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Real Estate Careers
We're Serious about Your Success
Learn more about one of the leading real estate brands in real estate, and
how you can find success as a Coldwell Banker®
Sales Associate.
If you are a goal-driven, service-oriented entrepreneur who is serious
about success, then a career with a Coldwell Banker company is the
right choice. Here you are more than a real estate agent - Coldwell
Banker-affiliated Sales Associates are supported with access to
leading education, systems and tools that will provide you and your
customers an advantage through the real estate process.
Benefits of
Affiliation
Offices in the Coldwell Banker network offer benefits and market
advantage through recognition and access to leading programs and services.
Technology Tools
Discover the "e-world" of the Coldwell Banker System.
Services and Resources
Available to the Coldwell Banker System is a comprehensive array of
professional traditional and electronic marketing and business development
materials.
Benefits of Affiliation
We're Serious about Your Success
The Coldwell Banker®
System supports Sales Associates through recognition and access to leading
programs and services.
Awards and Recognition
Our comprehensive awards and recognition programs reinforce our
appreciation of the excellence in service and success of Coldwell
Banker real estate offices and Sales Associates at both a national and
local level.
National Alliances
The Coldwell Banker network has partnerships with national vendors
to provide Sales Associates with access to resources and competitive
pricing for services that include wireless communication solutions, field
and office equipment, and shipping and software programs.
Technology and Education
We're Serious about Your Success
Discover the "e-world" of the Coldwell Banker®
System.
coldwellbanker.com
Our award-winning real estate Web site generates hundreds of thousands of
leads and more than 118 million unique visitors per year*. Buyers and
Sellers can easily find Sales Associates and their listings through our
Quick Search feature right on our home page. Plus, award-winning tools and
services such as the Personal Retriever®
service, work hard to market you and your listings.
Coldwell Banker Works
Available exclusively to Coldwell Banker Brokers and Sales
Associates, Coldwell Banker Works is the portal to all Coldwell Banker
education, products and services, and the source for listing, selling, and
prospecting tools, as well as electronic networking tools.
Click here to tour
Coldwell Banker Works.
Coldwell Banker University®
- cbu.com
To ensure the continued development of Coldwell Banker-affiliated
Sales Associates, Coldwell Banker University®
offers a wide variety of classes and continuing education programs that
can be taken in-person or via the Internet. Accessible from our virtual
university, cbu.com, Coldwell Banker University offers a robust
suite of certification, development and technology training programs. Core
skills and productivity enhancement courses such as eFastStart for new
Sales Associates, and BOO$T for experienced agents, offer opportunities
for continued professional growth while a vast array of software training
courses allows Sales Associates at all skill levels to stay current with
available technology solutions.
cbu.com
To ensure the continued development of Coldwell Banker Sales
Associates, cbu.com offers a wide variety of classes and continuing
education programs that can be taken in-person, by phone, or via the
Internet.
Contact Us
The real estate profession has
expanded and offers one of the widest career selections in the business
world today. Helping people buy and sell homes, office buildings,
industrial property and corporation farmland, property management, land
development, mortgage banking, urban planning, real estate counseling,
appraisal and research are all aspects of a career in real estate.
Advantages and Rewards of a Career in Real Estate
A career in real
estate provides flexibility and freedom to set your own pace. Income
directly reflects your efforts, with no limits on what astute,
hard-working men and women can earn. Successful people in real estate are
goal-oriented, persevering, self-motivated, ambitious and people-oriented.
The rewards of a real estate career are a potential for high earnings,
status in the community, autonomy, time freedom, helping people, the
intellectual challenge and the satisfaction from those accomplishments.
Working in real
estate allows for independence and choices of environment in which to
work, such as affiliation with a large or small firm as a listed
salesperson. With more experience and upon passing of an additional exam,
becoming a real estate broker is the next step. Brokers can own their own
businesses and employ other salespeople.
Education for a
Career in Real Estate
Colleges and universities now offer a
variety of real estate and related courses. At many of these colleges,
students can specialize in a program that leads to a bachelor’s degree in
real estate. Some universities offer graduate level courses. Contact your
local public library for university and real estate college course
information and directories.
Professional
Requirements for a Career in Real Estate
Entry into the real
estate profession takes preparation. As with other professions, licensing
is required. Licensing requirements vary from state to state, but all
require prospective salespeople and brokers to pass a written exam. For
more information on licensing, contact the Association of Real Estate
License Law Officials at 334/260-2902 or at their
Web
site.
Some states allow
students to take pre-licensing educational courses accredited by the state
licensing agency before they qualify to sit for the exam. In other states,
students can take these educational courses within a specified time after
being licensed.
In order to obtain a broker’s or sales
agent associated license, more than half the states specify special
education and/or experience or their equivalents. However, states are
upgrading their license laws and prerequisites for both brokers and sales
associates at a rapid rate. Current information is available from your
local Board of REALTORS® at www.realtor.com or the Real Estate License
Commission in the state(s) where you would practice.
Getting Started in
Real Estate
Entry into the real estate field
depends on education, training and interests. Most people begin as sales
trainees in a brokerage firm. Other possibilities include office
assistant, listing or rental agent, assistant in a department of a large
real estate organization, or in the mortgage division of a bank or savings
and loan.
Continuing Education in Real Estate
Formal education is
available while working in real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
REALTORS® and its Institutes, Societies and Councils sponsor continuing
education programs for members, and award designations for specialty areas
of real estate. Continuing education increases knowledge and skills,
improving earnings potential and enhancing opportunities for success.
Careers in
Residential Brokerage
Helping people buy and sell homes is
one of the most important and basic services a real estate agent performs.
Agents are experts in the process of buying and selling property,
financing, government programs, etc. The real estate agent’s expertise
facilitates the transaction, saving clients time, trouble and money. Real
estate professionals need to have a thorough knowledge of such areas as
real estate law, local economics, fair housing laws, types of financing,
mortgages and government programs. Contact the
Council
of Residential Specialists
on the Web or call them at 800/462-8841.
Careers in
Commercial Brokerage
Commercial brokers specialize in
income-producing properties, such as apartment and office buildings,
retail stores and warehouses, shopping centers and industrial parks. To
understand and explain why the properties are good investments, commercial
brokers need to be aware of the growth possibilities of the area where the
property is located, current income tax regulations and purchasing
arrangements that give the buyer a greater return on investment.
Commercial brokers may also have to arrange financing. Contact the
CCIM Institute
at 800/621-7027.
Careers in Industrial and Office
Brokerage
Industrial and office brokers
specialize in the developing, selling or leasing property used for
industry or manufacturing. Brokers need to understand different types of
industries and determine such variables as transportation, proximity to
raw materials, water and power, labor availability and local building,
zoning and tax laws. Contact the
Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS®
at 202/737-1150.
Careers in Farm and Land Brokerage
Land brokers deal
in land for farming, and acquisition of rural land by cities for
residential, commercial and industrial expansion. Success as a land broker
depends on how accurately the income potential of the property can be
established. Brokers need a good working knowledge of various factors
which determines a farm’s capacity to produce, including agricultural
knowledge and information such as market centers and transportation
facilities. Contact the
REALTORS® Land Institute at
312/329-8482.
Careers in Real Estate Appraising
Real estate
appraisers determine the value of properties. Real estate is appraised to
determine many types of values—assessed value for tax purposes, investment
value or present value for a potential investors, "book" value of
accounting purposes, rental value for income projections and insurable
value. Appraisers need to know acceptable principles of appraisal and
related information. They need to have practical experience, technical
education, good judgment and some knowledge of mathematics, accounting and
economics. Contact NAR's Appraisal Specialty section at
narappraisalsource@realtors.org
or call 800/874-6500, ext. 8393.
Careers in Property
Management
The property manager’s primary
function is to maintain the property in order to produce the highest
possible financial return over the longest period of time. More
importantly, they are responsible for protecting the owner’s investment.
Managed commercial properties are likely to be office buildings and
shopping centers. Residential properties might be apartment buildings,
apartment developments, condominiums and groups of homes owned by a single
investor. Property managers usually work for real estate firms. However,
other opportunities are found in the real estate department of banks and
trust companies. For large housing and commercial development, managers
are often expected to maintain an office or residence of the premises and
work with only one enterprise. When living on-site, property managers can
expect to be on call for emergencies at all times, beyond maintaining
standard working hours. Contact the
Institute of Real Estate Management
at 800/837-0706.
Careers in Land Development
Land development is
one of the most important and challenging specialties in real estate
today. Developers turn land into profitable, marketable developments
--residential, commercial or industrial. Site selection is the first
decision developers must make. Planning and layout is handled only after
the developer determines the need for a project. Before the actual
building can begin, developers must first analyze all costs and arrange
the financing. Then they contract for the physical structures and
supervise construction. Finally, developers promote the finished
development to the prospects for whom it was planned.
Careers in Urban
Planning
If you would like to improve the
environment and the quality of people’s lives, becoming an urban planner
may fulfill your career objective. Urban planners work with local
governments and other civic groups to anticipate their city’s future
growth. They propose physical changes to accommodate this growth. Not many
career guidelines exist for urban planning, but broad general experience
is important. Some colleges are now offering degrees in urban planning.
Contact the Urban Land Institute at 800/321-5011 or visit their
Web site.
Careers in Real
Estate Counseling
Real estate counselors are in the
business of giving advice about property. They are the experts others seek
when they want answers to real estate questions. Counselors must know
every phase of the real estate business because they use that knowledge in
nearly every consultation. Often they will be asked about income
opportunities and productive uses of different kinds of properties. There
are relatively few brokers specializing in counseling, but the field will
grow as investors and owners realize the value of expert advice in
developing property and improving income. While accumulating experience in
other real estate specialties, people planning to become real estate
counselors also continue to study in continuing education programs in
financial management. Contact the
Counselors of Real Estate
at 312/329-8427.
Careers in Real Estate Research
Real estate
researchers contribute to the decisions of many other real estate
specialists. Brokers, property managers, appraisers, financing experts and
counselors all depend on data provided by research.
Research can be
divided into two main categories — physical and economic. Physical
research means studying buildings and structures of all types, especially
in terms of the selection and efficient use of construction materials.
Economic research consists of determining reliable answers to questions
like "How many people hope to buy homes next year?" "What will it cost
them to borrow mortgage money?" and "What percentage of the nation’s homes
are sub-standard?"
Real estate is a rewarding career,
offering flexibility, freedom and the opportunity to build a secure future
for yourself and also help shape the future of your community.
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