For many years, school guidance counselors insisted that you would never have a worthwhile job if you didn't get a university degree. Today, however, many people with university degrees end up not using them. Instead, it is the specialized private college graduates who become successful Markham real estate agents and hairdressers. If you like the idea of working with real property and helping people find the perfect place to live, real estate may be for you. Here are some tips for figuring out whether it's the career for you and how to go about getting your real estate license.

Before you apply for anything, you need to measure your personality and see if it's suited to long hours working with people. Ask yourself questions like: "would I really care whether my clients get what they want?" "Would I be able to drive a hard bargain against another real estate agent in Thornhill over a property?" "Can I handle the budgeting, math, and statistics that are necessary to understand the real estate market?" and most importantly: "do I have good people skills?" If you answered yes to these questions, you would probably make a good realtor.

You can't just decide you want to become a realtor and hang out your shingle the next day, however. You need to be licensed by the real estate association in your region, which in your case if you live in London is the OREA, or the Ontario Real Estate Association. The OREA is sort of like a union combined with a licensing bureau. It makes sure that the Vaughan real estate agents who are out there are honest and know what they're doing and that the interests of realtors are represented in the public eye. If you want to sell real estate, you'll have to pass their tests.

There are numerous private career colleges in Canada (including correspondence schools) where you can take a real estate license course. However, we recommend that you study real estate in the province you intend to practice in, as the rules may be slightly different in different parts of the country. The Ontario Real Estate Association also runs its own training course, which is probably your best bet if you want to pass their exams.

To be a successful realtor, you have to have the skills necessary to run your own business, because realtors make their money on commissions from Toronto homes for sale, not by drawing an hourly wage or a salary. Many of them have their own companies, but if you're just starting out you might want to buy into a big company that people already trust, such as Royal Le Page, Coldwell Banker, or Remax.