How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Georgia
Planning to start a career as a real estate agent? To get your real estate license, you will need to take classes at a real estate school, and satisfy all the requirements set forth by the Georgia Real Estate Commission.
Here's what you need to know to become a real estate agent in Georgia:
1) Licensing Requirements
2) Duties of a Real Estate Agent
3) What is a REALTOR®?
4) Income Potential
5) Real Estate Schools
How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Georgia
1) Real Estate Agent Licensing Requirements
In Georgia, real estate agents MUST be licensed by the Georgia Real Estate Commission. To obtain your real estate license, you must:
- Satisfy the minimum requirements to apply for the real estate exam:
- Age: Must be at least 18 yrs of age.
- Character: Must show honesty, truthfulness, integrity and competency.
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Experience: None. High School graduate or equivalent.
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Education: 75 hour Commission-approved pre-licensing course, or 10 quarter hours or 6 semester hours in real estate courses at an accredited college or university.
- Apply to take the State exam.
- Get Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) report (criminal history). Report must not be more than 60 days old. Take to exam center.
- Pass the exam.
- Pay the appropriate fees.
- Apply for Real Estate License.
- (Take 25 hour post-license course in the first year of licensure.)
Newly licensed agents must work under the supervision of an employing real estate broker. Most new agents start out by working for one of the large brokerages like Coldwell-Banker, Century-21, Remax, etc. If you would like to have your own business and work for yourself, you must upgrade to a broker's license.
2) Duties of Real Estate Agents
A real estate agent's main job is to assist their clients in the process of buying and selling real estate.
Their list of duties include:
- Submit buyers' offer to purchase to seller for consideration
- Work with escrow officers, lenders, home inspectors, and pest control operators to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreements are met before closing dates.
- Interview potential buyers to determine what kinds of properties they are seeking.
- Prepare documents such as listing agreements, purchase agreements, etc.
- Coordinate property closings, overseeing signing of documents and disbursement of funds.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
- Determine a property's competitive market price by comparing the property with similar properties that have recently sold.
- Schedule appointments to show homes to potential buyers.
- Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
3) What is a REALTOR®?
A real estate agent becomes a REALTOR® when he or she pays an annual fee to be a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its Code of Ethics.
The agent generally joins through the local board or association.
For example, in Atlanta, once you have obtained your real estate license, you may pay a fee to join the Atlanta Board of REALTORS®. This also makes you a member of the Georgia Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.
All REALTORS® are real estate agents but not all real estate agents are REALTORS®.
4) Income Potential
Real estate agents are generally paid based on a percentage of the sales price. The seller will generally pay 4-6% of the sales price as the fee and that will be split 50/50 between the seller and buyer's broker.
For example, if the fee for a $100,000 house is 6%, the buyer's broker will be paid 3% or $3000 and the seller's broker will be paid 3% or $3000 as well. The agent is paid by his or her broker, according to their previously agreed-upon commission split. This is often 50/50 for beginning agents, so in that case the agent in our example would receive $1500.
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, the Median Sales price for an existing single-family home in the Atlanta area was $156,900 for the fourth quarter of 2004.
5) Real Estate Schools
Here are some approved real estate schools offering the pre-licensing courses for the state of Georgia:
| Location | Real Estate School | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| ACWORTH, GA | AMERICA'S REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATES, INC. | (770) 591-5552 |
| ACWORTH, GA | NORTH METRO TECHNICAL COLLEGE | (770) 975-4041 |
| ALBANY, GA | ALBANY BOARD OF REALTORS R.E. SCHOOL | (229) 883-6664 |
| ALBANY, GA | ALBANY TECHNICAL COLLEGE | (229) 430-3593 |
| ALBANY, GA | DARTON COLLEGE SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (229) 430-6730 |
| ALBANY, GA | SOUTHEASTERN SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE, INC. | (229) 883-6605 |
| ALEXANDRIA, VA | COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS INSTITUTE | (703) 548-8600 |
| ALPHARETTA, GA | 24 BY 7 ONLINE SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (770) 754-5578 |
| ALPHARETTA, GA | 400 NORTH SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (678) 366-0739 |
| AMERICUS, GA | GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY | (229) 931-2151 |
| AMERICUS, GA | SOUTH GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE | (229) 931-2794 |
| ATHENS, GA | ATHENS AREA INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE | (706) 353-9339 |
| ATHENS, GA | LARRY DILLARD SCHOOL OF RE TRAINING | (706) 338-7862 |
| ATHENS, GA | NEGARA REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL SCHOOL | (706) 546-0080 |
| ATHENS, GA | UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION | (706) 542-3537 |
| ATHENS, GA | UPCHURCH SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (706) 543-4000 |
| ATLANTA, GA | ATLANTA TECHNICAL COLLEGE | (404) 756-3814 |
| ATLANTA, GA | BAILEY ACADEMY OF REAL ESTATE, LLC | (678) 419-0300 |
| ATLANTA, GA | EMPIRE REAL ESTATE BOARD, INC. SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (404) 755-5575 |
| ATLANTA, GA | GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS | (770) 451-1831 |
| ATLANTA, GA | GEORGIA INST. OF INDEPENDENT RE STUDY | (404) 252-6768 |
| ATLANTA, GA | KENNEDY CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE EDUCATION | (770) 612-1037 |
| ATLANTA, GA | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS | (800) 266-9416 |
| ATLANTA, GA | REALTY SPECIALIST INSTITUTE | (404) 459-5887 |
| ATLANTA, GA | RMGA INSTITUTE | (770) 394-0100 |
| ATLANTA, GA | SOUTHSIDE REAL ESTATE TRAINING SCHOOL | (404) 349-8142 |
| ATLANTA, GA | THE HARRY NORMAN REALTORS SCHOOL OF REAL | (770) 804-9605 |
| ATLANTA, GA | TORREY SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (770) 730-7900 |
| ATLANTA, GA | TRIPP ANDERSON | (404) 325-7207 |
| AUGUSTA, GA | A TO Z SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (706) 790-5804 |
| AUGUSTA, GA | AUGUSTA INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE | (706) 798-1366 |
| DECATUR, GA | RE/MAX EXECUTIVE TRAINING SERVICES | (404) 378-9300 |
| DECATUR, GA | RISING VENTURES TRAINING INSTITUTE | (678) 518-0110 |
| MARIETTA, GA | AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE | (770) 427-8253 |
| MARIETTA, GA | CENTURY 21 ACROSS ATLANTA ACADEMEY OF REAL ESTATE | (770) 977-7888 |
| MARIETTA, GA | CHATTAHOOCHEE TECHNICAL COLLEGE | (770) 528-4550 |
| SAVANNAH, GA | ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY | (912) 927-5322 |
| SAVANNAH, GA | BEN FARMER SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (912) 692-1085 |
| SAVANNAH, GA | SAVANNAH BOARD OF REALTORS INSTITUTE | (912) 354-1513 |
| SAVANNAH, GA | TRICOUNTY SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (912) 351-9737 |
| STONE MOUNTAIN, GA | ARMSTRONG REALTY, SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE | (404) 298-4663 |
| STONE MOUNTAIN, GA | HOOKS INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE | (770) 935-7495 |
Also check out information on how to become a real estate appraiser in Georgia