I am considering going through Century 21 training program at $249 for books and class which would help me?

get trained so i can pass the illinois state real estate exam/license. i know the market is bad right now, but would now be a good time to get into this line of work, to learn the business, and be prepared for when the market turns around (gets better)? what additional costs will i have to incur or pay? how much to renew the license yearly? is this a good idea? what other advice do you have? i live in a suburban area southwest of chicago, illinois near Naperville/Oswego/Plainfield/Montgomery which has been expanding and growing like crazy but which also has been hit hard by the mortgage crunch/foreclosures. Many, many new homes, new schools, new shopping centers have been built and developed in these areas as well.

Hello! I am a C21 agent in NY. Is this the Create 21 course? If it is, I'm nit sure if it is what you are looking for in order to pass the test. In NY there is a separate program you must complete that covers more in depth legal situations. The Create 21 course is required by my broker and it is wonderful to help you get started in your business, but I would not recommend using it to prepare for your state exam. Hope this helps!
In Ny the classes are offered in the community colleges and in some tech schols. Just google your county and real estate courses and you should be able to find a class. FOr me it was $500 for the class, the test was $50, My Id card was $10, My MLS fees are $250 every 6 months, My errors and omissions insurance is .

The test for the license will cost you around 100, it is good for at least 2 years (some states are 4).

From that you need about 3k to join the real estate boards, the MLS, etc. I don't know if Centrury 21 is going to charge you for a desk, but I think they do at about 300 a month.

If you have someone else supporting you for the next 3 years or so starting now would not hurt you. Expect to pay more then you earn the first year and break even for another couple of years.