Earning your real estate license

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

they don’t sufficiently study, don’t truly understand the information, or aren’t confident enough in taking tests. There are 75 questions and there are several versions of the exam and you will need to get at least 52 correct to pass and receive a grade of 70.

To keep your license active, one needs 22.5 of continuing education credit (CE) every 2 years to keep it current. With that continuing education, one needs to enroll in some new additional required and necessary classes either online or in person. Those classes are now required if your license expires after September 21, 2022 and are the following: 2 hours of Implicit Bias Awareness, 2 hours of Cultural Competency, 3 hours or Fair Housing, 1 hours of Agency Law, 2.5 hours in Ethical Business Practices, and 1 hour of Legal Matters.

Once you finally receive an email via EAcess from the Department of State that you have passed, then you must find a Broker to sponsor you as a salesperson. If you fail or think that you might because you do not do well on tests, then automatically as a backup sign up for another scheduled NYS exam ($15 additional).

Earning your real estate salesperson license is barely the first step in the beginning of starting your business. Creating and growing your new career will take a tremendous amount of concerted efforts, disciplined actions and sacrificing your valuable time. There are approximately 1,548,058 Realtors who are part of an MLS and total of 2,000,000 licensed real estate agents in the U.S. as per the National Association of Realtors in 2022. There were 130,439 Brokers and salespersons in NYS and only 60,000+ that were consider Realtors and members of the NYS Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors the esteemed professional groups. Only 46% have earned a Realtor designation. Whether you are performing your business parttime or taking the plunge as a full time professional, constant training, learning and absorbing information and concepts will be tantamount in earning an adequate ancillary income if you have a full time job (in the U.S. almost 50% of licensed agents have jobs) or if full time earning a livable income. Prior to the Pandemic the average income of an agent was approximately $43,500 and after the Pandemic it decreased to approximately $39,200. New York/ New York City had the highest average of $111,487 in 2022, and that varied depending on your status as a part or full-time agent.

Becoming a licensed real estate salesperson (consultant) is an excellent way to go into your own business. You are an independent contractor and not an employee. You determine your own hours (not like an employee) and you will have 100% control over your income and not your employer. As a business you will have quite a lot of tax deductions that employees aren’t privy to. It is a challenging but rewarding enterprise, but well worth the “sweat equity” and efforts to be in greater control over your earnings and lifestyle if you so choose to go down that path and good luck if you do.

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Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 40 years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S.) and in 2022 has earned his National Association of Realtors “Green Industry designation for eco-friendly construction. He will provide you with “free” regular updates of sold and new homes in your town via the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island (MLSLI) or go to https://WWW. Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” `15 minute consultation, as well as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached. He can also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and our Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

You can email or snail mail (regular mail) him with your request or ideas, suggestions or interview you for a specific topic and a Q & A for a future column with your name, email and cell number. He will email or call you back and respond to your request ASAP as long as he has your complete name, cell, email and/or full home or business address. Again, for a “FREE” 15 minute consultation, he can also be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.Com to answer any of your questions and concerns in selling, investing, purchasing, or leasing residential or commercial property.

Continued from previous page their antioxidants and vitamins.

As I said, you really can’t go wrong. (Oh, and by the way, I am coming at this from a Social Security perspective only. You would also have to consider the tax implications to your decision.)

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets.

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

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Scientists from Leatherhead Food Research and the University of Chester carried out 40 tests to measure nutrient levels in produce that had been sitting in a fridge for three days compared to their frozen equivalents. They found more beneficial nutrients overall in the frozen samples, in everything from broccoli to blueberries.

Of course, eating produce within minutes of harvest is the healthiest option. However, frozen can be almost as good and is often better than items sold as fresh because unless you pick it yourself, you have no idea how long it has been since that produce was harvested.

Frozen goodies like spinach and strawberries have no additives because additives are not necessary to preserve quality. Naked produce (e.g., no added salt or sugar) is the norm. That’s why frozen fruits and vegetables carry a single-word ingredient lists -- the fruit or veggie itself. Always check the ingredients, but I bet you’ll find at least a dozen varieties in the freezer aisle with absolutely nothing added.

Even the freshest produce comes with a prep requirement. Sometimes that extra time is just too much at the end of a stressful day. Know the feeling? Frozen produce magically preps itself. It comes washed, peeled and chopped. Frozen produce can save you a ton of time, making it more likely that you’ll cook and eat at home rather than opting for takeout.

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “DebtProof Living.”

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of April 2-8, 2023

I remember six decades ago sitting in Miss Schnitzer’s fourth-grade classroom and getting my first formal taste of astronomy. I always looked forward to hearing her tell us of all the amazing properties of the planets of our solar system.

It was there that I learned about Jupiter, the largest planet, with nine moons orbiting it (today we know of 92). I discovered that Mars appeared red, and that Saturn had glorious rings around it. And it was here that I learned that Mercury was the nearest planet to the sun, only 36 million miles from our star’s scorching face. Not a big deal to kids these days, but back in those days it sure was!

I had fun going into the backyard at night to try to spot these distant worlds in the sky, and I had pretty good success at it too. But it wasn’t until many years later that I actually got a chance to see Mercury.

Part of the delay came because this planet lies so close to the sun that we can never really see it in a completely dark sky. Its 88-day orbit around the sun causes it to swing from dawn to dusk, or from dusk to dawn, just about every month and a half. And this means that one must be outdoors at just the right time, with a low horizon and good