All Forum Posts by: Phyllis E.

@Ryan Dougherty Thanks, Ryan! It is good to know that if you  take classes through a brokerage you are not committed to that brokerage and it doesn't prevent you from being hired by another.  Keller Williams peaked my interest ever since I heard that one of their Maryland offices actually had an in-house home stager who did consultations with all of their sellers! I was impressed, as I am a big believer in home staging. This KW stager was a guest speaker on  "The Home Staging Show Podcast," which I listen to regularly. (Maybe your wife works at that office? I am way down south in Calvert County, btw. I think KW is starting to come to our area.)  There are actually some Long and Foster classes offered about 40 minutes or so from where I live.

Thanks for sharing and offering to let me ask your wife some questions!

@Christy Christman Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and share your experience. That is so encouraging! It sounds like you are off to a great start! I will take you up on your offer and send you a message later with a few more questions, if you don't mind! Thanks again.

Thanks Brian. You bring up some good points!

Hello. I am seriously considering getting my real estate license (this would be in Maryland, btw) and am wondering if online courses typically do as good and thorough a job (or maybe even better?) than the typical classroom instruction courses. I live in a rural area and would have to drive a ways to get to any of the regularly offered classroom courses, but it could be doable if necessary. Any recommendations as to who offers great instruction?

Also, is it better to take a course offered directly from a real estate company, than a "generic" course? Do most of the bigger real estate companies, that offer such courses, want to only hire new agents that have taken THEIR specific real estate course?

Also, if you have any recommendations as to which real estate companies offer great on-the-job training or mentoring, after you get your license, that would be appreciated too!

BTW- I think that I would like to do this as a full-time career, not just for personal investing use.

Thanks in advance!

Oops- Just found out that Maryland DOES allow pre-licensing classes to be taken online. Perhaps I had found old information online. I think that the Maryland State board webpage for real estate licenses is very confusing. I just wanted to add this correction in case anyone stumbles on my post above--I don't want to mislead anyone! ANd I found out that the online courses are much cheaper than the one offered by the community college! 

Do you have a course that you used, Terry, that you would recommend?

@Terry McAllister Hi, Terry. I am also from northern Calvert County!  (Dunkirk) I know this is a slightly older post, but did you ever get your license? I just signed up to get mine from CSM (our local community college) but it is only offered at the LaPlata campus so it will be about an hours drive each time-ugh. I don't think that Maryland allows the pre-licensing test to be online, so we have to drive (like we Calvert Countians are used to having to do--drive everywhere, LOL. One of the few drawbacks to living in the country, I guess.)

 I like Dave Ramsey, but from what I have read and heard from him,  he is mainly speaking about people's personal, not business finances. I think most of us would agree when he advises against the too-common problem in America of borrowing money for things you don't really need, like a luxury car,  new furniture, vacations, etc. and getting yourself into debt. I also know he has spoken out against taking out loans, such as a second mortgage, for the purpose of investing--but I've always assumed his advice was primarily  aimed at people who have to come to him for advice, LOL, because they  have trouble with their finances in general, and want to, say, dabble in the stock market with borrowed money.  I've heard  Dave Ramsey say that if you need a car in order to get to work to make money, it is "ok", even according to his principles, to buy a used car with a loan! So I would extrapolate from that and say that if you need to borrow money in order to buy real estate as part of a well-thought-out business strategy to MAKE money, even Mr. Ramsey would agree.  

Geesh- if Dave Ramsey were against taking out loans to start or expand a business, he would be against the whole concept of capitalism! Where would our country be if no businesses ever borrowed money---there would be no such thing as the stock market, for sure--and probably no iphones or computers .

I know that Josh Dorkin has been wanting to get Dave Ramsey on the podcast. That would be so interesting!

@Filipe Pereira--Congratulations! I am a former architect myself, so I just had to say "hi" and thanks for sharing.  Yup-- I know all about the wonderful salaries beginning architects and architectural interns make, and the long hours (deadlines, last minute changes and dedication to great design- no matter how little you end up making, ha, ha! I just can't understand why you want to quit, LOL!) I have been thinking about doing something similar to what you have done (buying a 4-plex and also house hacking) to help fund our retirement, so this is very encouraging. (When your background is architecture, it is very useful for anything involving understanding building and construction, (and real-estate) related, isn't it--but not much else, ha, ha!) Best wishes in your new career!

@Brian Pulaski Thanks for sharing the photos, the manufacturers, and the prices! Wow--you just can't beat the look , price and build quality (for the price) of those knock-down cabinets. I love the white (cream?)cabinets! Those are gorgeous wood floors, too! Very nice. I can see why your flips sell quickly.

   I haven't been on this site too much until lately, so perhaps I just haven't seen a good representative sample of what some of you male flippers are doing, LOL. (I mainly decided to take a break from all my beloved interior design blogs and websites, and get on the BP forums, because I listen to all the BP podcasts and they are always driving home the point that we should get on the forums, LOL!)

@John Hickey--I hope I didn't offend--I meant it jokingly, in a good-natured, teasing kind of way when I said that most (notice I did not say "all") male builders/investors seem to be clueless about what is on-trend in kitchen design! I also meant it as a helpful hint, because

sometimes people just aren't aware of what they are not aware of! 

 Yes, I know that there are also many women who also don't know, or care about what is "on-trend", and that there are many men who are very design consious, (heck, I used to be an architect and most of them are male and very design savvy) but, in my unscientific, very subjective opinion, let's face it, there is probably a far greater percentage of women who follow (and care about) interior design then men. Houses with dated kitchens still sell, because there usually isn't much of an alternative with what is out there--at least in my area.