[spex x]

CCIM = Certified Commerical Investment Member

Its a designation that and RE agent can get by taking several commercial RE courses. CCIM courses are excellent and will improve your RE investment skill regardless of whether you're an agent or not.

The agent's license is generally not worth much in terms of actual knowledge. As a group, RE agents are wholly incompetent. The classes are basically learning definitions and how to CYA (for the agent) in a deal. I don't know about closing costs. Maybe you could charge the seller a 3% commission and get a little check at closing? Not really sure.

In most states that I'm aware of, you can't list a home FSBO if you're an agent - and you wouldn't anyway. I mean, you CAN represent yourself in the sale, but you'd be part of an agency, which means that its your broker's ass if anything goes wrong. If you want to list a house FSBO, just get a book about FSBO, and you should be fine. Buying and selling houses isn't too hard, and you can easily do everything yourself.

I suspect that being an agent would only really benefit you if you want to sell real estate. Otherwise, its not really necessary, IMO. I invariably know a lot more about RE than any agent I've worked with, with the exception of some CCIM realtors that are also investors.