Becoming a realtor in Birmingham
Hi group,
Posting for a friend who is interested in becoming a realtor in Birmingham, AL. She's looking for where to start, etc. I've known her for several years and she is very determined and hard working and incredibly detail oriented.
Looking for someone who might be able to help get her started and offer some assistance.
Thanks in advance - she really is awesome!
Hi Marty, I'm an appraiser and have held my Real Estate license for some 7 or 8 years now. LAH in Homewood has classes to get your license. There are a lot of online places, but I prefer having a classroom situation where you can ask questions and have in depth discussions you just can't do online. That is the school I went through and I believe they still have them. They might be a good place to start.
Hey Bruce - thanks for the advice! She's probably best suited for in-person classes as well. Do you know if those classes are at varying times? She has a regular full-time day job.
Out of curiosity - how long did it take for you to get your license through LAH? Any recommendations on trying to join an established brokerage or try to freelance?
She's so excited and motivated to jump into it and definitely the right person for the trade.
Thanks so much for the reply!
Best,
Marty
Hey Marty,
She probably just needs to contact them directly. When I did it, all my classes were nights and weekends I believe. I was working full time during the day also so I couldn't take day classes. It took a number of months to get through everything. It is not really hard, just a lot of material.
I personally would go with someone established starting out. You learn a lot of "book stuff" in class, but you need someone to show you all the ropes and what it is like in the "real world". I think that first year is well spent with someone. As far as which one, I would tell her to interview with a few. To me it's all about getting the right fit.
Hope that helps,
Bruce
Hey Marty,
When I started working for a property management company, I was required to get my license. I went the online route and it worked well for me while working full time. If you are disciplined, the flexibility is very convenient. For pre-license I used Mark Yarbrough School of Real Estate in Hoover. For post license, I used www.realestateexpress.com. I would highly recommend real estate express, mainly for their review material for the final exam.
I agree with @Bruce Glenn, she should go with someone established at first. Hope this helps.