Acquiring your real estate license is a key component of becoming a successful real estate agent, taking both time and resources to meet all state-specific requirements.
Investigate alleged violations of jurisdiction licensing laws when complaints from members of the public or on its own initiative have been received.
Pre-License Education
As part of your preparation to obtain your real estate license, the initial step should involve completing pre-license education. Requirements vary by state, so check with the real estate council in your area to understand exactly what must be done in order to take state exams and become licensed salesperson. This may involve attending specific course hours, passing both state and school exams as well as proof of sponsorship from a broker as well as background checks and fingerprinting checks among others.
Education courses may be taken online or at classroom locations around the state. Some schools also provide add-ons like study guides, instructor office hours and exam prep classes specifically designed to help students pass the state exam successfully. Although not required, such resources can increase your odds of success by acting as a useful refresher course and connecting what was learned during pre-licensing education with what will be covered on the state exam itself.
Once you’ve completed all the real estate education course hours required for licensure as a salesperson in your state, the state exam awaits. Most states offer both a national portion and state-specific section that must be passed in order to become licensed salespeople. Topics that appear on state exams relate directly to real estate industry topics like agency and business principles, real property ownership, land descriptions, mortgage financing procedures, escrow procedures and the law of contracts among others.
Once you have passed the state exam, the next step should be locating and signing a sponsorship agreement with a broker. This legal document serves to confirm your affiliation with a particular license holder’s broker license, which allows them to manage and account for your activities and income. Each broker offers different levels of support and structure suited specifically for new agents; make sure to choose one with which you feel most at home when beginning.
Last but not least, you must submit your background check and fingerprints for processing as part of your license application process. Most often this can be completed online so that you can track your progress real time.
School Exam
Real estate licensing processes vary between states, but typically involve taking pre-licensing courses and passing an exam. Your choice of school is an integral component of this process – selecting a school with state-specific curriculums can greatly increase your chances of success – one such program is Colibri Real Estate which offers affordable yet comprehensive course materials and exam prep to those looking to achieve licensing or expand their careers.
This 75-hour program can be completed either at an accredited school or online, depending on your preferred method. It covers basic real estate practices such as offers and negotiations, property identification and description, financing appraisal and role of real estate agent as an industry participant and contract law.
After you complete the course, eAccessNY allows you to easily schedule and take state exams. Simply follow the link in “Apply to Take an Exam” section of their main menu website and register to take one or more exams. After this has taken place, your results can be seen online as either pass or fail and submitted with application fee as part of licensing process.
As part of your process, it is also necessary to select a broker to serve as your sponsor and mentor as you begin your career. When making this important choice, be sure to select one with an excellent track record who can offer necessary guidance and assistance during this important milestone in your life.
Note that you must renew your license every two years to avoid running into issues down the road. To stay safe and avoid potential troublesome scenarios, remember to renew it as scheduled by logging into your account and following instructions; doing this will ensure you won’t need to retake exams and apply again for your license in future years.
State Exam
Once you’ve completed your pre-licensing education, the next step in becoming licensed real estate professional is passing your state real estate exam. Exam timing and criteria vary by state; most have a national portion with 80-100 multiple choice questions and state section with 60-80 questions covering real estate licensing laws. Your state licensing authority or licensed real estate school should provide a breakdown of this material along with practice tests so you can prepare properly for it.
Most states provide real estate agents who move between states partial or full reciprocity for licensing in each new state. Each state’s regulatory agency should be contacted for more information. Furthermore, agents may need to complete additional coursework as well as take and pass an exam to become licensed in their new home state.
No matter whether or not you take the national or state portion of a real estate exam, both versions will contain multiple-choice items as well as true/false and essay questions. Each section also features five or more pretest questions which look identical to scored items but do not count toward your score. The Texas Broker Real Estate Exam’s state law section features 50 scored items comprising narrative cases as well as contract cases.
Pearson VUE provides this exam, which typically costs $45. When registering, you’ll need to provide your name, address, social security number and credit card number in order to charge the registration fee. Once registered for your state exam, you can select a testing date and location with photo identification required at both locations.
Before sitting for your exam, it’s advisable to use a practice test or your state’s content guide as a study aid and use this practice test as an indicator of how long you can remain focused over such an extended period. Furthermore, practicing will show how to break down its contents into manageable chunks for examination day.
Continuing Education
As a licensed real estate professional, it’s crucial that you stay abreast of your continuing education (CE) requirements. CE helps keep up with industry regulations and trends as well as sharpen your skillset and discover new ones.
CE requirements vary by state, but most real estate agents must complete a certain number of hours annually to maintain their license. Most real estate CE courses can be taken online and include convenient features like quizzes at the end of each course and certificates that you can download or print for your records.
Your real estate continuing education courses depend on when and why your license was granted as well as whether or not you’re a salesperson, broker, or associate broker. For instance, Florida licensees must complete 14 hours of mandatory courses as well as three elective ones every renewal cycle.
New York licensees must complete 22.5 hours of coursework by their license expiration date, covering topics like ethical business practices, fair housing practices and law and court cases related to real estate. You must also take two-hour NAR Code of Ethics courses during every two-year licensing period; finally you must provide a signed course affidavit at the conclusion of each coursework session to prove that no one assisted you while taking this coursework.
Find out the requirements of continuing education (CE) for your state on the Real Estate Commission’s website. For instance, in California the Department of Real Estate requires at least 45 hours of coursework during each renewal cycle, including at least 35 hours on Consumer Protection issues and five mandatory subjects – however the exact details depend on your license level and renewal status. As an approved provider 360training offers various online CE packages and courses designed to meet state CE requirements.