Most people use “agent,” “Realtor” and “broker” as if they mean the same thing. They don’t. One is a license level set by Mississippi law, one is a trademark that belongs to a trade association, and the person helping you buy or sell a home may be one, both or neither. Here is how the terms actually work, and why the difference matters when you are choosing who represents you.

The short version

In other words, “broker” describes what the state allows you to do. “Realtor” and “Realtist” describe which association you pay dues to.

What Mississippi law says

Licensing is where the real legal difference lives. Mississippi’s license law makes it unlawful for anyone “to engage in or carry on, directly or indirectly, or to advertise or to hold himself, itself or themselves out as engaging in or carrying on the business, or act in the capacity of, a real estate broker, or a real estate salesperson, within this state, without first obtaining a license as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson.” (Miss. Code § 73-35-1)

The two licenses have very different entry requirements:

Requirement Salesperson (agent) Broker
Minimum age 18 21
Pre-license education 60 hours 120 hours
Prior experience None 12 months as an active licensed salesperson
Exam passing scores (national / state) 70% / 75% 75% / 80%
Post-license course 30 hours within first year 30-hour broker post-license course within 12 months

Sources: Mississippi Real Estate License Law, § 73-35-7; MREC Licensing Rule 1.1; Mississippi REALTOR® Institute FAQ.

The statute spells out the experience rule directly: a broker applicant “shall have held a license as an active real estate salesperson for twelve (12) months prior to making application for the broker’s examination” and “shall have successfully completed a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) hours of courses in real estate.” (Miss. Code § 73-35-7)

The law is equally blunt about the test. “The examination for a broker’s license shall differ from the examination for a salesperson’s license, in that it shall be of a more exacting nature and require higher standards of knowledge of real estate.” (Mississippi Real Estate License Law)

What a broker actually does that an agent cannot

A salesperson’s license only works while it is held by a supervising broker. The broker is the one legally accountable for the office. NAR’s own research arm defines a broker of record as “a licensed real estate broker responsible for one or more licensed real estate agents involved in representing a buyer or seller in real estate transactions.” (NAR 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms)

Practically, that means a broker can:

Brokers are also a minority of the profession. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 103,500 real estate brokers in 2025 versus 427,000 sales agents, roughly one broker for every four agents. Median pay reflects the added responsibility: $73,220 a year for brokers compared with $52,830 for sales agents in May 2025. (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook)

So what is a “Realtor”?

A REALTOR® is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. As of June 2026, NAR membership stood at 1,438,569, down from 1,463,352 a year earlier. (NAR) Inside that membership, 62 percent hold sales agent licenses, 24 percent hold broker licenses and 16 percent hold broker associate licenses. (NAR 2026 Member Profile)

So most Realtors are agents, not brokers, and a broker does not have to be a Realtor. The title tells you about association membership and a code of ethics, not about the license level or legal authority of the person you hired.

And a REALTIST®?

A REALTIST® is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), the oldest minority real estate trade association in the United States. NAREB explains the distinction this way: “While a Realtor is a licensed real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors, a Realtist – also often spelled in all capital letters – is a licensed real estate agent who is a member of the NAREB.” The same article notes that a professional can be both. (NAREB)

NAREB “was formed in 1947 to secure equal housing opportunities regardless of race, creed, or color” (NAREB) and today counts more than 18,000 members across 72 chapters (Illinois REALTORS®). Its president, Lydia Pope, describes the mission plainly: “It means that our goal is to make sure that we, number one, narrow the racial gap in homeownership.” (NAREB)

That gap is still wide. NAREB’s 2025 State of Housing in Black America report puts Black homeownership at 44.2 percent versus 75.1 percent for white families. (HousingWire)

Why I hold the broker license, and why I call myself a REALTIST®

I started as a Mississippi salesperson in March 2020. Four years later I sat for the broker exam, and the Mississippi Real Estate Commission issued broker license B-24483 in April 2024. I did not need the broker license to sell homes; I already had 387 closed transactions behind me as a salesperson. I pursued it for three reasons.

Accountability. When a client signs with HomesRX, the person legally responsible for their file under state law is the same person sitting across the table from them. There is no supervising broker to “check with,” because I am the supervising broker.

Independence. A salesperson’s license is only valid while it hangs under someone else’s brokerage. Holding the broker license let me build HomesRX as an independent, locally owned firm instead of operating under a national brand’s rules, fee splits and marketing priorities.

Teaching. The broker license, together with my doctorate and approval as a Mississippi continuing-education provider, lets me train other licensed agents at no charge. The broker curriculum is “of a more exacting nature,” in the statute’s words, and that depth is what I try to pass on.

As for REALTIST®: it is a choice about mission, not about license. I am eligible to join NAR like any other licensee. I chose NAREB because its credo, “Democracy in Housing,” names the problem I see every week in Central Mississippi and on the Gulf Coast: families with steady income and good credit who were never told homeownership was within reach. In 2026 NAREB ranked me No. 1 in Mississippi and No. 9 nationally among its Top 100 REALTISTS®, and I founded and chair the Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS® so that the Coast has a local NAREB chapter of its own.

So when you see “Broker, REALTIST®” after my name, it means two separate things: the state has licensed me at its highest level, and I have chosen the association whose purpose is closing the homeownership gap.

Why this matters when you hire someone

Three practical takeaways:

  1. Ask what license they hold. You can verify any Mississippi licensee through the Mississippi Real Estate Commission. If the person is a salesperson, ask who their supervising broker is; that is the person legally responsible for your file.
  2. Experience is not the same as title. The typical NAR member now reports 13 years in the business (NAR), but a title such as Realtor or Realtist does not tell you how many transactions someone has closed or whether they have ever run an office.
  3. Working directly with a broker shortens the chain. When the person negotiating your contract is also the person accountable to the state for it, questions get answered faster and there is no one to “check with.”

Frequently asked questions

Is a broker better than an agent?

A broker has met higher education, experience and exam standards and carries legal responsibility for the office. That does not guarantee a better experience, but it does mean more accountability sits with the person in front of you.

Can a Realtor be a broker?

Yes. About 24 percent of NAR members hold broker licenses. (NAR 2026 Member Profile)

Can someone be both a Realtor and a Realtist?

Yes. NAREB states that “individuals can be both.” (NAREB)

How long does it take to become a broker in Mississippi?

At minimum, 12 months as an active salesperson plus 120 hours of coursework, then the broker exam and a 30-hour post-license course. (Mississippi REALTOR® Institute)

Continue the series

Dr. Zakk Varughese is the broker-owner of HomesRX in Brandon, Mississippi, a REALTIST® and Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS®. Questions about buying or selling in Central Mississippi or on the Gulf Coast: (601) 667-8414 or SoldByZakk.com.

Sources