New Member Intro and Questions concerning specialized real estate

[Jared L. Smith]

Hi everyone,

My name is Jared Smith, and I am currently a 21 year old junior at Virginia Tech. I am double majoring in Business Management and Real Estate. ( I know this is not necessarily needed for real estate professions, but due to academic scholarships and extenuating circumstances this is a free education.) Information pertaining to my question: I am a Virginia resident, I was in a car accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury and left me in a wheelchair (for the time being), my long term goal is to open a real estate brokerage that is very well versed in, but definitely not restricted to, handicap and elderly housing. Although I am a Va resident at the moment I am planning to live in and be certified in both northern Florida and southern George because the demographics of these areas fit my business model. This being said, I am currently trying to find the best path to becoming a certified broker. I understand that to become a certified broker you have to work as an agent for several years (depending on the state.) Being in a wheelchair working as an agent for a company that doesn’t specialize in wheelchair accessible housing would be nearly impossible, I assume. Is there a way to become certified as a broker without working as a an agent?

Also after graduation (w/ a Business and a Real estate degree), while I am working under a broker to become broker certified. I will be finishing an interior design degree w/ hopes of assisting in the process of designing wheelchair accessible properties for my brokerage which leaves one less thing to be out sourced. Does this make sense economically?

This is just the very beginning of my business model, and if anyone has any questions I would love to elaborate! Thank you in advance for any advice!