Before considering a real estate career, please review these frequently asked questions:

Q: Do I need to have a license to sell real estate?

1. Candidates must register with an approved real estate school and complete 4 credits or 60 hours of real estate instruction in two classes, Real Estate Fundamentals (2 credits) and Real Estate Practice (2 credits). Tuition for these classes ranges from a package price of $395 for both classes and all textbooks, to individual class prices of $250 each. Both classroom and online classes are available.
   

   *Please call for a list of schools and online classes.
   

2. Submit an official transcript (or transcripts if taken at different schools) for both completed classes to PSI Exams, the company Pennsylvania uses for licensing. This is done by mail.
3. After reviewing the transcripts, PSI Exams will send back a letter to qualified candidates, informing them that they can now go online to the PSI Exams website and register for the salesperson exam. Many dates and times are available. The exams are taken at PSI Exams testing centers, on their computers. The fee for taking the exam is $56.
4. Results of the exam are printed by the test center proctor and given to candidates immediately along with an application for license. Candidates bring all these papers, including copies of their transcripts, exam results, criminal background check certificates, and license applications to their sponsoring brokerage. The broker of record will sign the application.
5. Once signed, the candidate drives or mails all necessary paperwork to the Real Estate Commission in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Commission will then issue a real estate salesperson license to the candidate through the candidate’s broker. If the candidate drives to Harrisburg and expedites the process, the Commission will issue an Authorization to Practice letter on the spot, and still mail the license to the sponsoring broker.

Please note that people wishing to become licensed in Pennsylvania who were previously licensed, or who have real estate sales or broker licenses in other states, or who have bachelors degrees majoring in real estate, or who have juris doctor degrees, should contact us or the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission for special instructions.

Q: What expenses will I incur in the beginning of my real estate career?

A: Rest assured, not all of your startup expenses will come due all at once. Many are spread over your first year in the business. The following breakdown of costs will give you an estimate of what expenses to prepare yourself for in the beginning of your career.

In addition to the pre-licensing classes tuition totaling between $395 to $500, and the exam fee of $56, new real estate licensees must pay a license fee to the Pennsylvania Department of State for as much as $131, depending on the timing of licensure during the two year renewal cycle. Agents who become licensed early in the cycle pay more than agents who become licensed late in the cycle.

Membership in the National Association of Realtors, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, and the Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors runs cyclical as well.

It is recommended that agents own cellular phones, laptop computers, and digital cameras, but these expenses aren’t always necessary from the beginning. Of course many people already come to the business with them anyway. Contact our Director of Career Development with any questions about expenses, and prior to making any major purchases on phones or computers.

Q: How do I know if I have what it takes to be successful in real estate sales?

A: Agents quickly realize that after you’re finished with your pre-licensing schooling and once you’ve joined Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate, that’s when your real training begins. Your licensing classes and exam will ensure that you have an orientation in the fundamentals of real estate, including the law, agency, and ethics, but then we will teach and mentor you in prospecting, listing, and selling.

At Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate, we have a three part training program for newly licensed real estate agents. Our Real Estate Simulator is the first step, and can be completed online now, even prior to your registration for pre-licensing classes. The Real Estate Simulator combines three different assessments, a Video Simulation, a Personality Profile, and a Cognitive Ability Test, to give you most comprehensive evaluation available. The results are brought together in one easy to read report that will identify your likely strengths and challenges in your future career in real estate. You will learn about your natural ability to build rapport with clients, manage the sales process, exercise strong listening skills, and your ability to close sales and make great money.

Start the Simulation

The second part of your personalized training at Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate comes when you jumpstart your career with our eFastStart program through Coldwell Banker University. This class is for new sales associates. eFastStart offers an alternative to the traditional classroom setting because it brings learning directly to the desktop. The online eFastStart training program uses several learning methods to deliver course content, including engaging discussion with peers nationwide, a participant guide with scripts and tools to reference long after the program ends, video modules to model dialogue, and self-paced lessons with quizzes to help students learn and retain real estate industry terms and behaviors. Students use microphones and headsets to maximize the online learning experience.

The main portion of this program takes place over four weeks. Each week represents one of the four major activities of the real estate sales business: prospecting, buyer services, seller services, and negotiating. Students are required to complete all of the self-paced modules, thirteen live online sessions with peers and instructors, self-paced module assessments, and multiple field assessments working with real life clients in their local markets. At the completion, agents are able to:

• Articulate the Coldwell Banker brand value proposition with confidence
• Actively generate new leads using a variety of sources
  
• Obtain initial interviews with buyers and sellers
  
• Effectively prepare for buyer and seller interviews
  
• Conduct effective buyer and seller interviews
  
• Uncover their needs and wants
  
• Reach a mutual decision on whether or not to do business together
  
• Select and demonstrate properties to buyers
  
• Demonstrate the ability to ask the buyer to purchase and the seller to list
  
• Obtain and market saleable listings
  
• Negotiate agreements between buyers and sellers
  
• Effectively utilize marketing tools

The eFastStart training program is designed to compliment your time spent in the office and in the field. New agents aren’t put on hold during their training, but rather training is integrated into their real life working hours.

The third part of our training program here at Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate is the conventional classroom instruction conducted by our sales managers and our Director of Career Development. Weekly office meetings and quarterly companywide sales meetings are augmented by new agent classes, personal follow up counseling on progress with eFastStart, mentoring sessions with experienced agents, and special instructors and motivational speakers brought into the company.

Of course our agents’ professional growth never stops. After the conclusion of a new real estate agent’s formal training, Coldwell Banker University remains with its online and classroom training resources. Classes are available to improve and refresh the skills of all levels of agents. An example course listing follows.

• Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR designation)
  
• ACT I – Showtime
  
• ACT II – Triple Crown
  
• ACT III – Coaching Calithenics
  
• BOO$T
  
• CEO Series (Creating Exceptional Organizations)
  
• Certified eMarketing Specialist (CeMS designation)
  
• Certified Negotiation Specialist (CNS)
  
• Coldwell Banker Previews International and the Luxury Market
  
• Coldwell Banker Systems Orientation (CBSO)
  
• Coldwell Banker University eMarketing Series
  
• Continuing Education – Online
  
• Discover the Difference
  
• FastForward
  
• LeadRouter Training
  
• Learn How to Learn Online
  
• Meet the Challenge
  
• Profitable Branch Management
  
• Seniors Real Estate Specialists (SRES designation)
  
• SpringBoard
  
• Success Series
  
• What Every Affiliate Needs to Know about eFastStart and BOO$T
  
• What every Affiliate Needs to Know about Success Series