Re: Real Estate License & VA work
I am a licensed salesperson here in NJ, and I hang it on referral basis only just to keep it (Weichert Referral Associate). I got my license for the education and as a "just in case" sort of thing, in case I wanted to be an active agent myself... But I have firmly decided that I NEVER want to be an active working agent. LOL
As it applies to my business, I have made it my policy that if I work with clients in my own state of NJ, I DO NOT work with them in a licensed assistant capacity. (Currently, I do not have any local clients right now, all of mine are out of state) I think when the license is in play, that definitely plays into a conflict of interest if you decide to work with more than one agent in the same state you are licensed. Basically, when you work as a licensed assistant, your license is then under the supervision of the Broker of your agent. So if you work to help other agents in the same market area (or state) that could definitely be a potential conflict of interest because you are technically under a different supervising broker. That, and I believe in most states, you can only hang your license under 1 broker at a time, so that means you can probably only work as a licensed assistant to agents that are only with that broker. There just seem to be so many gray areas involved with this. So I choose not to be a licensed assistant to anyone, so it leaves the possibilty open for me to have clients in the same market area or state without much conflict of interest.
Does that make sense?
Really, as a REVA, I don't have much of a use for the real estate license. I don't think it has brought me more business by the mere fact of having it. No agent has ever said they decided to work with me because I have one. But I do think the education I got from it was valuable. And I felt I worked hard enough to get it that I might as well keep it, even if it is only in a referral fashion. And luckily here in New Jersey, I don't have to worry about taking continuing education to keep it (totally backwards I know, but this is NJ after all) so I only have to pay a yearly fee to keep it current. And I can give referrals if I want to anybody in any state, like refer my family members to an agent, or refer people to my own clients if I ever have the opportunity (i never have though).
That is just my $0.02. Hope that helps!
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