State of Oregon - Real Estate AgencyFrances Hlawatsch | Financial InvestigatorBest regards,Thank you again for the information, if I have further questions for you during the investigation I will certainly reach out.The Agency is well aware that unlicensed “wholesalers” are rampant in our jurisdiction.

In my opinion, it is not OK (legal) for an agent to pay an unlicensed person for a listing or a buyer lead and since you said "part of their commission, I would assume that this is the case.

(A non-attorney real estate agent would be risking liability for unlicensed practice of law if they do more than fill the form.)

However to be compensated primarily though commissions without being unlicensed is a big no no. 

Think of this as your "due diligence" if you need to spend a few bucks to talk with a local real estate attorney (although some of them do give free initial consultations).https://www.richardhornsby.com/crimes/regulatory/unlicensed-practice-of-real-estate.html

I wonder how happy the law firm will be if they found out their unlicensed (law-wise) employee is brandishing their name as a cure-all for the damage they caused. 

Alan --- I agree with you -- most of the so-called "wholesalers are un-licensed, their contract is poorly written and they haven't really disclosed to the property owner what is going to happen.

A big agent player in this space is going to do 100x the volume of the unlicensed wholesaler types.

Alternatively you can become an agent's unlicensed assistant and get your own username and password along with limited access (some agents are okay with this, especially if you throw some deals their way or pay a monthly fee).

We're doing our second flip, and I'm considering buying our own worker's comp policy for workers on our project who we know don't have worker's comp (unlicensed/uninsured painters, carpenters etc).