Real estate is a growing industry, and getting a real estate license is one of the cheapest and fastest career training programs for the income. If becoming a typical real estate agent isn’t for you, here are some other great careers you can start with a little personal talent and a real estate license.

An agent’s schedule can be varied and hectic, between meeting with clients, gathering and providing information, creating and distributing home marketing materials, handling paperwork, and overseeing the thousands of details that get homes bought and sold at all hours of the day. It’s not any stretch to see how a busy agent could use a helping hand. Becoming a Licensed Assistant for top producers or busy realty offices can mean better hours, steady paychecks, and reduced stress for both you and the agents you assist. Assistants can also specialize in particular aspects of the field. Research Assistants gather and process industry information, helping answer all manner of client questions and provide high-value support for agents and businesses. Marketing Assistants combine industry knowledge and advertizing to manage the brochures, mailings, advertizing, web activities, and other activities specific to marketing for select agents or businesses. Web Assistants specialize in building and maintaining web sites and web content. All of these types can be performed as Virtual Assistant over the computer, phone, fax, and mail, allowing you the convenience of a home office and increased work hour flexibility.

For the artistically inclined, Home Staging is a growing industry for real estate professionals with an eye for design. Commercial and private clients are becoming increasingly aware that top-dollar sales require big first impressions. Home stagers use their artistic skills and real-estate knowledge to cater those first impressions to the proper audience and make every showing count. Some successful stagers have even moved to television, magazines, and other media through the strength and value of their designs and ideas. Similarly, Real Estate Photography is on the rise. Industry-minded artists provide the stunning imagery needed for property advertisement, magazines, web sites and other media.

If you have language skills and like to write, you could find a niche as a Real Estate Writer. All industries need writers who can create trade materials, manage web articles, write pamphlets, mailings, manuals, or blogs, or a host of other key internal or external communications. A writer licensed in a specialized field is a rare and precious commodity, offering a comprehensive understanding of the field with a talent for words. Trade publications, large or successful real estate companies, and countless online opportunities can be found (or created!) for real estate writers.

Investors, companies, and individuals across the country and abroad are always looking to purchase commercial or private properties in the US. Time and travel, however, are often limited. That’s why they hire Property Scouts to do the legwork, investigating and reporting on potential properties and development opportunities. Successful scouts know their industry, do all of the homework, and provide valuable information to their clients. A scout can work as a freelance basis, building a client list of investors and industry contacts, or be contracted with specific firms or businesses to serve their client’s needs.

Finally, no property is sold until all of the forms are signed, and closing firms, banks, and other property companies need Title and Closing Specialists to gather, produce, and manage the documents necessary for closings. This task requires in depth knowledge of real estate laws and procedures. Detail-minded real estate professionals who thrive on multitasking could find many great positions helping properties get sold.

Real Estate is much more than selling houses. With a license and some ingenuity, these and other great jobs could be yours.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About The Author: Tom Davidson is the acting Director of Sales & Operations for Express Schools, LLC. Since 1996 the companies under this banner have offered online real estate licensing and insurance licensing courses as well as online real estate exam prep and insurance exam prep.

While the housing market across the country is on the verge of its turnaround, there are extraordinary opportunities for professionals with a Virginia real estate license. Listing prices are up in many areas across the state from Virginia Beach to Norfolk. This is creating new opportunities for employment in Virginia. There will be an increased need for qualified individuals with a Virginia real estate license as the real estate market continues to improve. Earning a Virginia real estate license is not as complicated as you might think. In fact, you could be on your way to a career in Virginia real estate in under a month.

Qualifications are simple for the Virginia real estate license examination. The Virginia Real Estate Board requires 60 hours of real estate courses to complete the pre-licensing educational requirements. When you have completed the real estate training you can submit your application to take the Virginia real estate license exam. Once the application has been received and processed, you will be issued a test date and location of an approved third party testing facility. You must be at least age 18 and earn a passing grade on both the state and national examinations, and that’s it! It’s that easy to get your Virginia real estate license.

Maintaining your license takes a little more work. After you have received your Virginia real estate license, you must complete 30 hours of post-licensing education within the first year for your license to remain active. The state of Virginia requires that anyone issued a Virginia real estate license must choose a specific area of real estate to concentrate on. Newly licensed agents can choose one of three available tracks, residential real estate, commercial real estate, or property management. If you should change your mind about the path you choose, you can be change tracks by notifying the Education Administrator in writing with either a notarized or original track change request form.

Half of the post-licensing education hours must be in courses for the track that you have chosen, and the remaining hours can be in elective courses approved by the Virginia Real Estate Board. Post-licensing education is not the same as the continuing education needed between the two-year renewal cycles. After the initial post-licensing education, eight hours of continuing education per year will be required for a total of 16 hours biannually, to be submitted before the expiration of your Virginia real estate license every other year. The 16 hours of continuing education will not be necessary at the first renewal, the successful completion of the post-licensing classes will cover the requirement.

Now that the housing market has started its recovery, the need for individuals with a Virginia real estate license will grow. In just a few short weeks, you can be have a Virginia real estate license and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are available in the Virginia real estate market. You can give yourself and your family the gift of financial security this year by starting a career in Virginia real estate.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About The Author: David Goldstein is an owner and founding partner of Express Schools, LLC. Since 1996 the companies under this banner have offered online real estate licensing and insurance licensing courses as well as online real estate exam prep and insurance exam prep.

Looking for houses can be a time consuming process if you are trying to buy a home in your area, but what do you do when you want to buy a house that is out of your area? Perhaps you have been transferred for work or maybe you are looking for a vacation home or investment property. How do you find a house when you are moving across the state, or across the country?

Research is always where you should begin when buying a home. The internet can be a wealth of information no matter where you are looking to buy. You can search online for more than just homes for sale; you can also find information about the area you are looking to buy into. Chamber of Commerce sites are a great way to find out some information about a community, and message boards like City-Data.com you can actually ask questions about the community and get responses from people who live in and around that area. Sites like greatschools.org provide school ratings; sites like www.neighborhoodscout.com provide crime statistics. This can be a great help when you are looking in an area that you know nothing about.

If you are lucky, you may have a friend or relative knows the area where you want to buy. If you do not, reaching out to your friends and relatives about where you are looking could put you in contact with someone who does. Networking through community activities, such as church, member organizations, sports teams, or social media, is virtually guaranteed to find some “friend of a friend” who will be willing to share some information. Having an actual person to give you some insight about the neighborhood can be invaluable.

Once you have determined the area you want to look in, you need to know what you are looking for in a home. The more detailed you can be about what you want in a home, the better it will be. When you have a good idea of what you want and where, you should find a real estate agent in that area. It is important to do your homework on the real estate agent also. See what others have to say about different agents and their companies, and spend some time interviewing before you select an agent. The real estate agent is working for you; if you have a hard time reaching them or they are not providing the services you want or the help you need, it is best to find another real estate agent.

By doing your research, knowing what you are looking for, and enlisting the help of a qualified real estate professional in your new city, you can find the house you want anywhere in the country.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About The Author: Tom Davidson is the acting Director of Sales & Operations for Express Schools, LLC. Since 1996 the companies under this banner have offered online real estate licensing and insurance licensing courses as well as online real estate exam prep and insurance exam prep.

Getting a mortgage can be challenging since the real estate market turned upside down. For those individuals who do not shy away from a challenge, the interest rates and affordability of homes has never been better. Qualifying for financing is a challenge, but definitely not impossible if you do your due diligence and shop smart. Many homebuyers fall victim to the same errors that can end up costing them a lot of money, or worse, the home they want to buy. These are the top three mortgage mistakes buyers make, and how to avoid them.

The first mistake many would-be buyers make is not knowing what their credit rating is before they seek out a lender. Before you do anything, it is important to see where your credit scores are and what potentially negative items could be on your report. The mortgage crisis has tightened up lending restrictions, and having a solid credit rating is more important than ever, especially if you want to qualify for the best interest rates. Order copies of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus and review them carefully. Dispute or resolve any negative items on your reports and pay down any revolving credit accounts (like credit cards) to less than 20% of the credit limit to maximize your credit score and increase your chances of mortgage approval.

The second mistake many buyers will make is not knowing what is available to them. There are so many mortgage programs available in different terms and rate types, not doing some research ahead of time could cost you a lot of money. At the onset of the mortgage crisis, many homeowners learned these lessons the hard way. They did not understand the terms of the loans they signed, and in the end found themselves with no way out. Read every word of the contract, and take the time to investigate and understand what it all means. If you are looking at adjustable rate loans, you should know how the variable rate is set. Find out if there are penalties for paying late, missing a payment, or paying your mortgage off early. Learning every aspect of the mortgage options you have to choose from and every detail of the loan you choose will help you to stay out of trouble and allow you to deal with trouble if it finds you.

Finally, just because you can qualify for a mortgage does not mean the sky is the limit. A lender will qualify you for the maximum amount that the lending guidelines will allow, which is not necessarily in line with your budgetary restraints. One of the contributors to the current state of the real estate market is that buyers borrowed far more than they could comfortably afford. Before you look at a single home, take a long hard look at your financial status.  Make out a budget with all of your living expenses, including savings, pocket money, and projected future expenses (such as braces for the kids or auto maintenance).  Mortgage payments should be no more than 28% your monthly income, but if you have other debts, lifestyle costs, or major expenses in your future, you may need to limit yourself to a smaller mortgage.  You should know what payment you are comfortable with before you look, and stick to your budget.

Buying a home is the single largest purchase many of us will make in our lifetimes. It does not make sense to make a purchase that significant and not do your homework first.  Fix up your credit, understand what type of loan is best for you, and know your financial limits before you shop. Avoiding these three mortgage mistakes can keep you and your home on a solid financial foundation.

Want to find out if you have what it takes to be a Real Estate Agent or Broker?

About The Author: Tom Davidson is the acting Director of Sales & Operations for Express Schools, LLC. Since 1996 the companies under this banner have offered online real estate licensing and insurance licensing courses as well as online real estate exam prep and insurance exam prep.