Definition of "Real estate broker"

Ginny Solis-Wright real estate agent

Written by

Ginny Solis-Wrightelite badge icon

Realty One Group

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.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

The appraisal approach is used to estimate the value of an asset, based on various factors to reach the closest educated guess of the asset. While an appraisal approach does consider the ...

Judicial action to establish property ownership. In a quiet action, adverse claimants are required to state their claims or be forever stopped from any future title claim. The basic ...

Has not been registered on the companies books. It belongs to the person holding it. See also bearer bond; bearer instrument. ...

In conducting a real estate transaction, each party is presumed honest and fair with no deceit. The intentions are honorable and realistic. If deception occurs without prior knowledge, the ...

In real estate, the term "preamble" refers to an introductory statement that outlines the fundamental principles and goals guiding the industry's practices. Specifically, in the National ...

Holder of a real estate license who solicits a prospective buyer of property and receives a commission for his efforts. ...

Aerial navigation that may interfere with a property owner, such as creating undue noise. The value of land near an airport may decline in value for this reason. Further airport congestion ...

In real estate, the basis to set an adjustable rate mortgage, such as a 6-month certificate of deposit (CD) rate, cost of funds index, or prime rate. A statistical measure stated as ...

When answering the question of what is a real estate investor, several aspects should be considered. First, a real estate investor, also known as a real estate entrepreneur, allocates ...

Popular Real Estate Questions