July 18, 2022
More and more people are dissatisfied with their jobs and are looking to start a real estate career. Once they begin that process, one of their first questions is, “Where can I find the best real estate school?” or, “How do I get a NJ real estate license?
Later on, after answering those questions, they ask, “Where can I find a real estate broker who is looking to hire new real estate agents?”
The best real estate school doesn’t have to be in your own back yard!
New Jersey requires persons wanting a real estate license to attend a 75-hour pre-licensing course. It must be with an instructor. You cannot take a “self-study” course on your own.
Until March 2020, you had to be physically present in a classroom with an instructor. But since the pandemic, the NJ Real Estate Commission has relaxed that requirement. Now, you can take the entire course via Zoom from the comfort of your home.
Garden State Real Estate Academy is—by a HUGE margin—the top-rated real estate school in New Jersey, according to Google. We have schools in Cherry Hill, Northfield, Jersey City and Robbinsville. If our classroom guests prefer to attend in the classroom, we welcome them! But more than 95% prefer the convenience of studying from home. Our Zoom classes have had people from San Diego, California, Puerto Rico and even from Germany! So, no matter where you live, you can jump-start your real estate career very easily—with a real estate school that has over 400 5-star Google Reviews!
What does it cost to become a real estate agent?
There are two parts to that answer.
The first is how much it costs you to go to real estate school, take the state exam, get your fingerprints taken and pay for your initial real estate license. The total cost of all that (through our school) is $653. Other schools charge as much as $150 more.
Once you get your real estate license and sign on with a broker, you will have several other expenses which are impossible to cite exactly, because many of them are pro-rated based on when you sign up for things such as the Board of Realtors and for your MLS membership. We generally advise our classroom guests to figure on total real estate expenses being $2,500 to $3,000 in their first year, from when they sign up for real estate license school through the end of their first year as agent. Obviously, an agent who goes wild with advertising expenses would pay more.
Which broker should I join?
Back in the days before cell phones and WIFI in our homes, a real estate agent pretty much had to affiliate with a broker in, or close to, their hometown.
No more!
Real estate agents today rarely drive their buyers around; most clients prefer to be in their own cars. And most business is done by phone, email or text first and later by face-to-face meetings at the property. The days of having to have a nice office where your clients would visit are long gone, for the most part. This means you could affiliate with a broker that is several towns over from the one in which you live, if that broker offered you the training and support you will sorely need in your early months.
Next time: How to pick a great real estate broker for your new real estate career!
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/
For information on the real estate school’s upcoming New Jersey licensing classes, click here: https://gsreacademy.com/pre-licensing-courses/
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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