{"id":17288,"date":"2024-09-17T07:30:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T14:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=17288"},"modified":"2025-12-01T02:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T10:52:39","slug":"what-is-a-real-estate-broker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-a-real-estate-broker\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Real Estate Broker in the Realm of Selling Homes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

While every industry has its own array of job titles and insider terminology, the real estate world might be one of the most perplexing. When you hear terms like broker, Realtor, real estate agent, or salesperson used interchangeably or perhaps in the same sentence, it can be tough to tell the difference. Do they all do the same thing? What is a real estate broker\u2019s job if not to sell your home directly?<\/p>\n

To better understand the difference between a real estate agent and a real estate broker<\/a>, we reviewed industry resources from the National Association of Realtors and spoke with Lonnie Bush<\/a>, owner, CEO, and principal broker of Lonnie Bush Real Estate<\/a> in Virginia Beach, Virginia. An unconventional broker in his own right, Bush shared valuable insights into the role of this oft-misunderstood title.<\/p>\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Sell Faster and for More Money With a Top Agent<\/h3>\n

HomeLight data shows that the top 5% of real estate agents sell homes faster and for up to 10% more than average agents. Try HomeLight\u2019s free Agent Match tool to consult with the highest-performing agents in your market.<\/p>\n \n

\n Get Started<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/div><\/p>\n

First, a quick roll call<\/h2>\n

With the caveat that each state\u2019s real estate licensing requirements and resulting titles will differ (for example: in South Carolina, new agents earn a Real Estate Salesperson license; in Oregon, all agents are licensed under the title of Broker and earning a Principal Broker license would be the next step), here are the most common titles of a person involved with real estate sales, and what those titles typically mean:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brokers are typically agents who have successfully completed further real estate education and passed their state\u2019s real estate broker exam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":48159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[321,238],"tags":[754],"class_list":["post-17288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attract-buyers","category-working-with-agents","tag-real-estate-broker-vs-agent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is a Real Estate Broker in the Realm of Selling Homes?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brokers are typically agents who have successfully completed further real estate education and passed their state\u2019s real estate broker exam.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-a-real-estate-broker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is a Real Estate Broker in the Realm of Selling Homes?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Brokers are typically agents who have successfully completed further real estate education and passed their state\u2019s real estate broker exam.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-a-real-estate-broker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T14:30:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T10:52:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta 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