Karen Climer Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Demetree School of Real Estate

Ron Climer Teaching Real Estate Classes At Demetree School of Real Estate

Ron Climer has joined Demetree School of Real Estate. He and I will be team teaching a livestream real estate class that begins January 11, 2021.

Ron Climer is teaching a real estate class at Demetree School of Real Estate.

If you don’t know, Ron Climer is my father. He taught me most of what I know about real estate and how to be a good teacher. I’ve sat in the back of his classroom and listened to his stories (and maybe stole a few of them) for more hours than I can count. He and I talk almost every day, and we talk about real estate and teaching real estate because it’s something we both love doing and talking about.

If you were wondering what qualifies him to teach, here’s a little bit about him… he has had a real estate license since 1978. He started teaching classes in the 1980s. If you know someone in Orlando who has had their license for ten or more years, there is a good chance, Ron was their pre-licensing instructor. Ron Climer started Climer School of Real Estate in the 1990s, taught there for a long time. Then he sold it to the current owners in 2014. Today, there are no Climers at Climer School of Real Estate. We are all at Demetree School of Real Estate.

Ron Climer was a million-dollar producer when interest rates were 11% and a million-dollar house meant the White House. When I was very young, maybe around first or second grade, we were the only house on the block who had a VCR. It was a big clunky machine. They were just starting to become popular. We had it because Dad won it in a sales contest. A few years later, every house on the block had one.

Ron and I are team-teaching the live stream real estate class. It’s starts on January 11, 2021 in the mornings. Join us!

Please note that I do not teach for nor have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate. My father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014. None of the Climers have any affiliation with Climer School today.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T10:24:14-04:00December 7th, 2020|

What Type of Calculator Can I Use On The Florida Real Estate State Exam?

Frequently I get asked what type of calculator you can use on the Florida real estate state exam. You just need a basic calculator. There are two things we are going to discuss. First we will discuss what Pearson Vue and the DBPR allow. Then we will discuss what I, Karen Climer, recommend.

Let’s talk about the kinds of calculators are NOT allowed. You canNOT use a:

Cell phone calculator
Calculator that makes noise
Calculator that allows you to store formulas or other information
Calculator that prints, even if there is no paper in it
Calculator with an alpha keyboard

Basically, you just need a basic calculator. In terms of what kind of calculator, I recommend that you get a calculator where the % key serves only one function. You can pass the state exam without using the percent key at all – you can convert everything into decimals. But often the math problem is easier if you use the percent key.

Here are two calculators.

This is the calculator that Karen Climer used on her sales associate, broker, and instructor state exams. The percent key serves only one purpose.

The percent key also functions as a set key. Karen Climer does not recommend this for the Florida real estate exam.

The one on the left is the calculator that I used to take the exam in 2002. I still use it in class. It has served me well for a long time. You will notice that there is nothing on the percent button except the % sign. That’s because that is the only function of that button.

The calculator on the right is owned by a frustrated student. She ended up getting a different calculator. The percent key on this calculator also says “set.” I’m not 100% sure what the set key does, but I know it has something to do with the tax buttons. (I don’t know what the tax buttons do either. I leave taxes to the tax professionals.) I don’t know what the purpose of the set function is, but I do know it has the effect of messing up the percent function. So if you want to use the percent button on your calculator, get one that has the % sign on the button, and nothing else.

Lastly, whatever calculator you use for the exam needs to be the one you use for practicing. Don’t use your cell phone all the time for practicing, then expect to be comfortable with a regular calculator on test day. It won’t happen. You will be frustrated at the exam and spend a lot of time messing with your brand new calculator. Buy a calculator today and start practicing with it today. When you get ready for the exam, you’ll be comfortable with it.

By Karen Climer|2021-08-23T10:51:44-04:00August 3rd, 2020|

How To Choose The Best Study Material For The Florida Real Estate Sales Associate Exam

I grew up in Florida and went to college in Alabama. In the Deep South, like Alabama and Georgia, if you go to a restaurant and order a Coke, they will ask you, “What kind?” Then you can say, “I’d like Sprite.” In other words, “Coke” is a synonym for carbonated beverage — what I would refer to as “soda”.

In Florida, if you order a “Coke,” they will either bring you a Coca-Cola or they will say, “Is Pepsi OK?” So in this case, “Coke” means a specific flavor of carbonated beverage.

Same word. Different meanings.

I’ve also had the experience in different parts of the country, where I will order a “soda” and the waiter says, “Do you mean pop?”

The same thing, a generic carbonated beverage is called Coke, soda, soft drink, or pop, depending on where you are. The word “Coke” can mean a specific flavor of carbonated beverage or it can mean any kind of soft drink depending on where you live.

What does this have to do with real estate exam prep?

I have written before about why you should not use any study material from a company that is not physically located in Florida. About thirty of the states have a state test and a national test. That material you are studying from those companies is material that is on the national test. We don’t have a national test, so you are studying material that is not going to be on the Florida real estate state exam.

Imagine you get this question…

Coke is a

specific flavor of carbonated beverage created by the Coca-Cola Company.
term encompassing all flavors of carbonated beverages.
drink that is more commonly referred to as pop or soda.
type of soft drink that is created by multiple companies.

The correct answer is A. But if you have been listening to Mr. Nationaltestprep, you might think it is B, C, or D, depending on where Mr. Nationaltestprep lives.

Some students insist on studying that material because they can find it easily, it’s free, or it’s in a format they like. They show up to class and they know what a trust deed is. That’s great, but we don’t have trust deeds in Florida. They know what a lease option is. That’s great, but that’s not on the Florida real estate exam. They know what fee simple defeasible, emblements, puffing, fructus naturales, fructus industriales, and express easements are. None of that is on the Florida state exam.

What’s worse than learning extra material is that sometimes they learn incorrect material. I listened to one of these national company’s YouTube channel for about ten minutes. In that short time frame, I heard several definitions that were absolutely incorrect in terms of how we use the terms in Florida. One particular exam prep program was giving incorrect definitions about Florida contracts. The contract section is 12 points on our test. You can’t afford to learn incorrect information about contracts!

If you study material that is primarily designed for the national test, you will likely fail the Florida real estate exam. That is like preparing for your Italian test by studying Spanish. Yes, Spanish and Italian are similar, but they are definitely different languages. The best way to pass a Spanish test is to study Spanish, not Italian. Likewise, the best way to pass the Florida real estate exam is to study material that is written for Florida.

What’s the litmus test for determining whether the material is good for Florida? Look up the author in the DBPR license portal. If the author does not have a real estate license in Florida, are they the best person to teach you how to get a real estate license in Florida? I’m not sure how someone can teach you to pass a test that they themselves have never even attempted.

Please note that I do not work for, nor have any affiliation with, Climer School of Real Estate. My family sold the school in 2014. There are no Climers who are affiliated with that school.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T10:28:32-04:00July 8th, 2020|

Florida State Exam Practice Question – Fiduciary Duties

One of my YouTube fans recently called to say that she had passed. She wanted clarification on this question:

Which statement best describes the fiduciary obligations of a sales associate who works for a broker?

The sales associate has fiduciary obligations only to her broker.
The sales associate has fiduciary obligations only to her own clients.
The sales associate has fiduciary obligations to all clients of the brokerage firm.
The sales associate has fiduciary obligations to the broker and all clients of the brokerage firm.

The best answer is D. The sales associate works for the broker, so the sales associate has a fiduciary responsibility to the broker. The clients belong to the broker, not the sales associate. The sales associate is merely a subagent of the broker. Therefore, the sales associate has a fiduciary obligation to all clients of the brokerage firm, not just the sales associate’s clients.

If you want some more questions that are similar to what is on the state exam (obviously, I don’t have a copy of the exam), feel free to join me in my state exam review class.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T10:30:19-04:00July 6th, 2020|

How Many Times Can You Take The Florida Real Estate Exam?

I often get asked how many times you can take the state exam. I usually respond by saying, “How much money have you got?”

You can take the Florida real estate exam as many times as you want to. Right now, it costs $57.75 each time you take it. So as long as you can afford it, and you are within your two year window, you can keep taking it. I knew someone who took the exam 22 times. This particular student went to a popular school in town and took the state exam 21 times. At that point, she gave up. She was working at a timeshare resort where she was the number one sales agent. She was making a small salary rather than the commission she would earn with a license. Eventually, she then started over with my prelicensing class, and passed the state exam the first time.

The class exam is different. You get two shots at the class exam, then you have to repeat the class. real estate st

Let me be clear that I am not saying you should take the exam multiple times. I’m just making it clear that the law does allow you took take is as many times as you can schedule it and pay for it within two years. Not only does that cost you in money, it costs you in confidence. Even if you have a lot of determination, when you fail an exam several times, it starts to affect you. It makes much more sense to me to go to the right school, put in the time to study, and pass the first time.

If you only want to take it once, feel free to join me for class. I can’t guarantee that you will pass the first time (Florida Statute doesn’t allow guarantees). But I can tell you what my students say on their end-of-class surveys…

“I failed the test twice after one prep school. Failed the test for the third time and called Karen [Climer] right after that fail. Attended her prep class. Definitely going to pass now.” – Grant Haddock, Demetree School of Real Estate review class student
“Karen [Climer] is knowledgeable and has fun and has quirky ways to teach a subject that can be daunting.” – Juliana (last name withheld upon request), Demetree School of Real Estate prelicensing student
“I loved my instructor [Karen Climer]. She was very hands-on. She left no student behind. If I needed additional help on any topic, she took time to make sure the topic was known before moving on the another. She even would double back to be sure you were okay.” – Pamela Caldwell, Demetree School of Real Estate prelicensing student
“I wish I had taken my pre-licensing course with Karen [Climer]. I learned more in her exam review than I learned in the online per-licensing course I took elsewhere (with a different company).” – Casey Shipman, Demetree School of Real Estate review class student

Please note that I do not work for nor have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate. My family sold the school in 2014. If you are looking for me, you will find me at Demetree School of Real Estate.

By Karen Climer|2023-02-15T09:14:38-05:00June 19th, 2020|