Surprised they aren?t one and the same?? You aren?t alone. I polled my non-real estate friends on Facebook recently and found that none of them could tell me the difference.? A couple said they knew there were differences, but not sure what those were.
Education requirements to obtain a real estate?license, vary?state to state. Here in North Carolina, we are a ?Broker only? state and require a license applicant to take and pass a 90 hour course, and then also pass a state issued exam. Every year thereafter, the licensee must also take a mandatory update of 4 hours and an elective of 4 hours, for a total of 8 hours of continuing education,? to retain their license status.
A REALTOR? , must obtain all of those credentials and then also take a required Code of Ethics course and join the National Association of REALTORS?.? By agreeing to abide by these Code of Ethics, we are pledging to hold ourselves, and our fellow REALTOR? members, to higher standards of? practice and professionalism than even the law requires.? Should anything within this code be violated,?REALTORS? can be subjected to discipline and/or fining by a board of our peers. I encourage each one of you, to read thru those??Code of Ethics. You will find many things that would benefit a consumer within this Code, that are above and beyond the legal requirements.?
In addition, here in the Charlotte Metro area, it is required to be a REALTOR? member, to be a member of the Carolina Multiple Listing Service (CMLS), as it is owned by the Charlotte Regional REALTOR? Association.? Sharing or searching the MLS, is still the #1 way a home is bought or sold, and is a valuable tool that only REALTORS? have access to, here in our area.
But an often overlooked benefit to the consumer in using a REALTOR? vs. a real estate licensee, is that we care?enough to be a part of a connected, informed organization: the National Association?of REALTORS?, and that we commit our time and monies to being a professional.? We have many resources of information, marketing, education, and news, that the average real estate agent does not.?
?Now that you understand the differences, the next time you need someone to assist you to buy or sell a home, make sure you specifically ask: ?Are you a REALTOR?? Or?JUST a ?licensee??
The REALTOR? Logo - A Trademarked Sign of Professionalism
Related posts:
- 2011 Brings Big Changes to NC Real Estate Forms
- ?It was the best of times, it was the worst of times??
- Real Estate is Not My Most Important Job?
- WELCOME TO MY NEW WEBSITE!
- Dogwoods in Bloom at Blessing Hill
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.