Working with Real Estate Brokers & Agents
August 11th, 2006 (Real Estate)
A real estate broker is the highest level of licensed real estate professional and a licensed real estate sales agent is qualified to handle real estate listings and transactions under the supervision of a broker. The vast majority of real estate licensees are sales agents. All real estate brokers and agents are licensed by the state in which they perform their services.
A real estate agent must have his license placed under a supervising broker who’s ultimately responsible for the actions of the sales agent. Real estate brokers often begin their careers as real estate agents, but it’s possible to meet the more stringent qualifications and immediately qualify as a broker.
Generally, you’ll deal with real estate agents, but the added experience and dedication of a broker can be beneficial to you if you’re involved in larger and/or more complicated transactions. Real estate agents are fine to handle the majority of real estate transactions, including the typical purchase or sale of an owner-occupied single-family home or condo. But whether you use a broker or an agent, make sure that this person has a solid track record with investment property transactions in your area.