Real Estate Investment
Real Estate Center RECON Newsletter Name: E-mail: Subscribe Unsubscribe It's Free. Texas Cities... Texas Real Estate Confidence Index 4th Qtr 2005 % Chg Last Qtr .60 -0.04 Apartment Complex Sold SAN ANTONIO (mysanantonio.com) – Blue Star Apartment Management Inc. has purchased Sutter’s Mill Apartment Homes at 11955 Parliament St. from Delta Court Apartments LLC and Tabor Villa LLC of San Francisco for an undisclosed price. More RECON » Holiday Gift Speaks Homebuyer's Language COLLEGE STATION, Texas Have a friend, neighbor or relative who is in the market forbuying or selling a house this holiday season? The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University has a unique gift idea for less than $10 a glossary of realestate terms that makes real estate transactions easier to understand. More » More News Releases » Events Calendar Season's Greetings ! The Real Estate Center will be closed from December 22, 2005 until January 2, 2006 for the holidays. Instructor Training Courses , May 18-19, College Station, Texas.The Legal Update and Ethics instructor training courses include credit for the required 3-hour Legal Update course and the required 3-hour Ethics course. In addition, each instructor training course will include a brief orientation to the teachers manuals for each course as well as a discussion of training issues.Registration will open in January 2006. More Event Information » What's New • Software Directory Updated • Austin Recovers • Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac? • Homeownership Programs • Urban Big Boxes • Is Texas Land Overpiced? • Housing Affordability Index Revised • Property Tax Court Cases • Brokerage-Related Cases • Growth of Texas Cities • Depreciable Land Improvements • Monthly Review of the Texas Economy (Oct.) • Texas Homebuyers Get More Home . . . • Video: Real Estate is an Attractive Investment • Video: Texas Foreclosure in Perspective • Real Estate Confidence Drops Slightly • Family Violence Victims . . . • Numbers Pop Housing Bubble Talk • It’s Going to Cost More to Keep Cool • Consumers: "More Informal Space" • Hang on After Boarding the Homebuying Ride • Beware of ‘Gotchas’ in Home Warranties • Can’t Stand the Heat, Retire Some Place Else • Hallelujah for Hardware Heaven • Why Builders Say Your House Costs So Much • Signing Away Mineral Rights Forever • Lust for Luxury • Young Buyers Making Big Impact • Home Threats are Closer Than You Think • Lamenting Fragmenting Publications Tierra Grande is our quarterly magazine with timely research and analysis of the trends and events shaping Texas real estate today. Experts on appraisal, housing , finance, law, demography, economics, investment and other areas share insights unavailable anywhere else. Terminology associated with home buying or renting can intimidate anyone. When one party’s native languageis Spanish and the other’s is not, communication can be extra challenging.The Real Estate Center’s newly revised English-Spanish Real Estate Glossary addresses this problem by defining 700 real estateterms in English and Spanish. Now also a software program on CD. Thinking about a real estate career? Click here for a free online copy of Obtaining a Texas Real Estate License . The report includes the steps to take, types of licenses, qualifications, required educational courses, getting credit for previous class work, who offers classes, fees and much more. The Real Estate Software Directory , updated for 2005, features 977 software packages from 617 companies. Created as a resource for anyone whose business relates to real estate, the directory describes programs that design advertising, evaluate budgets, manage contacts, generate legal forms, help with loans or create web pages. More publications » Solutions Through Research News :: Publications :: Data :: Software :: Education :: Cybersites :: Site Map Mays Business School, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Home Equity Loans -
Home Equity Loans - Agony or Ecstasy You are here: About > Money > Credit / Debt Management > Getting Money and Credit > Mortgage & Equity Loans > Home Equity Loans - Agony or Ecstasy Money Credit / Debt Essentials Credit And Credit File Fundamentals Basics Of Reducing Debt Credit and Debt Workshop Fast Financial Independence Debt Counseling Primer Articles & Resources Bankruptcy & Settlement Budgeting & Frugality Credit Law Credit Reports and Scoring Debt Counseling Debt Reduction Financial Planning Fraud and Protection Getting Money and Credit Learning About Money Smart Shopping Students and Education Tips, Essentials, Archives Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Guide Picks - Top Books On Credit & Debt Compare Insurance Carriers Compare Utility and Loan Providers Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Credit / Debt Management newsletter! See Online Courses Search Credit / Debt Management Stay up to date! Email to a friend Print this page Suggested Reading Biweekly Mortgage Payments The 'How-To' of Home Financing Mortgage Closiong Costs Suggested Reading Predatory Lenders Most Popular WARNING! Rising Minimum Payme Free Annual Credit Report Cleaner Credit Raises Scores Changes to the Bankruptcy Law Debt To Income Ratio What's Hot How To Consolidate Debt Credit / Debt Management - Articles Establishing Credit - Credit/Debt Management PayDay Loans Credit Problems.... Now What? Related Topics Frugal Living Financial Planning Online Shopping Banking / Loans Family Internet Home Equity Loans... Agony or Ecstasy From Apply Now , Your Guide to Credit / Debt Management . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Home Equity Loans - a dream come true or a living nightmare. A Home Equity Loan can be a dream come true or a living nightmare. It all depends on how you approach a home equity loan and for what reason you actually want the home equity in your hand instead of your home. If your intent is to reduce debt so that you have breathing room to pay more on other debts, a home equity loan MAY BE on the right track. However, if your objective is to have more breathing room so that you can add more debt, you are heading for a natural disaster. Basics of a Home Equity Loan - Good and Bad What is a home equity loan? A home equity loan is a second mortgage. It uses the collateral of your home to secure a loan. Good news - Because this is a secured loan, its interest is less than on many loans such as on a credit card. This is very attractive. Equally attractive is the fact that because it is a second mortgage, interest can offer a tax deduction. That's the good news. Bad news - But if a home equity loan is used to pay off unsecured debt such as a credit card, what you have done in essence is convert an unsecured debt into a secured debt with your home as the security. This is not a very sound plan. Not only that but just as when you default on your primary mortgage you could lose your home, so too you can lose your home by defaulting on your home equity loan. More bad news- Another draw back that has developed over the last few years is that often you can borrow more than your house is worth... up to 125% of the value of your home. This is called negative equity and means that if you sell the house because of a job transfer or any other reason, you must either get enough to pay off both loans or you will be paying off the home equity loan when you are trying to buy another home. Still more bad news - There is one other negative side to a home equity loan. You will have points and closing costs to get the loan just as you had when you got your first mortgage. Home Equity Warnings! Okay, so I did not scare you off with the above and you are still determined to get a home equity loan. What are the danger signs and issues to be watchful for? FTC warns: "The lender doesn't care if you can't keep up with the monthly payments. As soon as you don't, the lender will foreclose-taking your home and stripping you of the equity you have spent years building. If you take out a loan but don't have enough income to make the monthly payments, you are being set up. You probably will lose your home." Watch out for lowered payments because there is a balloon payment at the end. Balloon payments are large lump payments due as the last payment. Don't do it! Avoid home improvement cam which begin construction before any financing is settled. See Scams To Help You Lose Your Home . Avoid pre-payment penalties. If you want to pay off your loan ahead of time, you should not pay a fee to do so. A 10% prepayment fee is not uncommon... but is a lot of money. Avoid rate increases by avoiding missed or late payments. FTC Offers These Do's And Don t's: Don't agree to a home equity loan if you don't have enough income to make the monthly payments. Don's sign any document you haven't read or any document that has blank spaces to be filled in after you sign or let anyone pressure you into signing any document. Don't agree to a loan that includes credit insurance or extra products you don't want. Don's let the promise of extra cash or lower monthly payments get in the way of your good judgment about whether the cost you will pay for the loan is really worth it. Don't deed your property to anyone. First consult an attorney, a knowledgeable family member, or someone else you trust. DO ask specifically if credit insurance is required as a condition of the loan. If it isn't, and a charge is included in your loan and you don't want the insurance, ask that the charge be removed from the loan documents. If you want the added security of credit insurance, shop around for the best rates. DO keep careful records of what you've paid, including billing statements and canceled checks. Challenge any charge you think is inaccurate. Do check contractors' references when it is time to have work done in your home. Get more than one estimate. Important disclaimer information about this About site. Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About New Video iPod - Review POLL: Must-Have Gadgets VIDEO: Portable Gaming VIDEO: Choosing a TV Hugh Hefner's Life What's Hot How To Consolidate Debt Credit / Debt Management - Articles Establishing Credit - Credit/Debt Management PayDay Loans Credit Problems.... Now What?
Real Estate Agent
Real Estate | Homes for Sale | Houses for Sale | RealEstate | REALTORs ® | Real Estate Agent State/Province: Anchorage Fairbanks Anniston-Oxford Auburn-Opelika Birmingham-Hoover Columbus Decatur Dothan Florence Gadsden Huntsville Mobile Montgomery Tuscaloosa Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Fort Smith Hot Springs Jonesboro Little Rock-North Little Rock Memphis Pine Bluff Texarkana Flagstaff Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale Prescott Tucson Yuma Bakersfield Chico El Centro Fresno Hanford-Corcoran Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Madera Merced Modesto Napa Oakland-Fremont-Hayward Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Redding Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville Salinas San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta Santa Cruz-Watsonville Santa Rosa-Petaluma Stockton Vallejo-Fairfield Visalia-Porterville Yuba City-Marysville Boulder Colorado Springs Denver-Aurora Fort Collins-Loveland Grand Junction Greeley Pueblo Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford New Haven-Milford Norwich-New London Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Dover Wilmington Cape Coral-Fort Myers Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin Gainesville Jacksonville Lakeland-Winter Haven Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Naples-Marco Island Ocala Orlando Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville Panama City-Lynn Haven Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Port St. Lucie-Fort Pierce Punta Gorda Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice Tallahassee Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Vero Beach West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach Albany Athens-Clarke County Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Augusta-Richmond County Brunswick Chattanooga Columbus Dalton Gainesville Hinesville-Fort Stewart Macon Rome Savannah Valdosta Warner Robins Honolulu Ames Cedar Rapids Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Des Moines Dubuque Iowa City Omaha-Council Bluffs Sioux City Waterloo-Cedar Falls Boise City-Nampa Coeur d'Alene Idaho Falls Lewiston Logan Pocatello Bloomington-Normal Champaign-Urbana Chicago-Naperville-Joliet Danville Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Decatur Kankakee-Bradley Lake County-Kenosha County Peoria Rockford Saint Louis Springfield Anderson Bloomington Cincinnati-Middletown Columbus Elkhart-Goshen Evansville Fort Wayne Gary Indianapolis Kokomo Lafayette Louisville Michigan City-La Porte Muncie South Bend-Mishawaka Terre Haute Kansas City Lawrence Saint Joseph Topeka Wichita Bowling Green Cincinnati-Middletown Clarksville Elizabethtown Evansville Huntington-Ashland Lexington-Fayette Louisville Owensboro Alexandria Baton Rouge Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Lafayette Lake Charles Monroe New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner Shreveport-Bossier City Barnstable Town Boston-Quincy Cambridge-Newton-Framingham Essex County Pittsfield Providence-New Bedford-Fall River Springfield Worcester Baltimore-Towson Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg Cumberland Hagerstown-Martinsburg Salisbury Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Wilmington Bangor Lewiston-Auburn Portland-South Portland Ann Arbor Battle Creek Bay City Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn Flint Grand Rapids-Wyoming Holland-Grand Haven Jackson Kalamazoo-Portage Lansing-East Lansing Monroe Muskegon-Norton Shores Niles-Benton Harbor Saginaw-Saginaw Township North South Bend-Mishawaka Warren-Farmington Hills-Troy Duluth Fargo Grand Forks La Crosse Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Rochester Saint Cloud Columbia Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Jefferson City Joplin Kansas City Saint Joseph Saint Louis Springfield Gulfport-Biloxi Hattiesburg Jackson Memphis Pascagoula Billings Great Falls Missoula Asheville Burlington Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Durham Fayetteville Goldsboro Greensboro-High Point Greenville Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir Jacksonville Raleigh-Cary Rocky Mount Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Wilmington Winston-Salem Bismarck Fargo Grand Forks Lincoln Omaha-Council Bluffs Sioux City Manchester-Nashua Rockingham County-Strafford County Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Atlantic City Camden Edison New York-Wayne-White Plains Newark-Union Ocean City Trenton-Ewing Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Wilmington Albuquerque Farmington Las Cruces Santa Fe Carson City Las Vegas-Paradise Reno-Sparks Albany-Schenectady-Troy Binghamton Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda Elmira Glens Falls Ithaca Kingston New York-Wayne-White Plains Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown Rochester Suffolk County-Nassau County Syracuse Utica-Rome Akron Canton-Massillon Cincinnati-Middletown Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Columbus Dayton Huntington-Ashland Lima Mansfield Parkersburg-Marietta Sandusky Springfield Toledo Weirton-Steubenville Wheeling Youngstown-Warren-Boardman Fort Smith Lawton Oklahoma City Tulsa Bend Corvallis Eugene-Springfield Medford Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton Salem Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Altoona Erie Harrisburg-Carlisle Johnstown Lancaster Lebanon Newark-Union Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Scranton--Wilkes-Barre State College Williamsport York-Hanover Youngstown-Warren-Boardman Providence-New Bedford-Fall River Anderson Augusta-Richmond County Charleston-North Charleston Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord Columbia Florence Greenville Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach Spartanburg Sumter Rapid City Sioux City Sioux Falls Chattanooga Clarksville Cleveland Jackson Johnson City Kingsport-Bristol Knoxville Memphis Morristown Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro Abilene Amarillo Austin-Round Rock Beaumont-Port Arthur Brownsville-Harlingen College Station-Bryan Corpus Christi Dallas-Plano-Irving El Paso Fort Worth-Arlington Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Laredo Longview Lubbock McAllen-Edinburg-Pharr Midland Odessa San Angelo San Antonio Sherman-Denison Texarkana Tyler Victoria Waco Wichita Falls Logan Ogden-Clearfield Provo-Orem Saint George Salt Lake City Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Bristol Charlottesville Danville Harrisonburg Kingsport-Bristol Lynchburg Richmond Roanoke Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Winchester Burlington-South Burlington Bellingham Bremerton-Silverdale Kennewick-Richland-Pasco Lewiston Longview-Kelso Mount Vernon-Anacortes Olympia Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton Seattle-Bellevue-Everett Spokane Tacoma Wenatchee Yakima Appleton Duluth Eau Claire Fond du Lac Green Bay Janesville La Crosse Lake County-Kenosha County Madison Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Oshkosh-Neenah Racine Sheboygan Wausau Charleston Cumberland Hagerstown-Martinsburg Huntington-Ashland Morgantown Parkersburg-Marietta Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Weirton-Steubenville Wheeling Winchester Casper Cheyenne Please Choose Your State Alabama, AL Alaska, AK Arizona, AZ Arkansas, AR California, CA Colorado, CO Connecticut, CT Delaware, DE District of Columbia, DC Florida, FL Georgia, GA Hawaii, HI Idaho, ID Illinois, IL Indiana, IN Iowa, IA Kansas, KS Kentucky, KY Louisiana, LA Maine, ME Maryland, MD Massachusetts, MA Michigan, MI Minnesota, MN Mississippi, MS Missouri, MO Montana, MT Nebraska, NE New Hampshire, NH New Jersey,, NJ New Mexico, NM New York, NY Nevada, NV North Carolina, NC North Dakota, ND Ohio, OH Oklahoma, OK Oregon, OR Pennsylvania, PA Rhode Island, RI South Carolina, SC South Dakota, SD Tennessee, TN Texas, TX Utah, UT Vermont, VT Virginia, VA Washington, WA West Virginia. WV Wisconsin, WI Wyoming, WY Metro Area: What's My Home Worth? Find a Home Sell a Home New Home Construction Get Pre-Qualified Home Remodeling Inventing a better way to buy or sell a home RealEstate.com offers you a smarter way to buy or sell a home. We offer a complete set of tools, tips, and resources that you can use as you progress throughout your entire process -- from dreaming of owning a home to moving into a new home of your own. RealEstate.com serves as a personal guide to help you with everything you need along the way! Buying a Home | Selling a Home | Homes for Sale | Credit Report & Score | House Prices at Domania New Home Construction | Find a Mover | Find a REALTOR ® | Home Financing | Real Estate Learning Center Customer Service | Publications | For the Media | News Releases | Join Our Real Estate Network | Post Home Listings Privacy | Security | Terms of Use | Jobs | Disclosures and Licenses | Sitemap | Loans | Commercial Real Estate Houses for Sale in: Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Charlotte | Chicago | Dallas | Denver | Houston | Las Vegas | Los Angeles Miami | Minneapolis | New York | Philadelphia | Phoenix | San Antonio | San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle Washington, DC | Real Estate in More Cities LendingTree technology and processes are patented under US Patent Nos. 6,385,594 and 6,611,816. © 1998 - Real Estate.com, a service of LendingTree, LLC. All Rights Reserved.This site is directed at, and made available to, persons in the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii only. Conversion to LendingTree, LLC We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. REALTOR ® -- A registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS ® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Not all of the real estate professionals participating in the "Agent's Competing" program are REALTORS ® , which are members of the National Association of REALTORS ® . The Home Depot ® is not affiliated with LendingTree, LLC. The Home Depot ® is a registered trademark of Homer TLC, Inc. RealEstate.com is not sponsored by or affiliated with the parent franchisor companies of any of the participating members of its network. * Represents amount of consumer incentives and rebates (in the form of gift cards or other incentives) paid to consumers since August, 2000. ** Full Terms and Conditions Partner Sites: Citysearch | Expedia | Hotels.com | Ticketmaster.com | Hotwire.com | Entertainment.com | Match.com Home Shopping Network | ReserveAmerica | LendingTree.com | iNest | ServiceMagic | Ask Jeeves | Gift Ideas Mortgage Calculator | Refinance at GetSmart | LendingTree Mortgage | Free Online Credit Report | Home Equity Loans
Denver Real Estate Moving
Denver Real Estate by Be Hands Free Sign In Your Account Customer Service -- Search -- Shopping Cart 0 Products $0.00 your expert source for hands free cell phone accessories customer service toll free: 1-888-540-7090 or customerservice@behandsfree.com Search Categories Home Installed Car-Kits Portable Car-Kits Wireless Headsets Wired Headsets Others Departments Bluetooth Central Blackberry Accessories Treo Accessories Nextel Push-to-Talk Boost your cell signal Brands Jabra Plantronics Parrot Nokia Sony Ericsson Motorola Web connections Denver Real Estate Moving to Denver Denver is forecast to go through a population growth over the next 10 years. Unlike the rest of the US it has been in the doldrums since 2001 as the dot com and telecommunications busts have really affected the Denver metro area. Latest economic statistics, however, show that the local economy is almost back up to the boom years of the late nineties and 2000. Employment is up, available jobs are up and commercial estate vacancies are down. As the local economy picks up, it is anticipated that the Denver real estate market will follow. Unlike many other regions in the last few years, the Denver metro area has seen very modest house price growth of around 3%. As coastal communities have become unaffordable for the vast majority of the population, today Denver is seen to be affordable and undervalued. So combine the real estate slowdown (or pullback) the rest of the US is anticipating and that there are a lot of families who cant afford to buy or upgrade in their existing communities with the economic growth forecast for the Denver area, you can see how Denver offers a great relocation opportunity for many families. Relocating to Denver can be a great option for families. Indeed history tells us that those in California, the North East, Texas, Illinois and Minnesota will relocate to Denver as their own economies or housing markets hit rocky patches. They are attracted to Colorado by the great lifestyle, weather and job opportunities the Denver metro area offers. Home About Us Contact Us Press Room Privacy Policy Links Buyer's Guide Bluetooth Product Support Customer Service -- Shopping Cart Your Account -- © 2004 - 2005 Be Hands Free LLC
Real estate brokers are
Real Estate Agents & Brokers Career Prospects in Virginia Real Estate Agents and Brokers Home | Find another career | Find career statistics Suggestions & corrections Printer friendly page What do they do? Real estate agents sell property for owners. Specializations : Residential property, commercial property Preferred education : Complete an approved real estate marketing program in high school (with Career & Technical Education), community college, or trade school; associate's or bachelor's degree is an advantage Certification & licensing : State license required Getting ahead : Selling more & higher-valued property brings more commissions & more property to sell Skills & knowledge : Selling, negotiating, & bargaining; working well with clients; knowledge of local area Where they work : Visiting houses & properties to be sold Job outlook : Good in the long run, but probably becoming more competitive as the housing boom of the last decade slows down Look for work : Link to job banks and other job search resources Earnings : Usually in the $16-110,000 range Links : Find more information about this career Become An Agent & Get Rich Quick? Think Again Interviews with real people See a video WHAT DO THEY DO? It's the "American Dream"-- buying a house somewhere to call one's own. And the people who assist in that dream, making a fair profit at the same time, are real estate agents. When people want to buy a house, some land, or a commercial property, they usually contact a real estate agent or broker who collects listings of all the houses, properties and parcels of land for sale in a particular city or neighborhood. The agent sorts through the listings and selects the properties that seem to fit a buyer's price range and needs. The agent then shows the property to the buyer, along with any others that seem to fit the bill. When clients have questions--for instance, how old is the roof and is the property in a flood zone--agents track down the answers. They draw up contracts between buyers and sellers, and help smooth along the whole process by acting as a "go-between" between buyer and seller. Money enters the picture when the agent actually makes a sale. Agents charge both buyers and sellers for their services. Many also offer services like renting and managing property owned by others, also for a fee. Real estate brokers are the people who own and manage real estate agencies. Real estate agents are usually independent sales workers who provide their services to a licensed broker on a contract basis. In return, the broker pays the agent a portion of the commission earned from the agent’s sale of the property. (Agents are also sometimes called realtors if they belong to the National Association of Realtors). Despite all the excitement and money in real estate in recent years, selling real estate is not an easy line of work. Agents must stay on top of changes in the market by constantly touring homes that have just been listed. They work nights and weekends and have to be on call for clients who want to see them at odd times. They spend many weekend afternoons sitting at "open houses" and must be aggressive and good at drumming up new clients. In very competitive markets they must perfect the art of cold-calling or canvassing for new business. Va Association of Realtors Most importantly, real estates agents must be expert negotiators since they must manage delicate price negotiations when an interested buyer and seller hook up. The agent also coordinates the "closing" when a property is sold, that is, the actual signing of papers and transfer of a property's title. Once the property is sold, the agent who sold it and the agent who first got the listing both receive a portion of the commission. Agents who sell a property they also listed can increase their commission. Real estate agents and brokers need to know a lot about the communities in which they work. They need to know about the local real estate market and about local services, particularly the schools. They also need to be familiar with local zoning and tax laws, and know where to get financing. A broker's knowledge, resourcefulness, and creativity in arranging mortgages often means the difference between success and failure in closing a sale. Above all, the successful real estate agent has to be able to sense what clients really want in a property, be good at selecting properties that clients will like, and at helping clients be realistic about what they can afford. This type of job, in short, calls for a business-minded "people" person who really knows the lay of the land, so to speak. Specific tasks include: Finding properties to sell Estimates property will sell for to set the opening price Meeting with prospective buyers Helping buyers find property that they like Knowing the physical condition, features, and special characteristics of properties Preparing purchase agreements Referring clients to lawyers and tax consultants Working with lenders, home inspectors and others until the sale is completed to the client's satisfaction Commercial Investment Real Estate Real Estate Professional Realty Times The right job for you? Learn more with an informational interview with a local employer . The wrong job for you? Take an interest test & find a better one . SOME AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION Most real estate agents and brokers sell residential property. A small number, usually employed in large or specialized firms, sell commercial, industrial, agricultural, or other types of real estate. Every specialty requires knowledge of that particular type of property and clientele. EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION, & LICENSING In Virginia, as in every other state, real estate brokers and agents need a license. Prospective agents need to be at least 18 years old, and pass a written exam. The exam--more comprehensive for brokers than for agents--includes questions on basic real estate transactions and laws affecting the sale of property. In Virginia, agents have to complete 60 hours of real estate classes at an approved school and pass the state and national portions of the salespersons exam. Brokers must complete 180 hours of education, pass the state and national portions of the broker exam, and submit proof that they worked as a salesperson during 36 of the preceding 48 months before applying for a license. A college degree is helpful in certain areas like commercial real estate, but it is not required. Real estate licenses must be renewed every two years. To qualify for renewal, agents and brokers need to complete 8 hours of approved continuing education. In addition to licensure and continuing education requirements, real estate agents and brokers in Virginia cannot be guilty of violating the fair housing laws of any jurisdiction, nor convicted anywhere for a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, sexual offense, drug distribution, physical injury, or any felony. Real estate agents and brokers can also study to earn their GRI a nationally recognized professional designation that stands for Graduate, REALTOR® Institute. Studying to be a real estate agent in Virginia: Are you in high school? Learn more about Career and Technical Education . Find out about CTE courses in Real Estate Marketing. Students who complete this course are eligible to take the Virginia real estate licensing exam. Planning to go to college? Find real estate programs at community colleges . Read " How do I become a realtor " from the Virginia Association of Realtors. Find out more about getting a license and other issues from the Virginia Association of Realtors. Find more information on licensure and a list of schools and colleges approved to offer the required courses for brokers and agents from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Read about GED , High School , Community College , Financial Aid , & more in The World of Education Va public schools • Your School Division • HS Graduation Requirements • Career Readiness Certificates GETTING AHEAD Real estate agents advance as they learn more about the business, become more efficient, and as a result increase their earnings by selling more property. They may also earn larger commissions by moving to agencies that list more expensive properties. In large agencies, experienced agents can advance to sales manager or general manager. Experienced real estate agents who go on to get a broker’s license may open their own offices. Others with experience and training in estimating property value may become real estate appraisers, and people familiar with operating and maintaining rental properties may become property managers. Bright ideas for getting ahead in any job SKILLS, ABILITIES, & PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS Communicating clearly Working well with customers or clients Working in a highly competitive environment Attention to detail Listening carefully to what someone else is saying Keeping track of numerous responsibilities at once Dealing with people under stress Being consistently pleasant and polite Building and maintaining good public relations Selling, negotiating, and bargaining Thorough knowledge of local area Inspiring trust and confidence Keeping abreast of economic conditions and trends In addition to career-specific skills, everybody needs these basic skills: Reading Math Writing Speaking & listening Computer literacy Problem-solving & decision-making Understanding the broader picture Working with people A strong work ethic A positive attitude Independence & initiative Self-presentation WHERE THEY WORK ( Employer locator ) Real estate brokers and agents spend much of their time away from their desks, showing properties to customers, analyzing properties for sale, or meeting with clients. Increasingly, real estate agents work from home because now they can get so much of the information they need over the Internet. OUTLOOK Real estate brokers and agents enjoyed boom times during the last decade, as demand for housing soared. However, the future will not be quite so bright if interest rates rise and sales slow. In fact, some experts fear that the recent housing boom is expanding into a bubble that will soon burst leading to a fall in house prices and a slowdown in sales. Even if the real estate market holds up, opportunities for agents and brokers are expected to grow more slowly than average through 2012. People who want to buy houses can now do a lot of their own searching on the Internet, and this will probably reduce the need for agents and brokers. However, jobs prospects in this field also tend to vary by region and since many people are expected to retire from this field in coming years, there will always be work available. The economy in: Your area • Virginia • The nation Employment projections Monster Employment Index Manpower Employment Outlook LOOK FOR WORK See job ads at Virginia's Job Bank • More job banks • Find local employers Learn job search skills—from reading job ads to preparing for the interview EARNINGS See what people usually earn Most real estate agents in Virginia earn somewhere in the $16-73,000 range. Brokers usually earn more, in the $20-110,000 range. Incomes in this occupation vary widely because agents work on commission. They are paid a percentage of each sale they make, so their incomes depend on the price and the number of properties they sell. The average commission is about 5-7 percent of a property's selling price. This commission rate varies from firm to firm, and commissions are often split between broker and agent on a 50-50 basis. Commissions can also be split between the agent and broker of the listing firm and the agent and broker of the firm that made the sale. Learn more about earnings at Salary.com , Payscale.com , Career Info Net , & other sites FOR MORE INFORMATION Virginia Association of Realtors 10231 Telegraph Road Glen Allen, VA 23059 www.varealtor.com Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation Real Estate Board 3600 W Broad St Richmond, VA 23230 www.state.va.us/dpor/reb_main.htm National Association of Realtors 4301 North Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60611 www.realtor.com/ National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. 1629 K St NW, Suite 1100 Washington DC 20006 www.nareb.com/ About.com's Real Estate professional's page Realty Times realtytimes.com/ WetFeet.com, Career Profiles and Interviews Career Overview www.wetfeet.com/asp/careerprofiles_overview.asp?careerpk=33 Industry Overview www.wetfeet.com/asp/industryprofiles_overview.asp?industrypk=27 Real People Profiles www.wetfeet.com/research/rpp/rppbycareer.asp?careerpk=33&careerName=Real+Estate This page was last edited on: November 18, 2005