The Market is Rebounding

We are seeing some strong growth in resales right now. With the job market still struggling, and with the small investment it takes to start, basically a business of one's own, it surprises me that more people are not taking this opportunity to enter a growth field. Real estate agents have survived downturns before and come out way ahead as the market turned. Now is an excellent time to take the required courses and hook up with a powerful real estate company. Here at Prudential Starck we have all the tools to help you build a successful and fun career. Give us a call.

Consumers Want Real Estate Agents

A few years ago I heard a report from the man who supposedly "brought down the travel agency business" by developing on-line reservations systems for airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, etc. ... all the things that were typically handled by travel agents. He turned his focus to the real estate business and created Zillow with the goal of "bringing down the real estate agency business." Lots of people outside the real estate industry thought that he could do it. People inside the real estate industry knew that it was just more "hog wash."

Real estate professionals know that there's something they provide that the internet can't and people really value that "something."

Consumers want a low price and discounts and rebates make sense in many industries, particularly the retail industry. However, one of the first things a real estate license student learns is the difference between "Real Property" and "Personal Property" and viva la difference. Real estate (real property) is just not sold the same way as personal property (i.e. airline tickets, hotel rooms). So far the internet has done little to sway a big percentage of housing consumers away from brokers.

Today, with the huge number of foreclosures and short sales, people, both buyers and sellers, need agents more than ever just to navigate through all the mine fields that these kinds of properties bring to the game.

Does anyone really think the role of the real estate professional will be diminished? We'll be challenged by the competition the internet brings, which is a good thing. But real estate agents are here to stay and our numbers will increase.

Agents should not be concerned. Those who think there’s some easy way to replace the service we provide are wrong ... at least that's what the consumers have concluded so far. The services we provide are just too valuable to walk away from. Perhaps consumers really want something more than just a low price.

YourHouseAcademy.com

Your House Real Estate Academy is now offering online courses and has links on the site to the bookstore and Mr. Real Estate's Illinois Exam review, a series of CD's. They have also posted a series of informative articles designed to give a prospective real estate agent some additional information and advice. Here at Prudential Starck Realtors our Saturday morning course continues to crank out folks ready to sit for the Illinois exam: we had another 3 students pass the course final during the last session. If time is at a premium for you and you're not too far from Palatine give us a call about the workshop.

Prelicense Course Description

Most of the material covered is simply common sense: what would a reasonable person do in this situation. There is some math, but basic, and some terms that need to be memorized. My personal favorite is "riparian rights," which involves ownership of land adjacent to streams or other flowing water. While I've never been asked about riparian rights in my 30 years in the business, it's a question I've seen on several final exams as well as the state exam. I have a page on the prudentcareers web site that goes into slightly more detail about the prelicense course: content