Should I get my license?

[Tyler Standish]

Hi,

I am very new to all of this - just finished reading J. Scott's book. I agree that there are several perks to getting your real estate license, but I am wondering if it's worth it if I only want to use it for the buying side. I would most likely still have another agent list and sell my properties as I am not a huge people person (open houses and negotiations wouldn't be my strong suit) and also have a full time job as a CPA, so time isn't something I have a lot of. The dues for my local real estate board (including access to MLS) would be $961 per year, plus obviously the costs of taking the 75 hour course, the exam, and continuing education credit. If I use the license just for buying properties, is it typical to get better deals due to the fact that the sellers of these properties wouldn't be paying the 3% buyer's agent fee? I think the biggest advantage would be access to the MLS and being able to view as many properties as you would like at whatever time you would like without having to feel like you were a burden to your agent. However, if it doesn't make any financial sense, then maybe I should just hire a buying agent as well.

Thoughts???

Thanks!