Last year the state of Florida saw a spike in the number of new real estate agents. One reason: the hot Miami-Dade market.
Spanning July 2015 to February 2016 the Miami Association of Realtors‘ (MIAMI) primary, active membership expanded from 37,328 to 41,518– a gain of nearly 4,200 members in six months, according to Christopher Zoller, last year’s MIAMI president and broker associate with EVM Realty International.
The association, which is considered the largest local realtor association in the nation, can attribute its growth to the volume of new licensees, along with its expansion to Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) and Palm Beach County.
“Our real estate school (The South Florida School of Real Estate) as well as other schools, are booming,” Zoller said. “Clearly ours is an attractive business for many people.”
Miami continues to offer growth opportunities in most real estate segments, including luxury, foreign national, waterfront and commercial, according to Carlos Gutierrez, MIAMI’s residential president for 2016.
“If you combine those factors with relatively easy entrance into this profession, it remains very attractive for new realtors,” he added.
Aside from new licensees, the association has grown by merging with other groups like the Jupiter-Tequesta-Hobe Sound Association of Realtors. The late summer merger added roughly 1,500 members to MIAMI’s base.
Overall in Miami-Dade County there are 56,624 registered real estate licenses, according to the real estate division of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulations.
“Yes, more agents and less inventory create more competition. But more competition creates more professionalism, and that is a very good thing.” Zoller said.
A recent article in the Tampa Bay Times stated that Florida added nearly 29,000 new real estate agents last year, the highest total in nine years.
To obtain a sales associate license in Florida an individual must take a 63-hour pre-license course, pass the state exam and submit an application, along with $89, to the division of real estate.
