Do I really need a licensed realtor to show my properties?

[Breanne Weber]

Texas requires you to hold a realtor license to show and lease properties unless you are doing your own.

We are getting to the point in our portfolio that we need to hire help. We have found someone who has been handling the flow of inquiries, showing the properties and collecting deposits. 

We have been singing leases, screening the tenants, depositing any funds and collecting rents. 

This has been great for the las two months and we have filled our units up.

Until....

We discovered that a licensed realtor needs to do the showings and answer questions about the property. 

It seems like if we are not offering our services out to other investors and trying to manage properties that we do not own that we should be allowed to hire an assistant to help us manage our own properties. 

Am I reading the rules right? Can I not hire an assistant if they don't have a license? Even if it is ONLY for my own properties?

I would really love someone to tell me that it is, in fact, ok to do that, and here is how.

Help me if you can,

Thanks BP community 

[James Dainard]

Hey Breanne,

Not sure how helpful this is but in Washington you're allowed to show properties for lease (different from for sale) as an unlicensed individual as long as someone with a license does the paperwork for the lease.

Most states require that you have a real estate license to manage rental property unless you are self-managing. In the case of self-management you may need a licensed assistant to show the units if you are unlicensed so that there's some agency representation in the agreement.

Best of luck!