Monthly Archives - January 2018

If you have thought about setting up your own real estate brokerage in Missouri, you know that you have a long road in front of you. Even with all the real estate CE you have under your belt, experience is a critical component in becoming successful.

Of course, you need to know a few things before you get started with your brokerage. Understanding how to build a successful brokerage begins with taking the initial steps to establish your business.

 Find a Real Estate Mentor

Listening to advice is commonplace for anybody who works in real estate, but starting a brokerage is its own feat. Many of the tasks you are about to undertake are only easily understood by fellow brokers. For many new brokers, their mentors are the brokers they worked under as they began their real estate careers. Some seek out other professionals with their own experiences.

Understand Your Strengths

No matter your strengths, you need to learn how to apply them to your career to the best of your abilities. Take the skills you have now and tailor them to your business.

For example, certain personality traits are beneficial for the burgeoning real estate broker. If you are an extrovert, you might benefit from making phone calls and putting yourself out in the open at conventions, for instance. Introverts might find that they are more successful using the Internet compared to a marketing tactic like cold calling.

 Establish an LLC

If you want to protect your personal assets and rights, you should operate your real estate brokerage through an LLC. In Missouri, this process requires you to file articles of organization with the state and sign the paperwork accordingly.

After officially forming your LLC, you must then submit an application to the Missouri Real Estate Commission. Upon approval, you will be a licensed real estate association. After this, it is your responsibility to continue meeting the state’s brokerage requirements.

Use Technology to Your Benefit

Real estate brokers need to understand how to appeal to clients, and technology is one significant way to do this. For instance, your broker’s website should appeal to smartphone users just as well as desktop users. Mobile web users make up a significant portion of those shopping online for homes.

Your website and online presence also need to help convert leads, offer great photos, and provide useful tours of the homes. Social media is indispensable for any new broker, especially when you determine your niche and local focus.

Leveraging your unique skill set helps you become a successful broker who helps clients achieve their dreams.

You can also use technology to build a website, which should include your sold properties, your current listings, and some information about you. Make certain to include information that will appeal to the clients to whom you are dedicated. In fact, you might even think of your real estate brokerage website as a portfolio.

 Become an Expert

Even as an experienced and knowledgeable broker, you can benefit from real estate CE. Not only is coursework required to maintain your real estate license, but it also helps you stay current with all available information about managing your brokerage. Contact us for more information about courses that help you achieve your dreams.

Virginia, like other states, requires that its real estate professionals take continuing education courses to stay licensed. You need to provide evidence of your coursework to demonstrate that you are eligible to maintain your licensure for the upcoming year, and you may not practice without your license.

Virginia real estate continuing education is designed to keep you fresh and up-to-date, especially as laws and real estate trends change. What can you expect to learn about when you renew your license this year? Valuable courses set the groundwork for a successful year.

 Real Estate Ethics

Real estate professionals in Virginia are expected to adhere to a code of ethics. In addition to learning how to be a professional, students in this course learn how to analyze situations based on ethical implications. This class uses case studies to assess situations involving issues like discrimination.

Ethical issues are rarely easy to address in real-life scenarios, but this course makes the process simpler. Additionally, the course will emphasize the role of resolution through actions like arbitration and mediation.

Virginia Law, Agency, and Contracts

Virginia has unique laws to consider when you practice as a real estate professional. In this course, you will learn about major real estate bills that will affect the way you do business in the coming years. You will also learn how to follow the law best while you practice.

Real estate law relates to all varieties of real estate practice. The coursework will focus on the legalities of everything from marketing materials to state-specific regulations for working with a real estate broker.

This course also instructs real estate agents about the duties bestowed upon them with state licensure. You should be able to distinguish between your roles as a real estate salesperson and a real estate broker.

Upon completion of this course, real estate professionals should also leave with an understanding of contracts. Part of this also includes understanding the necessary disclosures according to Virginia’s laws.

Fair Housing

Virginia real estate continuing education may include courses in fair housing. You will understand how to address protected classes according to Virginia and federal law.

In the fair housing-related coursework, you will learn about the history of fair housing and how the law relates to discriminatory practices in Virginia. You will learn about discrimination, legal marketing tactics, and issues like hoarding.

Explore Virginia by learning about its historical roots, laws, and real estate market.

Virginia Broker Education

In Virginia, real estate brokers may have a different focus, but they must also understand the same concepts. For example, brokers need to have a different understanding of finances than a real estate salesperson because they need to know how to manage a brokerage for success. Ultimately, courses designed for brokers emphasize the role of effective management.

Virginia Real Estate Continuing Education
As you search for the best real estate courses available to you, keep in mind that many of the best classes are available online. Some are right at your fingertips. Contact us for more information about these courses and how they can work for you.

The everchanging real estate market is based on so many factors that it is hard to imagine it might change scope as 2018 approaches. Everything matters, from home prices and local economies to population trends and household income. Keeping an eye on emerging markets can help you show clients how to make purchases that make a dramatic impact.

Could 2018 be the year you meet all your professional milestones? Real estate CE and staying on top of market trends could help you kick your career into overdrive this year.

 1. Las Vegas, Nevada

With a median home value of about $236,000, Las Vegas offers a community with predicted sales growth nearing five percent. The city’s growing economy, or at least expectation for it, are expected to turn around the economic downturn. Changes are coming to the glowing horizon as people opt to move to Las Vegas from neighboring states like California thanks to low home prices.

 2. Stockton, California

In previous years, Stockton did not have the best reputation among California cities with its location far from many of the state’s attractions. Today, you can buy a home in Stockton for less than $300,000, much less than you would find in the Bay Area. Predictions for sales and price growth are looking good for the upcoming year. Revitalization may draw new buyers to the area.

 3. Salt Lake City, Utah

Real estate CE in states like Utah is preparing real estate agents for the interest in Salt Lake City homes. Median home prices are leaning toward $360,000, and buyers are loving the low population with the movement of larger corporations to bring in tax revenue and job opportunities.

 4. Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte’s median home price is lingering around $325,000, and the value of homes in this area seems to be improving as the years go on. With investors and renovators coming in to make a difference, values are expected to increase quickly. From excellent weather to strong business tax incentives, Charlotte has a lot to offer the discerning buyer. Expectations for employment to blossom are also promising.

Shopping for a brand new home is easier than ever, but it is also completely overwhelming. Real estate agents are more important now than ever.

 5. Nashville, Tennessee

Not unlike many other cities on this list, Nashville offers a top-ranking name with excellent median home prices — about $358,000. Listing prices may have increased dramatically over the years, but the population is rising too. Single-family homes in the suburbs are growing in popularity, so demonstrating to buyers that acting quickly will be important here. Nashville is an excellent destination for ambitious buyers.

Real estate CE coursework is designed to help you become a better real estate agent. Contact us for more information about helping your clients meet their goals by learning about real estate best practices and your local real estate market needs.