Hello everyone!

Very happy to find a site that has great advice for up and coming agents.

Just had a question regarding becoming a Realtor. I want to join a Realtor Association so that I have the Previlage to say that I am a Realtor and to have the benefits of being a Realtor. Now, all I need to do is to choose which Association I will be signing up with.

I was wondering what the differences in the different Realtor Associations in the So Cal area are. I have heard about the PWR (Pacific West Realtors) and was wondering what the advantages were to joining with them. Are they for the whole state of California? or are they just specific regions of California? Is there an advantage over the other offices in my local area? Do you have to join the Association in the area you work in? Does the Supra key work in all counties of California or does it just work in the area that the Association that you sign up with or in select areas only?

Sorry for such the bombardment of questions, but I'm just excited to know my options so I can make the right decision towards my long carrer in Real Estate.

Thanks in advance for all the help and advice.

You will be joining the same association in which your broker (or broker you will be signing on with) is a member of.

Some brokers are members of more than one, like mine is a member of 3: Phoenix, Southeast Valley, and Scottsdale.

I joined Phoenix Association of Realtors because it was the cheapest. I can attend events at all of the other associations and if I'd like to take a class at one of the other ones it's usually $10.

thanks for the replies.

How about the supra key working in all counties?
Also, are there any advantages over the other local associations besides the prices?

thanks again.

In Arizona, the key access isn't tied to counties, it's which MLS you belong to. All of the Phoenix Valley (2 counties) plus surrounding areas are in ARMLS (arizona regional mls), which I am a member of.

The great thing is that when I have clients wanting to buy in Tucson, Flagstaff or some rural areas that are not in our MLS area, I find some agents in those areas area members of my MLS as well as their own because many people in Phoenix buy all over the state, so I can get into their listings and cooperate with their brokers, too!

COOL!

thanks Kryssa! for the tons of help. =)

Tell me something, is the AZ lic. easy to obtain. for being a california agent, I wanted to know if there are any obstacles that would get in the way of getting my lic. in that state?

I THINK you need to a 30-hour course if you are licensed in CA to get an AZ license, although I'm not sure.

To get my license, as I'm not licenses elsewhere, I needed to take a 90 hour course.

Then it's 2 exams (state and national) and of course a boatload of fees.

Of course, if you have clients buying or selling in AZ you could just refer them to me and save yourself the trouble... hehe

What is this national exam everyone is always talking about??

Thanks for the info. on the license.

Yeah! what is this national exam? Is it only for certain states or all states?

I believe this is probably the same in all states.
"The real estate license examination is made up of two parts, the general part, and the local (state) part. Applicants for licensure who must receive passing scores on both the general part and the state part of the examination need not receive them on the same administration date. If one part is failed, the applicant may retake it at a subsequent time. In no event will a passing score on either part be accepted beyond one year."

To Top Producer: not sure where in southern california you are, you mentioned Pacific West, so I am guessing you are in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area. Contact the various boards of realtors within these areas because their board fees vary. NAR and CAR dues are constant and the same for all boards. You do not have to join the same board your broker belongs to, however, if your broker is not a member of CAR/NAR and is MLS only, you must join as MLS only at any of the regional boards. If your broker is CAR/NAR, then you have to pay for the same type of membership. If you join now, the last quarter of the year, you may still have to pay six months of board dues ending 12/31/2006....varies by board. By joining one of the regional boards under MRMLS, you will have access to about six other boards without any additional fees.

The GE lockBox e-key will work in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and most San Bernardino county cities south of the mountains. Not sure if it covers San Diego County or Ventura Counties.

Calif Dreaming, Thanks! Appreciate the knowledge!