Good FL Sales Associate School and Pros/Cons as a Investor

[Parth Patel]

Hello BiggerPockets,

    I've decided to pursue getting my Real Estate License (Sales Associate) and was wondering where you as investors/realtors have decided to go for your pre-license requirements and what brought you to that decision. This might be a dumb question, but is there a ranking to schools as far as brokers are concerned? I am looking for online classes as I am a full time student and also interning with a RE company in my local area. 

     I feel like it is great way to get my foot in the door and would be beneficial in the short and long run. I have already sent out direct mail pieces and realized that the only way for me to monetize the majority of these deals is to either refer these leads to realtors or become a realtor myself. (There are numerous other benefits but am trying to keep this as short as possible, please feel free to mention some if you have the time.)

    The only con I have come across through reading is it that I would have to disclose every move I make if I am trying to wholesale the deal or have a "investor" stake in it (buy for myself, flip, sub 2). This whole sentence could be wrong, it's just what I have come across through research. 

    I have a ton more questions about the ins and outs of being a realtor and an investor but I am sure the majority of them will be either answered through your answers or starting the pre-license course. (I understand i'll be learning mostly regulations and such through the licensing course, nothing really beneficial as far as investment strategies go).

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season! 

[Luke McCann]

Parth,

I got my license in January of this year, and I did the week long in classroom course with Gold Coast Schools in Boca Raton.

I chose this because I wanted to knock everything out as soon as possible, versus taking the 6-8 week long course. I felt that I would absorb the information better, and I was proved right as I passed both the Gold Coast and State Exams on my first try. 

The 63hr in classroom course is brutal, but it is the quickest and most efficient way to get licensed. I would recommend completely clearing your schedule of anything if you choose to go this route. It is 9hrs in the classroom from Mon-Sun, and when your not in the classroom you are studying. I spent about 2-3 hours each night making notecards and getting down the information we went over the previous day. 

All in all, it was one of the most mentally challenging things I've ever done, but it was well worth it.

Hope this helps!