Many people, including many real estate licensees, don’t know the difference between Florida Realtors and the Florida Real Estate Commission.  Florida Realtors is a private trade organization that has a code of ethics.  The Florida Real Estate Commission is a government body that enforces the law. So if a Florida real estate licensee has done [...] The post Should I File A Complaint With the Realtor Association or the Florida Real Estate Commission? appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

In the spring of this year, newspapers across the country ran articles with headlines like: “Powerful Realtor Group Agrees to Slash Commissions to Settle Lawsuits” “The 6% Commission on Buying or Selling is Gone After Realtor Association Agrees to Seismic Agreement” “Realtor Lawsuit Settlement Unburdens Home Sellers from Heavy Commissions” The inaccurate narrative of these [...] The post Yes, It Is Still A Great Time to Get Your Real Estate License appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

When people are taking the Florida real estate prelicensing class, I encourage them to take the state exam as soon as possible after the class.  If they take the Demetree School of Real Estate weekend state exam review class that meets, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I tell them to take the state exam on Monday. [...] The post Single Biggest Mistake Most Students Who Fail the Florida Real Estate Exam Make appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

When you ask veteran real estate agents where they get their business from, almost all of them will tell you they get most of their business from referrals.  Here’s the dirty truth about real estate agents – very few of them are getting as many referrals as they should.  It does seem like once you [...] The post How To Get More Real Estate Referrals – Even When You Are Fairly New appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

There are many people who get a real estate license who can’t afford to quit their job and start a commission-only real estate job.  Maybe they need the income.  Maybe they need the health insurance.  Maybe the schedule doesn't work for them. One way to make money in real estate is through referrals.  This could [...] The post How To Make Money in Real Estate While Keeping Your Full-Time Job appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

According to HostingAdvice, which surveyed 3,000 people: “Luxury real estate agents operate in a realm where opulence and dreams converge. They navigate a world of breathtaking properties, from sprawling estates to penthouses with skyline views, offering them an insider’s look into the lifestyles of the rich and famous. This career is envied for its glamorous [...] The post Real Estate Is One Of America’s Most Envied Careers appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

In prelicensing class, every licensee learns that we are required to keep our correct mailing address and email address on file with the DBPR.  If that address changes, we must notify the DBPR within 10 days. Recently, the Florida Real Estate Commission has decided to crack down on people who don’t change their address.  At [...] The post Florida Realtors Are Now Getting Punished For This One Common Offense appeared first on Demetree School of Real Estate ..read more

Effective immediately, DBPR is no longer offering online-proctored exams.  The exams are only offered at Pearson Vue testing centers.  According to the email from the DBPR, this is “in the interest of maintaining the integrity of examinations for DBPR-issued professional licenses.” The online-proctored exams began during the statewide shutdown in 2020.  Once the shutdown ended, they kept offering online-proctored exams as a convenience to people.  I think the online-proctored exams were particularly nice for people in more rural areas who had to drive several hours to a tes ..read more

Sometimes Florida attorneys decide they want a Florida real estate license.  Lawyers who are active members of the Florida Bar do not have to take the sales associate pre-licensing class.  They only need to pass the Florida real estate exam to get a Florida real estate license. Florida attorneys are also exempt from taking the 14-hour continuing education every two year.  The assumption is that attorneys get enough continuing education when renewing their Florida Bar license. The one class Florida attorneys with a real estate license do have to complete is the 45-hour post-licen ..read more

Sometimes, before someone registers for class, they ask me if there are already too many real estate agents in Florida.  What they really want to know is “Is there room for me to break into this field?  Or is the field already saturated?” There are a lot of people in the real estate industry, for sure.  But there is still plenty of room for you.  The Orlando Business Journal publishes a list of the top real estate agents each year.  The best agent in Central Florida sold 1,324 houses last year.  Their gross volume was $471,220,000.  That person has less than ..read more