7 Steps to Getting Your Real Estate License

{original post 2/12/2022}

Thinking about hopping in the hottest real estate market as a professional agent? You are not alone. Several people are becoming real estate agents because of the flexible lifestyle, glamour of HGTV, and the ability to earn a high income. Being in real estate isn’t easy. The TV shows make it look simple, but they don’t show the amount of hard work, heartache, stress, and hassle that a real estate agent goes through day to day. So before you commit to the process, try shadowing a real estate agent to make sure you know what they do day to day. Once you’ve committed to becoming a real estate agent, then here are the 7 steps you need to take.

1. Education. There are 3 courses required that you need to take, pass, and get certificates for before you can get your real estate license. Those three courses are Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and Real Estate Legal Aspect. You can sign up and take the courses online. When you do, you can order the textbooks or do e-books. It all comes down to preference. There are a number of great courses available online, make sure to shop around and find one that works for you!
2. Study the materials. The fastest you can complete the courses is in 54 days. They make you wait 18 days in between each course in order to make sure you digest the content. You have 1 year from signing up to complete the course. Take the practice quizzes and exams online.
3. Pass your course exams. The online exams are open book and you have a total of 2.5 hours to complete them. There are about 100 questions each. You need to get a 60% on each course exam to pass them. Once you pass the exam you can print out your course certificates.
4. Pass the fingerprint scan and background check. You will need to fill out and sign 3 copies of the RE 237. Hand all 3 copies of the RE 237 completed forms to the fingerprint technician. There is a $20-40 rolling fee for fingerprinting and a $49 processing fee.
5. Apply for the state license and exam at the same time to cut back on the processing time. This includes filling out and signing the RE 435 Salesperson/License Exam Application, paying $305 to the Department of Real Estate
6. Prepare for the State Exam. Do a crash course, take practice quizzes and tests, watch PrepAgent on Youtube. Study hard! There are 150 questions and you must answer at least 70% correctly in order to pass.
7. Take the State Exam. Once you take the exam you will receive your results immediately upon completion. After you are officially licensed, you will need to hang your license at a real estate office so you can start conducting sales! 

If you are looking for a credible company to go through for your real estate license courses check out FirstTuesday.com. My whole family has used them to get their real estate licenses and broker licenses. They have great classes and they are fairly priced. We even got a coupon code that will save you 15% on the course fees, which is awesome! Go to www.calpaces.com and enter the discount code: 6129. Hope this helps!