Become a REALTOR®

Find out more about

• OCAR’s Benefits
• C.A.R. Benefits
• NAR Benefits

Ready to Join OCAR as a REALTOR®? Visit our Applications and Forms page.

Why Choose a Career in Real Estate?
A career in real estate offers many rewards: flexibility not often enjoyed by other professions, satisfaction from helping people, and importance—the real estate industry drives a significant component of our nation’s economy. Real Estate is one of the rare professions where earnings for both men and women are equitable, and there is no limit to your income potential. Have a family? You can set your own schedule and work independently, or you can contribute in a large office if you choose. Besides residential real estate, real estate practitioners are involved in a wide variety of transactions and fields including: commercial and industrial property, farmland, urban planning, mortgage banking, appraisal, real estate counseling, property management, and research.

Getting Your License
In order to practice real estate in California, applicants must successfully complete a set of designated courses before taking the licensing examination. Currently, California does not have a reciprocal licensing agreement with any other state.

To verify if a real estate education provider is approved by the California Department of Real Estate, click here.

Pre-licensing courses may be taken at the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) and California’s community colleges. Saddleback College periodically holds courses at OCAR’s Laguna Hills office. For registration information, visit: www.saddleback.edu.

For complete licensing information and requirements for both salespersons and brokers, visit the DRE’s site.

A REALTOR® is more than just a real estate licensee…
The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

The Code establishes time-honored and baseline principles that come from the collective experiences of REALTORS® since the Code of Ethics was first established in 1913. Those principles include:
• Loyalty to clients;
• Fiduciary (legal) duty to clients;
• Cooperation with competitors;
• Truthfulness in statements and advertising; and non-interference in exclusive relationships that other REALTORS® have with their clients.

Next Step: Join Your Local Association of REALTORS®
Licensees may become REALTOR® members by joining their local Association of REALTORS® (there are over 1400 across the nation). When you join a local Association here in California, you also become a member of the California and National Associations of REALTORS®. Membership in all three entitles you access to a variety of resources, services, and benefits. However, not all local Associations are the same--each covers a specific region and typically their benefits and costs will vary.

As a REALTOR® member of the Orange County Association of REALTORS®, you’ll enjoy many benefits. Our Association is comprised of real estate professionals from Huntington Beach in North Orange County to San Clemente in the South and everywhere in between. The MLS system of which we’re a partner, the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), is the largest MLS in the nation.

Ready to Join OCAR as a REALTOR®?
Visit our Applications and Forms page.