Posted by Rob FL on November 25, 2003 at 20:19:25:
This question gets beaten to death about once a week on this site.
Pros of being licensed: direct MLS access, lockbox key, commission savings, legal hotline, able to offer to buy or to list a property. The biggest plus in my opinion is the ability to quickly lookup properties and comps, show yourself a house, and get in an offer well before many other investors even know the property is available.
Cons: dues and fees, education requirements, disclosure issues.
In large metro areas at least, I would say that the pros far outweigh the cons. In fact in these areas, you are probably losing tons of deals if you aren’t licensed.