With a growing number of seasoned professionals making a career change to become real estate agents and brokers, Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS® wanted to try something a little different when it launched its new agent boot camp for members in 2024.

These types of classes are usually geared toward young professionals. But CEO Kathy Hartman, RCE, says the association wanted to appeal to a variety of age groups. “We like to try different ideas or put a different spin on education and marketing to our membership,” Hartman says. “While we don’t have a ‘Young Professionals Group,’ we do have a ‘Modern Real Estate Professional’ for any newer member. We wanted everyone to feel included, and it works for us. MREP is one of our largest committees that does quarterly events/education.”

The Agent Boot Camp Training Series is free for anyone who has attended new member orientation within the past year. For everyone else, it’s $110 for the full series or $30 per class. Held in February and again in September, the series covers five essential topics: Business Planning, Fundamentals of Loans, Working with Buyers, Working with Sellers, and Disclosures and Contracts. Instructors are highly experienced association members who volunteer their services.

What’s attracted agents of all ages and experience levels, Hartman says, is the opportunity to build new skills or refresh existing ones, all in a single month. In 2024, about 25 members attended each session—“and we are optimistic that attendance will grow in 2025 as more members experience the value of this training,” Hartman says. “We believe that the better educated our members are, the greater their chances of achieving professional success.”