How do I become a real estate sales agent?

I am in Arkansas too and I just started at the National School of Real Estate on JFK in NLR. I've only been to 2 days of classes so far and you have to have 60 class hours. The owner of the school is also the teacher and his name is Keith Montogmery. He has been in real estate for 27 years and he really knows his stuff. He is a great teacher and makes learning the fundamentals fun (but it IS more difficult than I expected). He told us that after school cost, exam fees, criminal background check fees, and licensening fees, expect around $800-$1000. --personally, I would NOT do online courses for real estate.

I would recommend actually going to class if you can. The teachers will give you real world experiance in addition to the course information. Where I am at you can start interviewing with Agencies before you have completed your course work. I do not know if this is allow in your state. I would say it is going to take you 1-2k to get started.

Find an ACCREDITED real estate school. There are many places that offer them now, however if the school is not accredited by your real estate commission, you wont get a license. Take the class, pass the exam, apply for your license and then interview with several brokers to see what works best for you. Now, I keep repeating this over and over again because many people do not realize the costs involved and think that real estate is just a quick and easy job to get paid at. I see new agents in my office on a monthly basis that wind up leaving because they didn't realize all that was involved. First, you need a second source of income to live on, whether it be a spouse or a 2nd job because it will take at least a year to make any money, and even then, it is not guaranteed, regular income. You may make one sale, but then not have another for several months. Some of the costs involved in getting started are your license application fee, association fees, MLS fees, key fees, insurance fees, and then depending upon the broker you sign up with, you may also be required to buy your business cards, advertising, training, etc. Real estate agents are independent contractors, also meaning that you are responsible for your own taxes, health insurance, business fees, etc. In order to just get started working, you are probably looking at around $2,000, depending upon your area. However, then as I mentioned, you also have other fees as mentioned above. Your association fees, MLS fees, key fees, etc. have to also be paid yearly....so even if you are lucky enough to make $1,000 in your first year, which would be the equivalent of selling one house at approximately $100,000, you have to pay your next year's dues. I don't try to dissuade people from going into the business if that is what they want to do, however I do like to offer them ALL of the information so they know beforehand. You need to review all of the correct information so none of this comes as a shock to you and then you quit the business like so many others have. You can make a good career out of real estate, however it takes several years, a good amount of money and lots of contacts to make it. Good luck