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An interview with ADHI Schools' administrative manager

Interviewing adhi schools administrative manager

The following is an interview with Sophia Lopez, the administrative manager of ADHI Schools. She is a licensed real estate salesperson and has been with the company since 2005. Q: How did you end up working Read more...

The following is an interview with Sophia Lopez, the administrative manager of ADHI Schools. She is a licensed real estate salesperson and has been with the company since 2005. Q: How did you end up working with the school?A: I was working with another real estate company that was downsizing. Kartik taught a class there and ended up hiring me right away!Q: What do you think sets our school apart from others?A: Accessibility to our staff and the live element of our courses. Come check out one of our classes!Q: You have seen hundreds and hundreds of students come through our doors. What do you think separates successful students from unsuccessful ones?A: Determination and students that are persistent and eager to learn. Asking questions is a must.Q: Do you have any advice for those applying for the exam?A: Go to one of our crash courses and do questions and answers over and over again.Q: As an assistant to Kartik Subramaniam, you have seen real estate agents that succeed and those that are less successful. Any advice for new agents?A: Don't get discouraged and stay focused. Come to the office everyday. Something will pop up! Treat this business like a regular job.Sophia can be contacted at sophia@adhischools.com
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Establishing legal presence

Licence

In order to obtain a real estate license in California, you must prove that you have legal presence in the United States. This basically means that you must be here legally. There are a few different Read more...

In order to obtain a real estate license in California, you must prove that you have legal presence in the United States. This basically means that you must be here legally. There are a few different ways to establish this. If you are a citizen, the most common ways are with either a birth certificate or a passport.If you are a legal alien, you would most likely establish this by providing a copy (front and back) of a "green card".There are a few more obscure ways of fulfilling this Department of Real Estate requirement. You can find them here:LinkPlease give us a call if you have any other questions!Good luck!

Latest Department of Real Estate statistics

Licence

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.Heading { display: table-row; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; } .Row { display: table-row; } .Cell { display: table-cell; border: solid; border-color: gray; border-width: thin; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; } .cell_1{ width: 620px; height: 20px; } .cell_2{ width:300px; } .cell_3{ width:80px; height:19px; } .cell_4{ width:300px; height:19px; } .cell_5{ width:80px; height:19px; } .p_table{ color: gray !important; font-size: 17px !important; } .p_table1{ color: gray !important; font-size: 17px !important; text-align:left; } These are as of September 2008 from the Department of Real Estate website September 2008 This month Last month 12 months ago 24 months ago Licensee Population: Brokers 152,832 152,854 149,189 139,822 Salespersons 384,753 386,510 394,005 374,462 Total Licensees 537,585 539,364 543,194 514,284 Real Estate Licenses Issued: Original Broker Original Broker 571 728 749 514,284 Original Salesperson 1,160 1,240 2,940 Examinations: Broker Administered 999 914 842 Salesperson Administered 1,590 1,855 14,918

What's on the real estate salespersons exam?

Licence

According to the Department of Real Estate, the salespersons examination consists of the following topics with the following distribution of questions in percentage terms:Property Ownership and Land Use Read more...

According to the Department of Real Estate, the salespersons examination consists of the following topics with the following distribution of questions in percentage terms:Property Ownership and Land Use Controls and Regulations (approximately 18% of exam)Laws of Agency (approximately 12% of exam)Valuation and Market Analysis (approximately 12% of exam)Financing (approximately 13% of exam)Transfer of Property (approximately 9% of exam)Practice of Real Estate and Mandated Disclosures (approximately 24% of exam)Contracts (approximately 12% of exam)Notice that the "practice" section of the exam consists of about one-quarter of the test! (About 40 questions!)Study hard!

What is Livescan?

Digital fingerprint

Livescan fingerprinting is an electronic method of capturing and distributing fingerprints. The Department of Real Estate requires that all applicants for a salesperson or broker license have a Livescan Read more...

Livescan fingerprinting is an electronic method of capturing and distributing fingerprints. The Department of Real Estate requires that all applicants for a salesperson or broker license have a Livescan done and pass a background check by the Department of Justice and the FBI. In a previous blog, I talked about criminal history and a real estate license. Just a quick reminder that you have to have a Livescan done to get a license. The form that you would use to get this can be found hereAlso, a list of Livescan service providers can be found hereIt is my experience that a lot of the centers on that list have moved or are no longer in business, so I would call ahead and talk to someone before you go. Some of the centers require an appointment, so be sure to check them out before you drive out. As always, I am here to help. Contact me with any questions!Good luck!

Breakfast with a Prudential Real Estate Legend

Breakfast dishes hashbrowns scrambled eggs pancakes

The Prudential Legend award is given to Prudential real estate agents that have achieved Chairman's Circle at least 5 times. Currently, Chairman's Circle is at least $300,000 in income or 70 residential Read more...

The Prudential Legend award is given to Prudential real estate agents that have achieved Chairman's Circle at least 5 times. Currently, Chairman's Circle is at least $300,000 in income or 70 residential units sold in one year. I had the opportunity of having breakfast with a Legend inductee Daniel Bryant, broker/owner of Prudential California Realty in Sierra Madre. Bryant has had offices in Monrovia, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. Formerly he has held senior positions at Bank of America and Cushman and Wakefield.On a recent Sunday morning I met Mr. Bryant for breakfast at the San Gabriel Country Club where he is a member. We talked about the state of the real estate market and what it takes to be successful.To paraphrase our conversation:Dan echoed something that I head often from brokers and managers about the business: "Treat this like a job. Show up at a certain time every day and go to work. You will get business."Send handwritten notes every day. These really make an impression.Market to people that you have existing relationships with. They know, trust and like you already. This is a great place for new agents to start looking to get business.Real estate is all local. Certain markets will get hit harder than others. Know yours - your clients are counting on you.Dan Bryant is always looking for new salespeople. He can be reached at danielbryant@earthlink.net.

I'm getting into real estate... Should I get a new car?

Line of new mercedes benz cars at car dealership

Ughh. The age old question. Real estate is all about image and flash, isn't it? I say hell no! As long as your car has the following you should be fine:Air conditioningHeatingKEPT CLEAN AT ALL TIMESThere Read more...

Ughh. The age old question. Real estate is all about image and flash, isn't it? I say hell no! As long as your car has the following you should be fine:Air conditioningHeatingKEPT CLEAN AT ALL TIMESThere is no need to put yourself in debt as you start this career. Some managers say "Go out and buy yourself that new car. The payment will make you work harder!" Is your manager/broker going to make your car payment for you until your deals close? Why put that undue pressure on yourself, especially in this soft market. Wear clean, well-pressed clothes. Pick up your phone. Return calls. Have a clean car. Most of all - DO YOUR JOB.

Can I obtain a real estate license if I have background issues?

Criminal background check paperwork being filled out

Well, the short answer to this is - it depends. First of all, I am not the Department of Real Estate and have no idea whether or not the DRE will approve or deny YOUR specific circumstance. However, Read more...

Well, the short answer to this is - it depends. First of all, I am not the Department of Real Estate and have no idea whether or not the DRE will approve or deny YOUR specific circumstance. However, there are a few hard and fast rules that reign true:1. DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE! The DRE will find out out of you have omitted some portion of your background. This may be construed as attempting to obtain a license by fraud and could result in your license application being denied.2. If the DRE does grant you a license, they may require your supervising broker to sign something stating that they are aware of your past. 3. From the DRE Guide to Obtaining and Maintaining a license"In the event you have one or more offenses to report, please take extra care to disclose all actions and convictions regardless of how long ago they occurred, or whether or not a conviction has been expunged under Penal Code Section 1203.4, or a similar statute. The failure to disclose charges/convictions will result in substantial delays in the processing of your application and may also result in denial of the license application."So even things that were expunged from your record must be disclosed to the DRE.Bottom line: When in doubt, disclose!

Is the real estate market still strong?!

For sale sign in front of white and brown bungalow house

As some of you may know, I don't just teach the real estate courses. I am a real estate broker that has actively bought/sold/represented over the last 6+ years. The president of a large real estate company Read more...

As some of you may know, I don't just teach the real estate courses. I am a real estate broker that has actively bought/sold/represented over the last 6+ years. The president of a large real estate company called me up about 6 weeks ago with the following situation:"I have access to an REO portfolio with the opportunity to buy properties directly from asset managers. I need to know what price I should pay to make money and insulate myself from further market fluctuations."He gave me a list of properties and asked for my opinion on pricing. I told him what I thought and he ended up buying one of the properties at the recommended price and I relisted it for him. The property ended up selling within two days for almost full price! I went there today to see if the utilities were on and I found fifteen cards there from real estate agents! FIFTEEN people came and saw the property either with their buyers or previewed them for their buyer. It is in escrow now for 98% of list price and the buyer is putting 50% down! There is hope yet!

Does your family support your real estate career?

Family of four walking down the street holding hands and smiling

Let's face it. Being on commission can be tough. Having the support of your family can be key as you start your career in real estate. Explain to them WHY you are choosing this career path and what you Read more...

Let's face it. Being on commission can be tough. Having the support of your family can be key as you start your career in real estate. Explain to them WHY you are choosing this career path and what you plan on doing so that you don't fail.Get as much training as you can in the beginning. Finally, most businesses fail because they don't have enough customers. What are you going to do to make sure you don't fall in this category?