With a huge margin of certainty, 67% of the currently practicing estate agents affirmed that becoming a licensed real estate agent was too easy.  Not surprisingly, according to ARELLO (American Licensing Law Officials), the recent heyday in real estate house prices have caused the numbers of real estate agents to surge from 1.5 million in 2000 to over 2.6 million today.

 The balance of the agents survey were divided: 21% voted “Just Right” and 13% responded that the process was “too complicated and time-consuming”.  Maybe that is not so surprising, especially when compared with a recent National Association REALTORS® (NAR) survey which indicated that 85% of all new licensed agents entering the real estate industry have no sales experience.

There can be little doubt that real estate education in general – and real estate licensing specifically – is not getting the proper amount of attention it deserves.  According to the Swanepoel Trends Report the real estate industry has absorbed an influx of newly licensed agents at a rate that shatters all previous records.  Simultaneously, brokers and agents have been bombarded with new business models, the Internet, bundled services and specialization.  According to Stefan Swanepoel, author of the Report, “The time has come to revisit the real estate licensing process, while a shortage still exists of other quality courses teaching agents the skills they need to be a successful and serve the next generation of consumers.  Real estate professional development has never been as important as it is today, particularly in a world of changing technology, new regulations, trends and new business models.”