Highlights
Real estate agents, also known as sales agents and brokers, facilitate or negotiate the sale or purchase of any property, most frequently a home. An agent is usually the person managing a specific deal; a broker is usually the person running a firm that hires the agent. "Realtor" is the common name for an agent, although it is actually the formal title for a member of the National Association of Realtors, a trade organization that requires adherence to a code of ethics. The law does not require buyers and sellers hire an agent and a recent trend is a deal handled primarily between the two parties.
Because transactions are often complicated, every state requires agents and brokers be...
Because transactions are often complicated, every state requires agents and brokers be...
Real estate agents, also known as sales agents and brokers, facilitate or negotiate the sale or purchase of any property, most frequently a home. An agent is usually the person managing a specific deal; a broker is usually the person running a firm that hires the agent. "Realtor" is the common name for an agent, although it is actually the formal title for a member of the National Association of Realtors, a trade organization that requires adherence to a code of ethics. The law does not require buyers and sellers hire an agent and a recent trend is a deal handled primarily between the two parties.
Because transactions are often complicated, every state requires agents and brokers be licensed. They must be high school graduates and pass a written test on basic transactions and laws. Most states require classroom instruction, training and, for some advanced positions, some experience selling property. Licenses usually must be renewed every few years and some states require continuing education credits to remain licensed. Agents can work for a buyer or the property owner. They usually are self-employed people providing services as a contractor to a broker's firm. They locate houses to be sold, advertise the property, locate buyers, match buyers to properties that fit their needs, negotiate a price, prepare the paperwork, arrange financing and numerous other tasks. In 2004, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated about 460,000 people worked in the industry. Many worked part time, combining their real estate activities with other careers, because two sales can be days or months apart. The median annual earnings of salaried real estate sales agents, including commissions, were $35,670 in May 2004. Commissions on sales are the main source of earnings, usually a percentage of the sale price. The money is usually split between the agent who listed the property and agent who made the sale to a buyer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that getting a job is easy, but competition is stiff from experienced agents and is dependent on the volatile swings of the housing market. The job has been made easier in recent decades because of computerization, which allows potential buyers to screen out scores of possible homes with online virtual tours.
Because transactions are often complicated, every state requires agents and brokers be licensed. They must be high school graduates and pass a written test on basic transactions and laws. Most states require classroom instruction, training and, for some advanced positions, some experience selling property. Licenses usually must be renewed every few years and some states require continuing education credits to remain licensed. Agents can work for a buyer or the property owner. They usually are self-employed people providing services as a contractor to a broker's firm. They locate houses to be sold, advertise the property, locate buyers, match buyers to properties that fit their needs, negotiate a price, prepare the paperwork, arrange financing and numerous other tasks. In 2004, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated about 460,000 people worked in the industry. Many worked part time, combining their real estate activities with other careers, because two sales can be days or months apart. The median annual earnings of salaried real estate sales agents, including commissions, were $35,670 in May 2004. Commissions on sales are the main source of earnings, usually a percentage of the sale price. The money is usually split between the agent who listed the property and agent who made the sale to a buyer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that getting a job is easy, but competition is stiff from experienced agents and is dependent on the volatile swings of the housing market. The job has been made easier in recent decades because of computerization, which allows potential buyers to screen out scores of possible homes with online virtual tours.
Displaying items 1-12 of 1528
» View fox5sandiego.com items only
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11-128
•
Next >
-
Man who threatened news reporters sentenced
City News ServiceA man who threatened to rape and strangle nine women, including several San Diego television news reporters, was sentenced Friday to nearly eight years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender. Christopher Carl Hass, 58, pleaded guilty last...Tags: Lawyers, San Diego (San Diego, California), Prosecution, Crimes, Sex Crimes
-
Portrait emerges of woman whose mummified body was found in car
The two women met last year at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley and were unlikely acquaintances. One was a Costa Mesa real estate agent, the other a homeless woman who frequented the park.
The real estate agent allowed the woman to sleep in...Tags: Homes, Real Estate, Vehicles, Texas, California
-
Man accused of terrorizing TV reporters to stand trial
FOX 5 San Diego StaffAn Aug. 18 trial date was set Tuesday for a man accused of threatening to rape and strangle nine women, including several San Diego television news reporters. Christopher Carl Hass, 58, of San Diego, faces nine years in state prison if convicted of 13...Tags: Lawyers, Entertainment, Prosecution, Sex Crimes, Crimes
-
San Diego man stalks TV reporters, arraigned
FOX 5 San Diego StaffA man accused of threatening nine San Diego women, including several television reporters was in a court Wednesday. Christopher Carl Hass, 57, of San Diego has pleaded not guilty to charges of making criminal threats and stalking. The women were...Tags: Lawyers, Entertainment, San Diego (San Diego, California), Prosecution, Sex Crimes
-
Real estate agents who scammed Filipino homeowners get probation
City News ServiceHusband-and-wife real estate agents who took part in a Ponzi scheme directed at Filipino homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure were sentenced Thursday to probation and ordered to give up their real estate licenses. Ben Hebron, 51, and Gloria Hebron, 53,...Tags: Lawyers, Real Estate, Fraud, Corporate Crime, San Diego (San Diego, California)
-
Real estate market tough on military home buyers
FOX 5 San Diego StaffHome prices are down, so it makes sense that more people are attempting to grasp the american dream...including members of the military. "It is truly a buyers market as far as affordability," said Keller Williams Real Estate Agent Steven Johnson. "As far...Tags: Homes, San Diego (San Diego, California), Real Estate Buyers, Defense, Family
-
Poway Mayor Loses 4-Year Battle with Cancer
POWAY, Calif. - Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna died over the weekend after a four-year battle with cancer. Cafagna, 65, died Saturday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla from septic shock related to his cancer treatment, according to family friend...Tags: Microsoft Corp., Hospitals and Clinics, Elections, Science and Technology, Politics
-
For homebuyers, short sales can mean long wait
FOX 5 San Diego StaffMore and more, short sales are becoming a big problem for San Diego home buyers. "It just came time to where we were done with the condo we were living in," said first time home buyer Meredith Hoskins. "We were ready for a house -- to have more space and...Tags: Property, Homes, Mortgages, San Diego (San Diego, California), California
-
Foreclosures and home sales rise
FOX 5 San Diego Reporter"We'll see more inventory over the next six to eight months," said Mark Marquez, broker owner with Weichert Realtors Elite. "We'll see a couple of waves of inventory influx." Just about the time some people thought the downturn in the housing market...Tags: Foreclosures, Government, Homes, Clubs and Associations, Heads of State
-
Poizner, Whitman offer different fixes for state economic woes
City News ServiceRepublican gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman discussed job growth, taxes and economic development today during separate appearances at an event organized by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. -------------------- Sign...Tags: Republican Party, San Diego (San Diego, California), San Diego Padres, State Income Tax, Personal Income
-
Home tweet home: Agents turn to social media
Your real estate agent wants to be your friend. Not your bowling or bridge partner, or a confidante to phone after a particularly tough day, but your social media buddy, a person who will keep you up-to-speed with newsy updates and insider information...Tags: Real Estate, LinkedIn Corp., Facebook, Real Estate Sellers, Email
-
Celebrity sellers have little effect on home prices
Their internationally recognized names sell music and movie tickets. They promote perfumes and presidents. But when it comes to selling their own houses, celebrities often find that their cachet doesn't pull in the cash.
Actors Goldie Hawn and Kurt...Tags: Marilyn Monroe, Real Estate, Homes, Sotheby's Holdings Incorporated, Science and Technology
Sep 10, 2010
|Story| City News Service (SoCal)
Oct 28, 2010
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Jun 29, 2010
|Story| KSWB-LTV
Feb 18, 2010
|Story| KSWB-LTV
May 20, 2010
|Story| City News Service (SoCal)
Oct 12, 2009
|Story| KSWB-LTV
Apr 13, 2009
|Story| KSWB-LTV
Jul 29, 2009
|Story| KSWB-LTV
Jul 23, 2009
|Story| KSWB-LTV
Mar 30, 2010
|Story| City News Service (SoCal)
May 25, 2012
|Story| Chicago Tribune
May 19, 2012
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Original site for Real Estate Agents topic gallery.
