Real estate license needed to buy/sell options in MA?

[Alan Johnson]

I have been told by a real estate agent that if I want to execute an assignable option agreement with a property owner that gives me the right, but not the obligation, to purchase the property at an agreed price during an agreed period of time, I must do this through a real estate agent. Otherwise, if I then sell (assign) the option to someone else, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will deem this as brokering real estate without a license. Is this true?