​Real Estate Agents vs Realtors – Is There a Difference?

To people unfamiliar with the real estate industry, the roles of agents and brokers can sometimes be misunderstood. There is a difference between a Realtor and a real estate agent and a broker. In general, there are the three specific categories of personnel engaged in the business of selling real estate:

Real Estate Agents

Anyone engaged in the selling of real estate in the United States must take a series of educational courses and pass a written exam in the state in which they want to practice. These courses can be taken at a certified real estate school, or you can learn how to be a real estate agent online. Once the new agent has received his or her license, a number of real estate jobs are open to them. In most cases, new agents will want to jump into the field of actually listing and selling of properties through a brokerage office.

Realtors

All realtors are real estate agents, but not all real estate agents are not Realtors. If this statement sounds like a lesson in logical thinking, it’s not. The differentiation between the two job titles is simple: a realtor is simply a real estate agent who had joined the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and has the right to use that title.

Does becoming a Realtor a difference? The answer is yes. Anyone holding the title of Realtor is bound by a Code of Ethics, a list of 17 articles that outline various Standards of Practice that govern the honesty and fairness in all real estate transactions. Although agents who choose not to join the NAR as a Realtor are not bound by the Code, the local real estate boards who oversee brokers in their region strictly enforce the Code of Ethics in all transactions.

Real Estate Brokers

Real estate brokers are licensed by their state to oversee the work of agents who have placed their real estate licenses under their direction. They are in the business of brokering real estate transactions between buyers and sellers. Their state-issued licenses usually require a minimum number of years in the business as agents, taking required educational courses and passing a more comprehensive exam than the one the one they took to become an agent. In most states, practicing attorneys can take the exam without having to take the educational course prerequisites or have any prior real estate sales experience.

The basic set-up of a real estate firm consists of a minimum of one broker and a number of real estate associate agents. The acting broker is responsible for all of the actions taken by their agents. Brokers also direct the training and continuing education of their agents and work closely with the agents and their clients in order to maintain oversight into each transaction.

Continuing Education

Because real estate laws continue to become more complex, people in the business need to take continuing educational courses not only to keep abreast of the current laws but also to qualify for their next license renewal. In most states, agents can acquire their agents representative certificate online.