Canadian REALTORS are either registered as "Sales Representatives" or "Brokers". A broker is someone who has taken extra courses that allows him to open his own brokerage and work on his own. A sales representative must be registered under a broker in order to trade in real estate. The term "Real Estate" agent refers to the broker not a sales representative because the broker is the actual agent due to his education level, but it has become a common phrase these days and people use it to describe all real estate professionals.