I have my license, what's the next step? 

Buyers and sellers of real property are more sophisticated than ever when it comes to buying a home. They do their homework and they have certain expectations for the professionalism and service from their agent. Whether you join a national franchise, independent company or decide to begin your own business, you'll have the opportunity as a real estate professional to get the training you need to exceed their expectations and make your business a success.

1. Become a REALTOR and you’ll receive advanced educational opportunities, training and networking that are not available to other licensees. You'll also have access to the most current legal updates, legal standardized forms, and access to the REALTOR association staff and resources.
    
2. Join Your Local Association. By joining one of the local REALTOR associations in Illinois you automatically become a member of the Illinois Association of REALTORS and the National Association of REALTORS.
    
3. GRI Designation. Separate yourself from the competition with a GRI (Graduate REALTOR Institute) designation, the most recognized professional designation in the real estate industry. The GRI is also a prerequisite for pursuing various advanced professional designations.
    
4. REALTOR Family Designation Programs. The National Association of REALTORS provides you with a family of professional designation and certification programs to help you expand your knowledge and attract new business.
    
5. Continuing Education Requirements. Once you become a licensed real estate professional, it is important to continue your education to increase your knowledge and skills as well as improve your earning potential. Illinois is one state that mandates Continuing Education (CE) for its licensees. Licensees must complete and pass 12 CE hours every two years in order to maintain their licenses. These courses keep real estate professionals current on topics such as ethics, agency, legal issues, antitrust and appraisal.
    
6. Ethics Training. Members of the National Association of REALTORS (and IAR) must successfully complete a 2.5-hour course in ethics, an element of NAR’s Code of Ethics. The policy requires that REALTORS take ethics training within given four-year cycles and continue to update their education in successive four-year periods thereafter. The first four-year cycle ends December 31, 2004. Members who joined after January 1, 2001 must take a Code of Ethics orientation course during the provisional membership period. After completion, this group is subject to the next, full four-year cycle, which is from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008. Ethics courses are available through your local association. Contact your local association for details.