WHAT IS A BROKER?

Many people know what a REALTOR is and

what they do. Yet they may or may not know

what a real estate BROKER is, or what the differences are between a REALTOR and a

real estate AGENT. Below are some basic

answers. The criteria is much deeper than

what is presented here, however, this gives

you a basic idea:

REAL ESTATE AGENT: In California, this is

usually someone who has been approved for

and has passed the California Real Estate Salesperson license exam. Successfully

completing three college-level real estate

related courses is a requirement. The licensee

will then need to go through some post-exam processes to become "activated". In order to "activate" their license and sell real estate in California, they must connect with a licensed BROKER in the state and put their Salesperson license with that BROKER.

REALTOR: If the BROKER requires a

REAL ESTATE AGENT under his or her license

to become a REALTOR, the AGENT will thereby join a local Association of Realtors along with

the California Association of Realtors (CAR)

and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The AGENT will need to attend a mandatory orientation, and adhere to the NAR's Code

of Ethics to achieve REALTOR status.

BROKER: A real estate Broker can own a real estate company, a mortgage company, and in

some cases, an escrow company. All real estate AGENTS and those AGENTS who become REALTORS must put their license with a

BROKER, and must work under the direct supervision of that BROKER.

Some Brokers, rather than own their own

company or have AGENTS/REALTORS under

their license, choose to work under the direct supervision of another BROKER. These are commonly known as Broker-Associates.

To become a BROKER, one must pass the

BROKER exam. Prerequisites for the BROKER exam include, but are not limited to, the

following:

1) A minimum of two years full-time experience as a licensed salesperson within the last five years, or two years of unlicensed equivalent experience, or a four-year degree with a major/minor in real estate.

2) Successfully completing eight statutorily required college-level real estate courses.

There are other requirements and some exemptions exist. For further information, visit

the Department of Real Estate website at dre.ca.gov.

John Willard is a REALTOR and a multi-state BROKER. He is the Broker of Record fo

 BlūSky Realty.