Is your broker licensed?

So you're in the market to buy or sell a home or maybe you're thinking of hiring a property manager. Maybe you got a recommendation from friend or did a search online and located someone you think will be great. Be sure to take the extra step of checking to ensure that the person with whom you've decided to work actually holds a current LICENSE to practice.

You should take this step even if you found your new broker on the site of major brokerage firm or some other real estate related website. It might surprise you to learn that a lot of firms take an inordinate amount of time to remove "inactive" agents from their websites.   Other websites may never remove inactive agent information leaving the consumer vulnerable.

Protect yourself. Ask your broker for his or her license number (which, if they're following the law, was provided to you on the legally required "Working with Real Estate Agents" document upon first meeting. You can use that number, or if you don't have it, simply do a search with their name at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission website.  If you can't find them there, be suspicious and call the Commission.