Buying or selling real estate is one of the largest financial transactions most people will ever complete. In Mississippi, real estate professionals who represent others in real estate transactions are subject to state licensing requirements and regulation.
Logan-Anderson Gulf Coastal Realtors is a Mississippi licensed real estate brokerage. Our real estate activities are conducted through properly licensed real estate professionals and subject to the laws, regulations, and oversight applicable to Mississippi real estate licensees.
Licensing matters because a real estate license is more than permission to sell property. It establishes minimum education and testing requirements and places the licensee under the regulatory authority of the State of Mississippi.
The Mississippi Real Estate Commission (MREC) is the state agency responsible for licensing Mississippi real estate brokers and salespersons and regulating licensed real estate activity.
The Commission establishes licensing requirements and rules governing the conduct of licensees. It also provides consumers with a place to obtain licensing information and file complaints involving licensed real estate professionals.
Because regulations can change, consumers should consult the Mississippi Real Estate Commission for current requirements and licensing information.
Official Mississippi Real Estate Commission:
[Mississippi Real Estate Commission – MREC]
A Mississippi real estate salesperson does not simply decide to start selling houses.
For a resident salesperson license, Mississippi establishes specific qualifications before an individual can become licensed.
Among the current requirements, an applicant generally must:
The licensing examination includes both national real estate principles and Mississippi-specific real estate law and regulations.
A newly licensed salesperson receives a temporary license and must complete the required 30-hour post-license coursewithin the applicable one-year period to qualify for a permanent license.
These requirements are important because they establish a minimum foundation of knowledge before someone can professionally represent consumers in Mississippi real estate transactions.
There is another important layer of consumer protection.
A Mississippi real estate salesperson operates under the supervision of a responsible real estate broker.
The broker has responsibilities that go beyond those of an individual salesperson. Brokerage activities, office policies, transaction procedures, handling of funds, supervision, documentation, advertising, agency relationships, and compliance with Mississippi real estate requirements all involve broker oversight.
For the consumer, this means you are not simply working with an individual who happens to help people buy and sell houses. You are working with a licensee operating through a regulated real estate brokerage.
Mississippi establishes additional qualifications for a broker’s license.
A resident broker applicant generally must:
For the standard route to a broker’s license, an applicant must have qualifying active salesperson experience and complete substantially more real estate education than is required for the initial salesperson license.
Current Mississippi licensing materials provide that a broker applicant using the active-salesperson route must have held an active salesperson license for the required period and complete 120 classroom hours of qualifying real estate education.
Alternative educational requirements can apply to applicants who do not qualify through the active-salesperson route.
The broker examination also has higher passing requirements than the salesperson examination.
The distinction is important: a broker has progressed beyond the entry-level salesperson license and assumes additional responsibility for the operation and supervision of real estate brokerage activities.
A buyer’s agent does much more than open a door and show a house.
A licensed real estate professional can help you work through issues such as:
An experienced agent should also know when an issue requires another professional.
A real estate agent is not your home inspector, attorney, accountant, surveyor, engineer, insurance agent, or mortgage lender. Part of good representation is recognizing those boundaries and helping you obtain the appropriate information before making a decision.
Selling a home involves far more than advertising it and finding someone willing to buy it.
A licensed real estate professional can help a seller with matters including:
A mistake involving a contract, disclosure, deadline, or negotiation can potentially cost far more than the brokerage fee involved in the transaction.
Professional representation provides a knowledgeable person whose job is to help guide the transaction from the initial decision to sell through closing.
State licensing establishes minimum qualifications. It does not mean every licensed real estate professional has the same experience, knowledge, specialties, or level of service.
That is why we encourage buyers and sellers to interview the person they are considering hiring.
Ask questions.
How long have they been working in real estate? What areas do they know? Have they worked with the type of property you are buying or selling? Who is the responsible broker? How will they communicate with you? How will they help you evaluate offers or properties?
A license should be the starting point when selecting a real estate professional—not the only qualification you consider.
These terms are often used interchangeably, but they do not mean exactly the same thing.
A real estate salesperson is an individual licensed by the State of Mississippi to perform authorized real estate activities while affiliated with a responsible broker.
A real estate broker has satisfied the state’s additional licensing requirements for brokers and may have responsibility for supervising brokerage activities and affiliated licensees.
A REALTOR® is a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. REALTOR® is a membership designation; it is not the real estate license issued by the State of Mississippi.
When determining whether someone is legally licensed to perform real estate brokerage activities in Mississippi, the important credential to verify is the person’s Mississippi real estate license.
You do not have to simply take someone’s word that they are licensed.
The Mississippi Real Estate Commission provides public licensing information that consumers can use to check the licensing status of real estate professionals.
Before hiring someone to represent you, particularly someone you have never worked with before, verifying their license is a reasonable step.
Verify licensing through the Mississippi Real Estate Commission:
[Check a Mississippi Real Estate License]
You can also use the Commission’s website to review current licensing laws, regulations, forms, consumer information, and Commission notices.
Logan-Anderson Gulf Coastal Realtors is a Mississippi licensed real estate brokerage serving buyers, sellers, property owners, and real estate investors on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
We believe professional real estate representation should involve more than obtaining a license.
It requires understanding the local market, listening to the client’s objectives, explaining the transaction, identifying issues that require attention, negotiating on the client’s behalf, and helping move the transaction toward a successful closing.
Our clients should understand what they are signing and why they are signing it.
We also believe clients should understand the limits of our role. When a question requires the expertise of an attorney, lender, home inspector, appraiser, accountant, insurance professional, engineer, surveyor, contractor, or other specialist, we encourage our clients to obtain that professional advice.
Mississippi’s licensing system provides an important level of consumer protection. It establishes minimum education and examination standards and places real estate licensees under the oversight of the Mississippi Real Estate Commission.
But selecting an agent or broker should go further.
Look for licensing, experience, local knowledge, communication, professionalism, and someone willing to explain the process rather than simply ask you to sign documents.
Buying or selling real estate is too important to approach any other way.
Real estate licensing laws and regulations can change. The licensing requirements discussed on this page are provided as general information and should not be relied upon as a substitute for current information from the Mississippi Real Estate Commission.
For current licensing requirements, laws, regulations, forms, and license status information, consult the Mississippi Real Estate Commission directly.
First, we turn all that licensing information from “Here’s how you can become an agent” into “Look at what Mississippi requires of the person you’re trusting with your property transaction.” That’s far more relevant to a prospective Logan-Anderson client.
Second, the salesperson-versus-broker distinction helps you. Current MREC materials say a resident salesperson applicant must be at least 18 and complete 60 classroom hours before the examination. For the standard broker route, MREC’s candidate information says the applicant must be at least 21, have an active salesperson license for the preceding 12 months, and have 120 classroom hours; the current broker application also describes the active-salesperson qualification. (Mississippi Department of Revenue)
There are alternative broker qualification provisions, so I deliberately didn’t present 120 hours/experience as the onlypossible path. That keeps the consumer page accurate without burying the reader in licensing-law exceptions. MREC also currently requires the temporary-license holder to complete a 30-hour post-license course within the prescribed one-year period. (Mississippi Department of Revenue