Agents give themselves so many different titles that it's often hard to figure out the various types of real estate agents and into which classification they fall.

At my company, for example, some agents use an achieved status as a title. A few are "Senior Executive Associates." At first I thought it meant they were worked with senior clients or maybe they were over the age of 62. It really means they have sold X bazillion dollars of real estate in any given year. So, they could gain the title of senior executive associate one year and lose it the next.

Most of the agents in real estate, however, are licensed salespersons, which means they are a real estate agent, regardless of the title they bestow upon themselves. But there is a difference between a real estate broker and a real estate agent. There are also subtle differences between real estate agents and those who are REALTORS®.

It also matters if the agent who is representing you is a selling agent, a seller's agent or a dual agent.

The bottom line is if a person is giving you real estate advice and will be compensated for giving that advice, unless that person is a lawyer, that person should be licensed to sell real estate. Your mom and dad don't count, though . . . read more about Types of Real Estate Agents.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub, click below:

• Real Estate Designations -- What Do Those Letters Mean?
  
• Do You Need Two Agents to Buy and Sell?
  
• Real Estate Agent Guide

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