August 10, 2022
“How do I become a Realtor?”
“Where can I find real estate classes?”
“Will the real estate school help me find a broker?”
These are some of the most frequently asked questions our customer service department gets asked. So, let’s dive right in and give you the answers. Note that these apply to persons wanting a New Jersey real estate license. Every state has slightly different requirements, all of which are outlined on our website at www.GSREA.com
“What about minimum age and education?”
You must be at least 18 at the time of your application and you must be a high school graduate, or have the equivalent, such as a GED.
“What about real estate classes?”
New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania all require a 75-hour real estate “pre-licensing” course. Delaware, for example, requires a 99-hour real estate licensing course. Some states allow you to take the course at your own pace online. You can sign up for those non-NJ licensing classes on our website at https://gsreacademy.theceshop.com/real-estate/pre-licensing.
New Jersey does NOT allow self-study. You must take the 75-hour course with an instructor. However, all Garden State Real Estate Academy classes are delivered in-classroom and also via Zoom. More than 95% of our classroom guests like the convenience of being able to study from the comfort and safety of their home, while having that critical personal connection with an instructor to ask for help on difficult subjects.
“When I complete your course, do I get my license?”
No! You must then pass the state exam and have a criminal background check by having your fingerprints taken.
“How difficult is the exam?”
The New Jersey real estate state exam is one of the most difficult in the country. Every month, only an average of 27-30% of people pass—and that includes those who have taken it multiple times!
Everything your instructor teaches, from the very first minute, gives you tips and memory tricks to help you pass the state exam. We have a very high pass rate and have our own class quizzes and exams that simulate the type of questions you’ll find on the state exam.
We also have resources available, such as exam prep books, an exam prep class, and another book with 1,000 exam questions to take immediately before going for the state exam. We even have our own book just for those who are worried about real estate math! And we allow you to come back and audit any class from the real estate course free for six months after you graduate.
“What if I fail the exam?”
If you fail the Garden State Real Estate Academy final exam, we allow you to take it up to four times (using different exams!) without any charge to you. If you failed all four, there is obviously something (or many things) that you do not understand, and we then have you either take our exam prep class, or retake the entire course for a token $50 service charge.
If you fail the state exam, you can retake it as many times as you want. You just need to pay $38 each time you take it.
“What if I had a brush with the law in the past?”
You must disclose any criminal convictions, indictments, etc. on your application. A conviction within the past five years of serious felony such as robbery, theft or fraud will result in the Real Estate Commission denying your application, as required by the law. But a misdemeanor, or disorderly persons offense—such as shoplifting—or a crime that occurred more than five years ago will not result in an automatic rejection.
“What if I am not a US citizen?”
Not a problem! You just must be legally allowed to work in the United States. Persons with work visas or green cards, for example are eligible for real estate licenses in every state.
“Where can I find real estate classes?”
Garden State Real Estate Academy’s real estate pre-licensing classes start every couple of weeks. You can choose between:
- The full-time course, with classes running 9am-4:30pm Monday-Friday for two weeks.
- The part-time course, with classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am-4:30pm for three weeks.
- The evening course, with classes each Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:20pm-9:30pm for about five weeks.
All our upcoming dates are on our website at: https://reg121.imperisoft.com/gsreacademy/Search/Registration.aspx
“Can you help me find a good broker?”
Garden State Real Estate Academy is not owned by any brokerage firm; our instructors will never try to recruit you to the firm who is paying their salary. But we are happy to pass on the recommendations of brokers in your area who have great reputations for both how they treat their agents and their clients. We receive no compensation for that; it is just a service to our classroom guests.
“Why is Garden State Real Estate Academy the best real estate school?”
Such a judgement is made by our clients, not by us.
In a state where most real estate schools, after many years in business, don’t even have 20 good, published reviews, Garden State has over four hundred 5-star Google Reviews in just the last four years. Take a look at them here: https://tinyurl.com/uep9hcth
Read what our classroom guests say about our teaching style, the communications skills of our instructors, and how they were treated by us.
Not happy with the content of the national real estate course textbooks used by other schools, we wrote our own 480-page textbook specifically to help people pass the New Jersey exam. It even won a national award of excellence.
We don’t hire people just because they are instructors. Some instructors have not sold a home in years! Our instructors are all very accomplished salespeople and brokers who teach you how to succeed in your new career; they don’t just teach from a textbook.
We don’t have huge classes. When we hear of classes in some schools with 50, 60—in one case, 125 people in the class!—we are horrified. How can an instructor relate to 125 people every day? Our classes are small enough that every person has the instructor’s attention—and his or her email contact in case they have a question between classes.
One of the best resources to help new real estate agents plan for real estate career success is the new book, “Zero to Hero: Winning strategies for new real estate agents to become SuperStars in their first year.” At an introductory price of only $25, it is the best road map you could ever invest in. You can order it here: https://gsreacademy.com/book-zero-to-hero-the-one-book-you-have-to-have-to-jump-start-your-real-estate-career/
If you are thinking of getting your real estate license, Garden State Real Estate Academy is the state’s top-rated real estate school. If you need a New Jersey real estate license, you can choose from daytime or evening classes at www.GSREA.com and click on “Salesperson” licensing classes.
For information on the real estate school’s upcoming New Jersey licensing classes, click here: https://gsreacademy.com/pre-licensing-courses/
If you need to earn a real estate license in a state other than New Jersey, Garden State Real Estate Academy also offers online self-study real estate licensing classes in 21 states through our partnership with The CE Shop. And while New Jersey does NOT allow self-study pre-licensing classes, we do offer self-study pre-licensing classes in 25 other states by clicking here: https://gsreacademy.theceshop.com/pre-licensing.
David C. Forward is a licensed real estate broker and instructor and was first licensed as a Realtor® 34 years ago. During his career, David and his business partner sold more than 500 homes in South Jersey. He is now School Director of Garden Real Estate Academy, has won numerous awards for real estate sales, is a much-requested public speaker who has addressed audiences on six continents. His 20th book Zero to Hero: Winning strategies for new real estate agents to become SuperStars in their first year was released this month.
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