owning a home?

It’s never too late to reap the rewards of real estate, if you’re an enterprising person. Become a REALTOR® today.

Become a REALTOR®

The only question is which of these roles is right for you:

  • Residential Brokerage
  • Commercial Brokerage
  • Industrial or Office Brokerage
  • Farm or Land Brokerage
  • Real Estate Appraising
  • Property Management
  • Land Development
  • Urban Planning
  • Real Estate Research
  • Real Estate Counseling

The Difference Between an Agent, a REALTOR® and a Broker

Real Estate Agent: To become a real estate agent you must take a minimum number of classes and pass a test to earn your license, whether that license is as a sales professional, an associate broker, or a broker. A real estate agent is an independent contractor that works under a broker’s supervision.

REALTOR®: Anyone who earns a real estate license can call themselves a real estate agent. However, a real estate agent who joins the New York State and local Associations — and becomes a member of NAR, pledging an oath to uphold NAR’s professional standards and Code of Ethics — is a REALTOR® and entitled to all the benefits of membership.

Real Estate Broker: A broker is a real estate agent who has completed additional coursework; meets the sales requirements of the New York State Department of Licensing Services; and has passed a broker’s licensing exam. Brokers can work alone or enlist other agents to work with them.

The Top 5 Reasons To Become a REALTOR®

  1. It’s easy to start. In Ulster County, if you’re 18 years old or older (and not negligent with child support payments), you could become a REALTOR® in as little as a few weeks. All you have to do is find a place to work (i.e., a brokerage to sponsor you), complete the required training (only 75 hours), and pass the state licensing exam.
  2. You can be your own boss. As a real estate agent, you’re an independent contractor and manage your own business activities.
  3. The earning potential can be significant, especially in an area like Ulster County. As a REALTOR®, your income is determined by the market, and by how hard and smart you work.
  4. It’s not a 9-to-5. REALTORS® create their own schedules. You set your own hours based on your preferences and the needs of your clients.
  5. It makes you feel good. Not much compares to the feeling of delivering a young family their dream home at a price they can afford, or granting all the wishes of a retired couple leaving their longtime home for a new life under the sun. It’s why most REALTORS® report a high level of work satisfaction. You’re helping families and shaping communities — while earning commissions.

The Life of a REALTOR®

Whether you’re out scouting houses for buyers, brainstorming quick fixes to improve a home’s curb appeal, or negotiating on behalf of your client to get the best terms possible, there’s nothing boring about being a REALTOR®. There is no standard day-to-day, since you set the schedule and determine your priorities.

Become a REALTOR®

Typical tasks of a REALTOR® include:

  • Responding to or soliciting potential client buyers, sellers, investors, developers or renters
  • Advising clients on home prices, mortgages, zoning restrictions and intricacies of the local markets
  • Generating lists of properties for sale, based on client needs, goals and financial threshold
  • Promoting new listings via print and online/digital marketing, consumer portals, open houses and MLS listing services
  • Showing homes to potential buyers
  • Advising sellers on how to improve their property before listing
  • Presenting buyers’ offers to sellers via their REALTORS®
  • Facilitating pre-contract negotiations

Five Steps to Becoming a REALTOR® in Ulster County

  1. Complete the 75-hour New York State-mandated real estate salesperson course, offered by local boards of the New York Association of REALTORS® in Ulster County and throughout the State.
  2. Find a local broker to sponsor you, which demonstrates to the State that you have an established relationship with a real estate firm for which you will work upon receiving your real estate license.
  3. Apply for the New York State real estate-licensing exam, after completing your 75-hour training.
  4. Meet all criteria established by New York’s Department of State Division of Licensing Services. To take the New York State licensing exam, you must be 18 years old or older, have a sponsoring broker, and successfully complete the required 75-hour course; you must not be more than four months behind in child support payments.
  5. Pass the exam. The Department of State exam fee is $50 and non-refundable. Upon successfully passing the exam, you will receive your license.