REAL ESTATE CAREER SEMINAR

CAREER SEMINAR REVEALS THE FACTS
The real estate market place is always changing and right now it looks like it's changing for the better. With the encouraging reports from the media recently more and more people are buying and selling homes today and are looking for guidance from real estate sales professionals. A career in real estate is potentially more rewarding now than ever before.
The truth is this is a great time to start a real estate career. The market is turning around and people are looking for help from real estate professionals.
A good place to start exploring the possibility of a career in real estate is a Career Seminar like the one Prudential Starck Realtors is presenting Tuesday evening June 2 at 7:00 PM at their Bloomingdale Learning Center, 181 S. Bloomingdale Rd in Bloomingdale. The seminar is free and is billed as "A Night of Questions and Answers." Questions about requirements for licensing, qualifications, earning potential, training and what it takes to get started will all be answered.
Anyone interested in discovering the realities of real estate sales can learn the facts that night.
Prudential Starck Realtors holds these Career Seminars regularly. For a schedule or to reserve your spot call 800-375-7032.

Tuition Reimbursement Program from Prudential Starck Realtors

Real estate sales is an exciting and rewarding profession that offers lots of great opportunities. A career in real estate allows you to meet and help interesting people, experience freedom and independence, use your personal strengths and obtain financial security. Of course, before you can start in the business, you need to obtain your Illinois real estate license. That requires a course and tuition.

Whether you take the class at a college or at a private school, the tuition is usually around $350 including text materials.

The real estate school that Prudential Starck Realtors® underwrites, Your House Academy, offers the state-approved pre-license course for $285.00.

Prudential Starck Realtors® underwrites the school in order to attract good agent prospects to the company.  In addition to making a lower tuition possible, as an added incentive, agents who join the company will receive 1/2 of their tuition refunded when their first transaction closes.

When you consider all the great training, tools and leadership Prudential Starck Realtors® offers their agents, this tuition refund program is just like "icing on the cake".

For more information about the pre-license course offered through Your House Academy visit their website at YourHouseAcademy.com or call Vince DePaul at 800-375-7032.

The Class of 2009 - A Career Instead of a Job

From CareerBuilder.com:
"The class of 2009 will face the most competitive job market in years, as companies continue to proceed with caution amid economic uncertainty, according to CareerBuilder’s newly released annual college job forecast.The percentage of employers planning to hire recent college grads is roughly half of what it was just two years ago. Only 43 percent of employers plan to hire recent college graduates in 2009, down from 56 percent in 2008 and 79 percent in 2007."

While a career in real estate sales may not be the answer, it might be worth considering. The market is down right now, but there are signs of recovery and we think when it comes out it's slumber it will come out with a sustained upswing. Housing affordability is at its highest point in years, mortgage rates are at their lowest point in years, absorption rate (month's supply of inventory) is dropping steadily in most areas, and there is an $8,000. incentive for first time home buyers to act now. Similar to investing when the market is down, it might be a benefit to invest in a career instead of looking for a job. For more information try prudentcareers.com and if you'd like to find out about getting an Illinois real estate license click on YourHouseAcademy.com. Here at Prudential Starck Realtors, we are always ready to answer your questions.

Illinois Broker Exam Preparation

At examsmart.com the following message is now posted: "NEW AMP BROKER SIMULATION QUESTIONS NOW AVAILABLE! Unlimited review of 20 full simulations! FREE RENEWALS UNTIL YOU PASS!" As you know from past posts, we think you'll need some sort of practice before taking the broker test. I believe Bill O'Donnell, one of our broker license instructors, has a copy of the examsmart review and I'll see if we can get him to post his evaluation of it.

Technophobic?

How much tech knowledge do you need to succeed in real estate sales? We'll soon post a complete guide on prudentcareers.com, but the basic list would include enough computer familiarity to be able to access and explore your local Multiple Listing Service. Some of the features available through the better MLS web sites are prospecting, property searches, tax records, and more. Also important is the ability to utilize email to exchange information between yourself and clients, as well as your office and other agents. (The value of a personal web site will be covered in more detail in future posts.) Software programs you will probably need include word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, and contact management. None of those are impossible to master, so don't worry too much, you can learn to use them. Here at Prudential Starck Realtors we offer training in the use of these tools.

Your House Real Estate Academy - CE Classes

In my last post, I short changed the Academy. CE 12-hour home study courses are offered through a cooperating agreement between Your House Academy and The Illinois Academy of Real Estate. The Illinois Real Estate License Act requires 12-hours of professional Continuing Education for all licensees who are not exempt. 6-hours must be in the mandatory core categories (A & B) and 6-hours may be elective courses.

Students receive textbooks and workbooks for the course or courses ordered. The books contain reading assignments and self testing. When prepared, the student calls and sets an appointment for testing. The exams are proctored exams and administered at our corporate offices or at the site of an approved proctor. The student has a minimum of two weeks and up to six months to complete the program. Tuition is $25.00 per 3-hour course or $75.00 for all 12-hours
Contact Vince DePaul at (630) 307-3493 or (800) 375-7032 or by email for more information.

License Renewals

April 30 deadline looms for salesperson license renewals in Illinois. If you still need to complete continuing education, see IAR’s home study, online and classroom options.

License Law Rewrite and Broker Exam

I am happy to see the state passed the rewrite, it's something we have needed for a long time. In the short term, it will certainly cause some confusion, but over the long haul I believe it will pay dividends for the industry. As for the exam, the pass rate for the first 45 days or so has been around 39%, rather abysmal to say the least. The biggest problem has been the lack of study material available to date. I spoke to the folks at ExamSmart and they tell me the new simulator should be up and running next week. I also have it on good authority that AMP is doing some "Tweeking" to the state exam based on feedback from several sources. All of these things together should begin to show better results in the near future. For those who will be transitioning to Broker or Broker Manager status, will be able to take a proficiency exam, if passed they will not have to take the regular exam. I do not believe the proficiency exam has been created yet, so I don't know at this point what that will entail. As soon as it becomes available, I will try to get a copy. Stay tuned