CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More people are getting in on the red-hot real estate market. Not just buyers and sellers, but realtors too. Canopy Real Estate Institute saw a 15% increase in the number of people looking to become realtors. 

Cheryl Rabinowitz is one of the newcomers. She graduated in February, but her journey into real estate started as a hobby years ago.

“I was very interested in the trends,” she said. “It just was never the right time for me to get my real estate license.”

She didn’t fully jump into the field until the pandemic hit.

“Once I put my name out on social media — I’m fairly connected in Charlotte, because I’ve been here for so long — I had people calling me saying, 'list my house' and 'I also want to buy a house,'” she said.

Those long hours paid off, but Rabinowitz noticed she wasn’t alone.

The National Association of Realtors saw an increase of 100,000 new realtors from 2020 to 2021, bringing its membership to a record high of 1.56 million. 

Rabinowitz put off her decision to become an agent 20 years ago to focus on her family.

“I wanted to be there for my kids,” she said.

The real estate market is attracting people from all backgrounds, and they’re seeing major success.

Charlotte’s average sales price jumped by 15% in 2020 and by another 11% this year, according to Canopy Real Estate Institute.

According to NAR, most new realtors don’t make a single sale in their first year. Rabinowitz already closed on five homes. 

“Out of the gate I was successful. And, I hope to continue that success,” she said.

There’s a steady increase of realtors across the state. North Carolina Realtors, the state’s realtor association, has seen 4,000 new members every year since 2019. It currently has 56,000 members.