New to Real estate investing

[Austin James]

Hello all! 

My name is Austin and I want to begin investing in real estate. I am unable to actually start anything until January so I was wondering if it would be worth it to get my real estate license while I wait. I was told id only be able to do referrals if I wasn't going to be full time. I want to start by flipping a house and see where this all takes me.

A little bit of my background is I am 23 and have been working I.T. since 17. I make good money but I have a health condition that may cause some issues if I keep staring at screens all day. I've always liked working on houses and doing repairs I've been doing that kind of work with my dad since I was a kid. I have 0 experience in real estate. I currently live in Aberdeen, NC. 

[Evan Polaski]

@Austin James, there are pluses and minuses to having your license, and each jurisdiction will have their own rules.

You do not need a real estate license to flip houses.  In fact many flippers don't have it, and of those that I know and do have it, many don't list their own houses for liability purposes.  Obviously, there are costs and time involved to get it, and I believe all states have continuing education requirements, as well as broker fees that can add up if you aren't doing it full time or in some other ways using it.

At least in Ohio, you do not need to be a full time agent to list and show houses, but I am not entirely sure I know what you mean by "only be able to do referrals".  Most agents I know get most of their business from referrals within their networks.

The plusses of having your license are access to houses and MLS without waiting for other agents to get you in. Depending on your broker setup, you can waive commissions on properties you are representing yourself on. This means more money in seller's pocket, without really changing the economics on your end.