Real Estate Licensing

Guide to Real Estate Sales Training

Great solutions for real estate sales education and training
By LaRita M. Heet

Working as a real estate agent is a challenging and rewarding career. State laws dictate a real estate agent's education and training, and states vary regarding the depth and breadth of pre-license requirements. Here are the three basic steps to real estate sales training and education:

1. Fulfill your state's prelicense, post-license, and continuing education (CE) license requirements first.
2. Sharpen your selling skills with real estate sales-focused training.
3. Continue to learn and grow in your sales knowledge and expertise.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Fulfill the required learning Your state's real estate regulatory body – usually known as the 'State Department of Real Estate' or the 'Board of Real Estate' – is a goldmine of information. You'll find prelicense, post-license, and CE educational mandates and a list of state-accredited institutions.

I recommend:  The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) Regulatory Bodies has links to state governing bodies. Check out the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to download the "CE Requirements by State" Excel file. Check out the top online educators: American School of Real Estate Express, Allied Real Estate School and CE2GO, which each offer dozens of accredited courses for several states.

Sharpen your sales skills Your prelicense, post-license and CE courses are all required by law to teach you the legalities of the real estate practice. If you're looking to increase your sales, you'll need to continue to learn to specifically hone your sales skills.

I recommend:  The NAR's Realtor University offers more than 80 inexpensive online courses, many of which are designed to sharpen your selling skills. Check out Real Estate Champions for comprehensive sales training and free resources.

Consider specializing Within the real estate industry, there are many ways for a real estate agent to specialize on a particular market segment, such as residential or commercial sales.

I recommend:  Looking to gain additional designations? Then click here: NAR's REALTOR Family Designation Programs. The Open Directory Project (DMOZ) Real Estate Education and Training Schools, lists educators who offer general and specific types of training.

Keep training, keep selling There are hundreds of real estate sales training courses and materials available on the Internet, or through real estate institutions and universities.

I recommend:  For a clearinghouse of real estate sales training websites and resources, check out DMOZ Real Estate Education and Training and click on any of these subcategories: Academic Departments, Books, or Seminars and Coaching.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• A successful real estate agent must be organized, ethical, personable, self-motivated, and professional.
• Many real estate educational courses are offered during weekends, evenings, or through correspondence or online, to accommodate those who already work full-time in another career.
• Remember not to overbook on sales training courses at any one time, or you'll end up missing the actual SALES!
• Many states have reciprocal licensing laws, which allow the already-licensed professional (from another state) to take a single state-specific course to become licensed in both states.
• Many states permit traditional classroom, correspondence courses, or e-learning for real estate students and licensees. If your state allows you this choice, choose whichever method fits your lifestyle and your personality.