Getting a license is quite easy. I went and got my license pretty much for the same reasons that you listed above. However armed with only a license you will need to hang your license with a broker in order to operate. If you want to earn MLS access you will also need to be prepared to pay the fees.
If your broker is a personal friend then perhaps he/she will let you hang your license for free. Otherwise they may charge you. There is also E/O insurance.
Again, I have very much glossed over the basics of basics. Going through the process of getting a license is easy and I would encourage more people to do it. To be honest like most everything else in life you learn much more in the field then in the classroom. I feel like I have learned alot more in the transactions then out of them.
Also for the homes you see that you like you can send in an offer and inform the listing agent you are not represented. Thus you can negotiate the deal down from the coop commission if you like. Just a few ideas. If you approach a listing agent with a license but with no broker, and little to no transactions under your belt that will by no means make any difference to the listing agent. At least it would not to me.
