Real estate agent license

[Prasanna K.]

I am looking for my second investment property with my realtor. I am happy with her services and will use her service for this property. Going forward I would like to have the flexibility to go look for properties myself. The main value the realtor is bringing is opening the lockbox for the properties. I would love to have access to properties without working out the schedule with another person. Is getting a real estate agent license myself, the only way to achieve this? How involved and expensive is getting a real estate agent license in Texas

[John Warren]

@Prasanna K. if the main value your realtor brings is opening the lock box, then you need a better realtor on your team. My clients get value from me long after the transaction is closed. I provide an entire network of contractors, attorneys, inspectors, etc that I have vetted and that I personally use. 

Getting a license is fairly straight forward, but if you become a licensee just to represent yourself then you will be missing out on a valuable part of your real estate team. A good realtor is very experienced at negotiating, has a strong network of other real estate professionals, and is spending thousands on marketing which can/should produce some off market opportunities as well.