Real Estate Salesperson

The Real Estate Salesperson Certificate of Achievement will qualify and prepare students to take the written examination for the California Real Estate Salesperson license. 

Program Goals

The Real Estate Salesperson Certificate of Achievement will qualify and prepare students to take the written examination for a California Real Estate Salesperson license. 

Students who complete the program will be able to:

• Define common real estate terminology and understand the various real estate listing agreements, concepts, forms, procedures, and contracts involved   in real estate

• Demonstrate an understanding of basic real estate mathematics.

• Compare and contrast various types of loans and lending institutions such as private and government-sponsored instruments (VA, FHA, and SBA).

• Demonstrate an understanding of the three methods of appraisal (sale comparable, income, and cost approach).

• Utilize public records to analyze sociographics and demographics, school ratings, crime reports, tax records, title reports, comparable sales, properties currently for sale, expired listings, rentals, economic indicators, newsletter and magazine articles about real estate and the economy.

• Analyze transactional needs of a client and select transactional forms used for that real estate activity.

• Differentiate between real and personal property and describe the rights inherent to both.

• Describe types of governmental controls and regulations pertaining to the rights of a property owner.

• Understand the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics.

• Interpret and discuss various principles of real estate sales.

• Discuss the taxation effects  on residential property, income property, and investment property    

• Analyze and interpret real estate regulations, procedures of finance and economic factors such as institutional and non-institutional lenders and the various methods of qualifying an individual for asset-secured loans.

Program Objectives

The program will provide students with the knowledge and skills to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of real and personal property including the methods of holding title to real estate such as joint tenancy, tenants in common, and community property.

• Understand the realtors code of ethics and the fiduciary roles and responsibilities associated with being a licensed agent.

• Prepare real estate transactional documents for both residential and commercial listing and purchase agreements, appropriate addendums, and accompanying disclosures. 

• Demonstrate an understanding of single and dual agency in a real estate transaction.

• Access County Assessor Portals to verify the accuracy of land ownership documents.

• Use both the Multiple Listing Service, a web based licensed proprietary software and public access databases to search for property ownership and prepare property profiles.

• Demonstrate an understanding of lending laws such as Regulation Z, usury laws, disclosure requirements, maximum fees and charges allowed under governing laws, agency relationships, advertising laws, and the ethical obligations that accompany a real estate salesperson in these aspects.

El Camino College’s real estate program is one of the oldest programs at the college. The department has a strong reputation of producing high-quality students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in the industry. Over the last two decades, with the expansion of the internet, many private schools began offering real estate courses entirely online, which meet the state requirements. However, El Camino College has the expertise and reputation to provide a superior alternative to those private programs.

Based on the Real Estate Department's 2019 program review, El Camino College has seen increasing enrollment in our real estate courses over the last five years. The department had an all-time high of 453 enrolled students in the 2018-2019 academic year. For comparison purposes, the 2014-2015 academic year reflected an enrollment of 230 students. El Camino College’s real estate program ranks sixth in the entire state based on enrollment numbers, and is only 88 students shy of ranking first in the state.

While department enrollment has grown, the program offerings have remained static. Based on our program review, our current offerings do no fully align with the industry and the demand for fully qualified real estate professionals. The department has only offered one associate degree and two certificate programs, which have not been aligned to changes in the industry or adjusted to meet the strong labor demand for real estate professionals.

Currently, there is high demand for entry-level to middle-skilled level real estate professionals.  The Los Angeles/Orange County Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research recently indicated that the labor market demand for the real estate industry is not being met by the current supply of community college programs. Based on the COE data, the department’s advisory committee recommended that the department expand the number of certificates offered in the program to add eight new specialized certificates to better prepare students for future careers in various real estate specializations.  

This Certificate of Achievement – Real Estate Salesperson, will prepare more students for real estate specialization positions and help meet the labor demand in the region.  This certificate is part of the greater expansion of the real estate program at El Camino College.  In addition, this certificate will support students who aspire to become real estate professionals by encouraging them to continue their education and obtain specialized certifications.

This program has been endorsed by the COE.