Most states require real estate sales professionals to be licensed by the state so they can control their education and experience requirements and have a central authority to solve consumer problems.
The terminology used to describe real estate professionals differs slightly from state to state. Brokers are often required to have more education and experience than real estate salespeople or agents.
Your normal contact person is a real estate agent or salesperson. The salesperson is licensed by the state, but must work for a broker. All listings are placed in the name of the agent, not the name of the salesperson.
A broker may deal directly with home buyers and sellers or may have a staff of salespeople or agents working for them.