Realtor or Licensee
What is the Difference between a REALTOR® , Real Estate Agent, and Broker
A real estate professional is your partner in homeownership. Finding the right one to represent you is an important choice that you will want to make early in the process.
Many times, you may hear all real estate professionals referred to as agents. “Agent” is a catchall phrase that is used, in casual conversation, to describe the three types of professionals who buy and sell real estate in Maryland: salespersons, brokers, and REALTORS®. Even though people use those terms interchangeably, there are key differences you should be aware of.
A real estate salesperson is a professional who helps people buy, sell, rent, or invest in homes. To become licensed as a real estate agent in Maryland, a person must take a 60-hour pre-licensing training from a course provider approved by the Maryland Real Estate Commission and pass a real estate licensing exam.
Once they have their license, an agent must affiliate themselves with a real estate brokerage and renew their license every two years by completing 15 hours of required training over the two-year period. You can tell if a real estate agent holds an active Maryland license through the Department of Labor’s licensee lookup tool: Welcome to the Real Estate Commission Public Query
A real estate broker is a professional who has additional education beyond the agent level. In Maryland, a broker must be licensed as a salesperson for a minimum of 3 consecutive years prior to applying and complete a 135-hour course from an approved education provider. Once those requirements are completed, a broker must pass the brokerage exam and maintain their license by completing 15 hours of continuing education every two years.
The biggest difference between a broker and a salesperson is that a broker may work independently and may supervise the work of real estate salespersons, whereas a salesperson must work under the supervision of a broker. In fact, the Maryland Real Estate Commission sets forth a host of regulations outlining what brokers must do to reasonably and adequately supervise the activities of the agents in their brokerage.
A REALTOR® is a licensed broker or salesperson who also belongs to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), the largest trade group in the country. In addition to meeting all obligations and requirements under state licensing laws, REALTORS® also agree to follow a strict Code of Ethics, which requires them to follow additional standards intended to protect buyers and sellers. They complete training and may hold professional designations that are only offered to REALTORS®, and through their membership in their local, state and national associations, advocate for new laws that boost housing supply or lower costs to own and purchase real estate.
Salespersons and brokers who are not NAR members can’t call themselves REALTORS®. You can tell if a real estate professional is a REALTOR® by looking for the R® trademark, and using the REALTOR.com search tool: Find Real Estate Agents and Brokers in Your Area |
For more information on selecting the right agent for you, visit our guide to interviewing a REALTOR® or our REALTOR Value and Benefits page.