New Agent advice on referrals

[James Harris]

Hello RE professionals! Question regarding this scenario: Have an inactive (voluntarily), valid Florida RE license that I obtained a year ago for personal enrichment as an investor...had no desire to represent clients, and still don't, if I'm honest, so never hired on with a broker to activate it. However, I have now been asked by a family member to represent them for the sale of properties in Cape Coral (Lee county) and Punta Gorda (Charlotte county), and with the purchase of a new home in the Tampa area. I'm based in Brevard County. How does one go about this? Refer to brokerages local to each of the respective properties? Any and all advice/comments are welcome, and I thank you all in advance. Cheers!

[Doug Smith]

I'm actually in Tampa and, although I'm a lender, I have a real estate license as well. How comfortable are you with the paperwork and the process? That's usually the challenge for new agents. Honestly, if it wasn't for my wife, who is the rare agent that's actually honed her craft, studied real estate rules and laws, and really knows her stuff, I would struggle with it myself. You'll need to hang the license with a licensed brokerage and you might want to go ahead and grab MLS access and an e-key. Part of that will be joining your local board. In the Tampa Bay area, it's PRO (Pinellas Realtor Organization) in Pinellas and GTAR in Hillsborough, but you'll want to join the local board so your MLS is local to you. There are different MLSs for different areas. I'm on Stellar MLS, but your local realtor organization can help with that. They will get you your MLS access, your e-key, and your membership dues. it's not cheap, but if you're going to continue to do multiple houses and be more active, you'll need those tools. Now to your brokerage. It depends on how much help you need. I don't need assistance, so I hung my license with Charles Rutenberg Realty out of Pinellas. There are a couple of plans. The basic plan is something like $35/month plus $250/deal and $40/deal for E&O insurance. That's really, really cheap, but you don't get leads or a lot of other support. Bigger-named brokerages like Keller Williams or Remax might give you more support, but they might want a kidney in relation to a discount brokerage. What is right for me might not be right for you, so when someone tells you what you should do, think about your needs and plans and act accordingly. That being said, you'll want to reach out to your local realtor board (ask a local realtor who that might be) and that will be a good start for you. Good luck to you!