Nope! :)

Chantal, Some of the best agent in the business never went to college, however, I would support increasing the Con Ed requirements in every state and let our NAR, and State Associations dictate the subjects vs. the State. In michigan we have 6 hours per year - It's a joke compared to the real world. "Expect the Best" Mike

I know numerous agents here that have degrees and it doesn't mean a thing!  I am not saying that they aren't great (the degrees) but like all degrees, experience is a huge factor in competency!  A degree gives you the education but it certainly doesn't give you the knowledge. ;)

What kind of degree?  My daughter has a degree in Real Estate and Insurance.  Liscensed in Texas, went to work for Cen. 21 before she graduated , grauduated and decided she did not like Real Estate.  I'm sure she learned a lot about the nuts and bolts of real estate, but then figured out that all the book learning in the world cannot prepare you for what it's like on the front lines.  She now works for an insurance broker as the office manager and is very happy.  What about all the folks like me, age 59, 1 year of spades and bridge at college, then out to the real world.  Would I need to go back and receive a 4 yr college degree.  Lets see 4 + 59= 63.  Time to retire.  I don't think so.

"Appraisers are now required to have a degree."

Really? Not in Arizona...

As a former HR type in the high tech world of semiconductor manufacturing, I can tell you the subject of degreed vs. non-degreed came up a LOT in that industry.

At one point in my career, I was a non-degreed engineering technician. There were PhD engineers I could run circles around. And there were degreed and non-degreed people who could run circles around me.

My career in corporate America eventually came to a screeching halt because I didn't have a degree, so I went back to school and got one.

It mattered not one iota WHAT that degree was in, only that I had the piece of paper.

Did I learn anything in college? Sure, learned a lot. I loved it in fact and am thinkign about finishing my MBA some day. But did it help me do my job better? Nope, not really.

But for whatever reason, it did help me gain more respect from others. Right or wrong, it did.

Having a degree doesn't prove how smart you are. It doesn't make you a better person. But it will help you gain respect with a certain type of person. Personally, I'd prefer to gain that respect through my actions, not some sheepskin hanging on my wall.

Requiring agents to have degrees may help with the general pubic perception of real estate agents. But I fear that reputation is probably tarnished beyond hope. Clearly there would have to be some sort of "grandfathering" in place for existing agents.

I think rather than requiring degrees, increasing the licensing hours, having true apprenticeships and increasing (and *improving*) continuing education would go much further than some legislative mandate that a licensee must have a college degree.

If they had a degree.....

they'd be smart enough NOT be be a Real Estate Agent :-)

I've had mixed feelings about this for a while.  I know some good agents who don't have degrees so I understand how they feel about it.  

I think that degrees would certainly limit the number of agents out there because some people just can't buckle down enough to get the "paper."  Fewer agents could be a good thing for those of us still in the profession.  I think  that the lack of degree requirement is one of the reasons that many look down there noses at our profession.  They think it is simple stuff and anyone can take a handfull of classes and start selling houses.  I get crazy when people try to compare our profession with doctors, lawyers, and these other professions saying we are = to them because we don't even come close to what those careers require in education.  In the final analysis, I think I would be in favor of a degree requirement as a division of the School of Business but with a required 3 credit hour internship each year.  It should also carry the "normal" requirements for a Bachelor's in business along with a computer component.  I also think it would stop these get rich quick people from entering our profession.  IMO, they hurt us more than anything or anyone else.

Leesa's new pic ROX!

I think a few years of higher education would not hurt. The problem I see with lesser educated agents is the manifestation in their communication skills.

I see contracts so poorly written and spelled it's embarrassing.

Appraisers don't need a degree in Michigan.

Some of the best agents in my area have little or no college. Some great agents were great waitresses. They came into the business already knowing how to give great service.

There should be more involved in getting a license, including some basic business and writing classes. Also more in the way of con-ed.

I don't think you really need a degree but I am for continuing education in real estate subjects.

I'm from Virginia in our state you have to have 16 hours of continuing education before you renew your license.

If you are a new agent then you have to take 30 of continuing education .

Being personable and know what you are doing and keeping up with the real estate world is the most important thing you can do to best represent your clients.

Nearly every con-ed course I've ever been to has been a joke.  Seriously!  Gee, are you breathing?  Well, I guess you pass this one.  

Maybe the number of con-ed courses should be tied to production -- (am I serious?  IDK). Your broker would have to report the number of clsoed transactions to the state and the state could set your class hour requirement based on the numbers.  The fewer transactions you have the more con-ed credits you have to take the next year.  LOL!  Honestly though, the agents/brokers who are causing problems are those who close only 2 or 3 a year and would sooner take a whipping than sit in a classroom to get updates!  You need to keep up AFTER you are licensed by keeping busy closing transactions or taking some sort of class...one way or the other!  I think it should be harder to get your license in the first place.  I'm tired of seeing people in our profession who can barely string words together to make a sentence or who have a tough time using something simple like email.  

But I'm prejudiced...I've paid my academic dues.  

An advanced degree?  Probably not.  At least two years as an "intern" (assistant) to a top Broker/Agent, yep!

It's the nuts and bolts of the profession that seems to doom many newbies.  They watch HGTV and the others with those glam L.A. Agents and thinks it all wine and roses.  They think they're going to be Carol Merrill and collect a fat paycheck.  Nice work, if you can get it.

Most people don't graduate high school with an eye toward working in the Real Estate profession.  Most of us have been in other professions and gravitated to Real Estate through life experience, which, in the school of hard knocks, is a pretty good degree in and of itself.

I tend to agree with Jackie - Include more in pre-licensing.  

Back in the day - many moons ago, there was a course for secretaries to become "Certified Professionals."  That course consisted of typing and shorthand skills, business writing, business law, economics, principles of accounting and general office skills.  Then, there was a 6 part exam that had to be passed for the certification.  You could retake any part that you failed, but you had to take that portion of the course over again.  I don't know why we couldn't require at least that much for an RE agent.

Info from the US Census Bureau:  I copied it because it mentions the percentage with a Bachelor's degree or higher for persons age 25 and over is only 24.4 percent (year 2000) which means that those with an advanced degree like a Master's is even smaller.  A lot of people GO to college but obviously less than 25% actually finish.....

------------------------------------

QuickFacts USA

High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000  80.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000  24.4%

Population, 2006 estimate  299,398,484  

Population, 2000  281,421,906

Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2005  6.8%

Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2005  24.8%

Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2005  12.4%

Female persons, percent, 2005  50.7%

Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000  49,746,248

Housing units, 2005  124,521,886

Homeownership rate, 2000  66.2%

Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000  $119,600

Households, 2000  105,480,101

Persons per household, 2000  2.59

Median household income, 2004  $44,334

Per capita money income, 1999  $21,587

Persons below poverty, percent, 2004  12.7%

No

Appraisers with a degree?

In MA they don't need a degree. All they do is a summarized version of a real estate CMA.

Many agents have degrees or advanced degrees that were useful and necessary in previous careers. Having a degree doesn't make one smarter; that is something that is determined by the level of our genetic intelligence. However, a successful degree shows commitment to long-term goals and a sense of purpose when we put aside years of our personal lives in order to acquire skills that require long time preparation. That might be the reason why many don’t finish college education.

A degree in whatever discipline will increase our education and knowledge to different levels, depending on the individual.  The majority of professions are done better when the worker has a relevant degree, which tied with gradual experience might lead to a successful career. Of course, there are always exceptions.

The degree that we receive helps us create a path in our primary chosen profession. The learning and knowledge that we acquire allows us to gracefully navigate in different social and professional environments.

I don’t think that a degree should be necessary in order to be a real estate agent. However, the licensing boards should probably be stricter in their educational requirements and offer more relevant courses in social skills, writing, basic finances, basic law as it applies to RE, business practices, more ethics, etc. In my experience most continuing education courses are there merely to fulfill a requirement not to educate.

If they extended the education requirements to a year long learning process before receiving the license to do business then the field might be filled by fewer but more committed professional agents and discourage the frivolous seekers of a license.

appraisers don't need a degree in IL as far as I know but their licensing is a lot more complicated than real estate agent licensing. Which to me doesn't make sense. What makes real estate sales less important than appraising???

I used to think that a degree should be required or at least a couple years of college but I've come to realize that that's not what it's about. I would however make the pre-licensing more difficult and the licensing exams more complex as well. And it wouldn't hurt if newly licensed agents had to work under experienced agents for a certain time period just as appraisers have to around here before they can work on their own.

College Degree?  Nope.  Internship?  yep.  with continuing ed requirements that are stricter? yep.

JMHO.

Shelly

I am not even sure our appraisers have to know how to write. If so, it is only numbers and a minimal amount of letters as the requirement.

I wish a degree would be the solution however I have seen many with abundant book education and limited knowledge. Better pre-license training/eduacation and an internship would be a big step in the right direction.

Just any old degree doesn't serve any purpose for real estate just as any old degree doesn't serve any purpose for most career paths.  Specialization is key.   A degree within the School of Business (real estate concentration) at a 4 year college with a required 3 credit hour internship each year where the student could "practice" in the field under the protective wings of a BROKER as an unlicensed assistant would be useful.  State licensing laws might even be amended to provide a special license for these assistants during their internship.

Maybe even a 2 year Associate's degree in business with a concentration in real estate would be better than what we have now.

Now, with all this being said, would I be in real estate right now if I'd had to go through all this?  Probably not, even though I already have a BA degree.  For me it was a quick way to change careers, taking 3 simple courses one semester, and then taking a quick exam.  Same thing for taking the extra core courses required + 2 years experience as a salesperson for my broker's license.  TOO EASY.   If I'd had to spend just one more year as a student financial aid administrator, I think I'd probably be on special medication by now.

With all the responsiblity that is involved in our job, all the money that our clients are putting at risk when working with us, all the legal issues we have to be aware of, I am quite surprised a degree of some kind isn't required. While showing homes, doing open houses and things like that don't really need college education, when it comes to writing contracts and keeping them together ... I do believe that college degree comes in handy.

I agree with everything Cathy Clark said.

Well, Lorna. If you are going to agree with everything Cathy Clark says, I'll just take the other side with Phil Rotondo. Where is Phil? I just got his humor and now he's gone. Come back Phil, I miss you and Cathy needs you.

No degree, just a great sense of humor and a good attitude!

(A kilt couldn't hurt, but not required!)