I want to become a Transaction Coordinator in California

[Sarah Shada]

Hey BP,

I am currently waiting to schedule my license exam and plan to start part-time as a transaction coordinator while maintaining my full-time job, for now.

I have looked into the Transaction Coordinator Certification programs through the CAR, but I have some questions.

Does a TC need to be sponsored by a broker?

Is the certification worth the time and money?

Is freelance a feasible way of starting out as a TC?

Thanks for any and all advice!

[Kenneth Reimer]

@Sarah Shada Hi Sarah, great questions! In terms of sponsorship, do you mean whether or not you have to hang a license under the broker? If that's the case, it's my understanding that you don't have to. I've worked with three different transaction coordinators and none of them had a license. In terms of the course, I've not read up on it. However, the quality of a transaction coordinator, in my humble opinion, comes down to the person. A broker/sales agent will be looking for someone that is going to stay on long-term, learns quickly, and is independent. In my experience, a person with these traits generally does very well. 

As for freelance, my gut feeling tells me that the type of agent looking to hire a TC is a consistent producer, and consistent producers probably wouldn't want to share their TC with other agents. However, I could certainly be wrong. Just something to consider!