{"id":36691,"date":"2025-04-30T04:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=36691"},"modified":"2025-05-02T14:28:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T21:28:47","slug":"realtor-vs-real-estate-agent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/realtor-vs-real-estate-agent\/","title":{"rendered":"Realtor Vs. Real Estate Agent: Who Can You Trust With Your Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you&#8217;re a homeowner looking to sell or a prospective buyer, you&#8217;ve likely come across titles such as &#8220;Real estate agent,&#8221; &#8220;Realtor,&#8221; and &#8220;broker.&#8221; But what do these titles mean, and how do they differ?<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, we&#8217;ll demystify these roles, helping you make an informed decision when selling or buying a home.<\/p>\n<p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">Find Your Perfect Real Estate Agent<\/h3>\n                        <p>Take the guesswork out of finding a great real estate agent in your area. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/find-agent\/quiz\/seller?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Find a Top Agent Now<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"What is a real estate agent?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div><\/p>\n<h2>What is a real estate agent?<\/h2>\n<p>A real estate agent is a licensed professional who facilitates real estate transactions between buyers and sellers. They can work on behalf of either party and have a deep understanding of the real estate market. But what does it take to become a real estate agent, and what role do they play in buying or selling properties?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Becoming a real estate agent: <\/strong>To become a real estate agent, an individual must:\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Complete a state-approved pre-licensing course.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Pass the state real estate licensing exam.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Meet age requirements and undergo background checks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Role of a real estate agent: <\/strong>Real estate agents perform various duties, such as:\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Assisting sellers in pricing their property competitively.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Advising buyers on making a fair offer.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Marketing properties to potential buyers.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Coordinating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-many-showings-does-it-take-to-sell-a-house-on-average\/\">showings<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-prepare-for-an-open-house\/\">open houses<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-negotiate-when-selling-a-house\/\">negotiations<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a crucial link between buyers and sellers, real estate agents provide essential guidance throughout the property-selling or buying process. <div id=\"section--2\" data-toc-header=\"What is a Realtor?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div><\/p>\n<h2>What is a Realtor\u00ae?<\/h2>\n<p>&#8216;Realtor&#8217; is a term that&#8217;s often used interchangeably with &#8216;real estate agent,&#8217; but there are notable differences. When is a real estate agent a Realtor, you ask? A Realtor is a real estate professional who is a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/\">National Association of Realtors<\/a> (NAR), abiding by its strict code of ethics designed to protect clients.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Becoming a Realtor: <\/strong>To become a Realtor, a real estate professional must:\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Hold an active real estate license.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Join and maintain a good standing with the local NAR chapter.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Adhere to the NAR&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/about-nar\/governing-documents\/code-of-ethics\/2023-code-of-ethics-standards-of-practice\">Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice<\/a>. Must complete and renew training every 3 years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Role of a Realtor: <\/strong>Realtors perform tasks similar to real estate agents, but they are held to a higher ethical standard due to their NAR membership. Their responsibilities include:\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Providing honest and fair treatment to all parties involved in a transaction.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Promoting the best interest of their clients.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"2\">Avoiding exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts related to the property.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As we can see, Realtors carry out similar tasks to real estate agents, but their commitment to the NAR code sets them apart.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/agents\/jesse-allen-in-rb17001163\">Jesse Allen<\/a>, a top-performing real estate agent in Indiana who is also a NAR member, explains what the Realtor title means to him: \u201cIt\u2019s nice to have that recognition behind [your name] because then your client knows that you&#8217;re somebody they can trust. A lot of it comes down to just being a professional at the end of the day, just doing what is the right thing to do for your client.\u201d&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn the key differences between a Realtor, real estate agent, and broker. Discover who to work with when selling or buying your home. Expert insights included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":57689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[322,238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-logistics","category-working-with-agents"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Realtor Vs Real Estate Agent: Who Can You Trust With Your Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the key differences between a Realtor, real estate agent, and broker. 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