Building a business in real estate does not start the day you get licensed. There is plenty of research, studying and strategizing you can do now. A few things to consider - who will your clients be, how will they find you, how will you serve them, how you will prospect, what your niche will be, etc. A great way to get your wheels turning is listening to what has contributed to other agents successes and struggles. Linked below is my favorite real estate podcast that helped me immensely when I was getting started with brainstorming, troubleshooting and goal setting.

SC requires a total of 90 course hours, broken into 60-hour and 30-hour units. This sounds like a lot of hours, but can you commit 2 hours per day? After 6 weeks, you’re finished and you can pivot that 2-hour commitment to your lead generation time to secure clients. There are a TON of options for real estate education, both in person and virtually. Not all schools are created equal; do your research, read reviews, find the best option for you. Click the Resources drop-down on the page linked for the current list of approved schools in SC.

Once you have completed your necessary education, passed your exams and background check, you can submit your licensing application! If you haven’t started researching what brokerage you’d like to work with at this point, now is the time!

Do your homework and interview multiple brokerages before you select which one is right for you. This decision could very well make or break your first year of real estate. Finding a broker that has the right tools and training for NEW agents is critical and financial structures and fees can vary significantly. Something to keep in mind, your brokerage needs to work for YOUR business. What works great for one Realtor may not be what’s best for another. Powerhouse at eXp Realty has become my home after working at a couple of other brokerage’s first. Here’s more information if you’re interested in seeing if it may be a good fit for you.

Once you’re licensed, there are a handful of associations and services that you’ll enroll in which facilitate your access to necessary tools and information for your transactions; National Association of Realtors, Charleston Trident Association of Realtors (CTAR), Charleston MLS, Sentrilock, etc. Once you’ve picked your brokerage, they can help guide you as to what memberships are applicable to you and your location. Some of these membership fees may be payable through your broker as well.

If you are also a military spouse that is licensed in another state already OR looking to get licensed here in SC, there may be some tailored options offered by the Licensing Regulation that apply to you.