When people inquire about our real estate pre-licensing course, they often ask questions like “What’s the difference between a real estate agent and broker?” or “Can I just take real estate broker licensing courses instead?”

These are perfectly natural questions for newcomers to the field.  In fact, agents and brokers are two very different things!  Knowing the difference is one vital piece of information that any would-be real estate professional should possess, so we wanted to quickly run down the answer.

What’s the Difference Between A Real Estate Broker and An Agent?

Simply put, a real estate broker is the next level up in the real estate hierarchy, above agent.  You cannot become a broker without first being an agent, because it’s a progression from one job to the next.

To be more specific:  A real estate agent is anyone who has successfully passed their real estate licensing tests.  They are legally allowed to help people buy and sell property.

A real estate broker has undertaken even more training and passed their broker’s tests.  In addition, most states require brokers to have worked as real estate agents for a number of months or years before they are eligible to become brokers, typically 36-48 months.  The biggest difference between agents and brokers is that brokers can establish multi-partner operations, by hiring agents or even other brokers.

So, a typical career path would have someone first taking their real estate pre-license course, then passing the test, and becoming a real estate agent.  After that, they might go to work for a brokerage, employed by a real estate broker.  Following 2-3 years of work there, they would then pursue further education to become real estate brokers themselves.

At that point, they might become partners in their original brokerage, or they might branch off to form their own company, and start hiring agents of their own.

Are You Ready to Start Your Own Real Estate Journey?

This is an exciting time to enter the field of real estate!  Opportunities are booming across the country, and all over the world.  People from all walks of life are turning to real estate as a second career, becoming real estate agents and then eventually becoming real estate brokers.

The Institute of Real Estate Education can help make your real estate dreams into a reality.  Click here to learn more!