Real Estate Broker
One of the most recurring real estate doubts is regarding what is a broker in comparison to what is a real estate agent.
Well, it depends from state to state to tell exactly what a Broker can and cannot do, but it’s safe to say that, in every state, a Real Estate Broker is someone with more real estate education and experience than a real estate agent. To become one, you have to attend a certain number of Real Estate classes and pass the state exam. The duration of those classes is longer than the ones an agent goes through and the exam they take is more difficult to pass too. Summing up: although all Brokers can act also as Agents, not every Agent can act as a Broker.
In general, you could say that a Broker is the person with the certification necessary to list the property and sign the papers and overview the transaction between the home seller and the home buyer. But there is a large variety of other services he/she provides for home sellers and home buyers, like Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), preparing contracts and acting as the guardian of the escrow. Sometimes, the home seller or buyer doesn’t even meet the Broker, but a real estate agent that works under him/her.
The Broker is the one who collects the commission once the sale is made and he/she divides the value to all participating parts like the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent – most of the times an employee of his, but, depending on the type of listing agreement (like an Open Listing) it can be someone independent from him/her.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Appraisal method of determining a buildings value under the following criteria: (1) The land value can be easily determined from comparable sales or other methods. (2) The building on the ...
Same as term real estate investment trust (REIT): Type of investment company that invests money in mortgages and various types of investment in real estate, in order to earn profits for ...
A saving bank owned by its depositors. They are mostly located in the northwestern United States and are an important supplier of real estate financing. All mutual savings banks are state ...
Protection over and above that of an insurance policy or warranty. ...
Architectural plan which may include blue prints of a property project. Designs must meet technological and zoning requirements. ...
To upgrade a facility by installing up-to-date technology as well as introducing stylistic changes reflecting current patterns. Modernizing a facility can add substantially to its value and ...
The arrangement of the walls and rooms in a structure. A two-dimensional horizontal scale drawing of the arrangements, size, and orientation of doors, rooms, walls, and windows of a single ...
Process of developing an area by planning and building homes, shopping centers, schools or churches. The development process includes the construction of streets, sewers, utilities, parks, ...
Air penetrating crevices in a structure. Penetration of water into the earth or through a structure. For example, water infiltrates the basement of a house causing it to be damp. ...

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