Is the timing right for a career in real estate?

EVAN WILLIAMS/FLORIDA WEEKLY Instructor Dan Larson lectures a classroom full of future real-estate sales associates at the Larson family's new school, Larson Educational Services, in Royal Palm Square. Rick Larson watched his son Dan make a Power-Point presentation to a group of young, and not so young, hopeful real-estate agents at Larson Educational Services' first class last week.

"That room full of people will have some who will be leaders in this industry, without a doubt," he said.

Last year, in preparation for opening the new school in Fort Myers, Mr. Larson surveyed 1,000 people who planned to enter the real estate business in the United States. He asked why they picked real estate at such a bad moment for the housing industry.

Obviously, the market is weaker, but in spite of that, many told him they were interested in the career because it was an investment opportunity: get in now, and when the market returns, they could be poised to make some big sales, or start a brokerage.

"The answers used to be 'I love people. I love having freedom and flexibility,'" said Mr. Larson, a veteran real-estate educator. "Those are kind of generic attributes of the real estate business. It was quite shocking to find out there are more people getting into it because of the timing. It's a national trend, that people are looking at the future. A percentage are saying 'now is the best time.'"

Mr. Larson's three sons — Brad, David and Dan — worked in real-estate and customer-service related jobs around the country. Two years ago, they decided to convene in Lee County and stake new careers on the school at Royal Palm Square. It offers instruction on best practices and exam preparation for sales associates, brokers, appraisers and continuing education for realestate workers.

They chose the location for its campus like setting and plenty of parking, at a small outdoor mall. It also sits near the base of the Midpoint Bridge between two struggling real-estate markets, Lehigh Acres and Cape Coral. The school has two classrooms that seat about 35 students each.

"Things are going to come back and I want to get in now," general manager Brad Larson said. "So many people have gotten out of it. I want to be in when it comes back. We knew things were down and people were getting out of the business. "

Rick Larson is retired from teaching courses in Minnesota and elsewhere, where he developed curriculum, training programs and textbooks used by more than 500,000 students at Kaplan real estate schools over his 29-year career.

"It was my idea to retire in Fort Myers," Mr. Larson said. "But they started this business."

Now he will teach classes at the new school.

One of the first students, Carol DeBonis, said she dabbled in real estate in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but never got her license. She moved to Fort Myers with her fiancée last month after retiring from a job at Aetna insurance company.

Ms. DeBonis, 60, said a broker recommended Larson as a thorough program. The sales associate program costs $299, including textbooks.

"They had the most services and they were close by," Ms. DeBonis said. "Once I get through this course and the state exam, I'll be a real estate associate. I believe there will always be a market for it."

The 63-hour course makes the students official sales associates, and also primes their interest in an industry that took its share of blame for the foreclosure mess. In Lee County, 144 people got licensed in October 2005, but only 45 this October, according to the Florida Division of Business and Professional Regulation.

"It will be a building process," Rick Larson said. "We want to be part of the solution to get this market back on track.

"The entry-level people are really valuable. The key to the business longterm is new blood."

If Ms. DeBonis stays in the industry, she'll need to renew her license every two years, and Larson hopes to be her choice for continuing education throughout her career.

"We're a cradle to grave organization," Rick Larson said. "These people sitting here, we want to make sure they come back year after year."

The Larson school prides itself on a professional image: clean, state-ofthe art classrooms, comfortable chairs, instructors dressed in suits and ties, even free coffee. The curriculum aims to be interactive, where students give presentations and instructors teach students best industry practices, instead of just preparing them for an exam.

"The license doesn't come with operating instructions," said Brad Larson. "You'll learn things you'll need to be a better professional in the market. We think the consumer is part of our customer base. How is the consumer served by a mandated license that requires no education?"

Unlike at some real estate schools, the instructors aren't allowed to recruit students. The school aims to work cooperatively with brokers who send them people looking for a license.

"This is a safe haven," Rick Larson said.

The school doesn't guarantee students a passing grade on their exams, but will offer their money back if they aren't happy with the course. Besides the sales associate license course, there is a license exam preparation course for $129, which is only for help passing the exam; a 45-hour post-license education course for $199; and a 72-hour real-estate broker license course for $399.

The Larsons also hired their aunt Wanda as a secretary and the classrooms are decorated by Rick Larson's wife, Rose, with black and white photos of historical Southwest Florida people and buildings, like the Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers.

"We wanted to be totally integrated into the community," Brad Larson said.