New Agents

A transparent step-by-step guide of what to expect when becoming a Real Estate Agent

I’ll try and stay away from getting sidetracked in order to make sure that this reading is a transparent, valuable interpretation of the real estate industry. I want this to serve as guidance for those interested in learning more about real estate but who find themselves only reading sales propaganda, cheap marketing brochures or maybe find themselves watching reality TV shows that skew the “real” interpretation of what the real estate industry really looks like.

Real estate is a beautiful thing. It’s the most important tangible asset just like love is our most precious emotion. But it's also dangerous, the longer you’re involved in real estate the more mistrusting you are…the more pain you tend to feel. The real estate industry is a commitment, you have to remain consistent.

“ What is the process for obtaining a real estate license and where do I begin ?”

That's typically the first question I always hear.

There’s 2 general routes, and I’ve compiled the entire list of the US states (international real estate info coming soon)

Non college route (skip to next section if you have real estate or financial undergraduate education)

A simple google search of “ real estate education” will take you into multiple websites that without a doubt give you the courses required per state.

Below are a couple of sites that I suggest you look into ( you also get a discount by using my code! )

https://share.theceshop.com/x/Wk21TK

In general you will need at least 60-135 hours of pre-licensing education.

The courses that are required are pretty straight forward - As they are usually sold by these companies as a “bundle”. This next part is important. When you’re purchasing these courses more than likely you will be offered packages with “ live video Q&A” or “ interactive workbook support” . Save your money. You realistically need the courses and then the simple practice test questions. But you don’t need any of the extra “ value adds”.

I get it. You might want to make sure you’re prepared for the test, and you do want to take your real estate education seriously.

However, here’s the reality. The real estate exam ( with all due respect to the real estate department ) does an incredibly poor job at teaching/ informing new agents what they should expect or how one should respond to real situations.

For this reason, trying to master the course material is not the most effective way to achieve a successful career in real estate. Instead, choosing a mentor who can guide you, train you, and promote best practices in the industry will be more valuable than simply learning the concepts taught in the courses. Having a mentor will help you gain practical experience and navigate the complexities of the real estate industry

Generally, the courses will consist of at least

Real Estate Practice

Real Estate Principles

Legal aspects of real estate estate

At the end of each course, you’ll have to take a test. After you pass this test you’ll get a certificate. You have to wait a certain amount of time before you can take the next course. (In CA its 18 days)

Once you have passed all courses - you will submit your courses through your local department of real estate and take a state exam that will give you

Finishing the courses and passing the tests isn’t the final step.

“ How hard are the real estate tests?”

Throughout the course - you have quizzes, these quizzes will be 100000% similar to the questions that you will be testing on so you’re studying as you go - so no need to worry about studying too hard - it’ll be a bit of an overkill!

Once you have completed the courses; you have to register and take the exam at the local department of real estate office.

This test will be really similar to the final quizzes that you took for the real estate education courses. How is this possible? While I don’t have first hand confirmation, one of the rumors in the real estate industry is that these companies hire people to go in to take the exam, memorize some questions, and then give them to the real estate exam prep companies so that they can then go back and sell us their “ guaranteed pass “ prep material.

Therefore, you should purchase the practice test questions because those questions will be directly on the test.

Important tip: When you are asked if you want to register to pay for the exam or if you also want to apply for an inactive license, I recommend you opt for the inactive license application as it will speed up the process of getting licensed.

College route:

Many states prioritize individuals with college degrees and more specifically real estate and mortgage education.

I have compiled the list of every state and its requirements

Alabama:https://arec.alabama.gov/

Alaska: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/

Arizona: https://azre.gov/licensees/original-licensing-information

Arkansas: https://arec.arkansas.gov/licensing/

California: https://www.dre.ca.gov/examinees/requirementssales.html

Colorado: https://dre.colorado.gov/

Connecticut: https://portal.ct.gov/

Delaware:https://dpr.delaware.gov/boards/realestate/ressalesperson/

Florida:https://www.myfloridalicense.com/

Georgia:https://grec.state.ga.us/obtaining-a-license/real-estate/#salesperson

Hawaii: https://cca.hawaii.gov/reb/real_ed/gen_info/

Idaho: https://irec.idaho.gov/education/ilr/

Illinois:https://idfpr.illinois.gov/profs/REALEST.asp

Indiana: https://www.in.gov/

Iowa:https://plb.iowa.gov/board/real-estate-sales-brokers

Kansas: https://krec.ks.gov/

Kentucky: https://krec.ky.gov/newstatic_info.aspx?static_id=201

Louisiana: https://lrec.gov/become-licensed/

Maine:https://www.maine.gov/

Maryland: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/mrec/mreclic.shtml

Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bpl/occ/prof/real-estate

Minnesota: https://mn.gov/commerce/licensees/real-estate/

Mississippi: http://www.mrec.ms.gov/

Missouri: https://pr.mo.gov/realestate-how-to.asp

Montana: https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/

Nebraska: https://nrec.nebraska.gov/licensing-forms/licenseinformation.html

Nevada: https://red.nv.gov/Content/Licensing/Main/

New Hampshire: https://www.oplc.nh.gov

New Jersey: https://www.state.nj.us/

New Mexico: https://www.rld.nm.gov

New York: https://dos.ny.gov/real-estate-salesperson

North Carolina: https://www.ncrec.gov/

North Dakota: https://www.realestatend.org/how-to-apply/

Ohio: https://com.ohio.gov/

Oklahoma: https://oklahoma.gov/orec.html

Oregon: https://www.oregon.gov/REA/Pages/index.aspx

Pennsylvania: https://www.dos.pa.gov/

Rhode Island https://dbr.ri.gov/commercial-licensing/real-estate

South Carolina: https://llr.sc.gov/re/

South Dakota: https://dlr.sd.gov/realestate/license_types_requirements.aspx

Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/

Texas: https://www.trec.texas.gov/become-licensed/sales-agent

Utah: https://realestate.utah.gov/real-estate/

Vermont: https://sos.vermont.gov/real-estate-brokers-salespersons/

Virginia: https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Real-Estate

Washington: https://www.dol.wa.gov/business/realestate/brokerslicense.html

West Virginia: https://rec.wv.gov/Education/Pages/default.aspx

Wisconsin: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/REBroker/Default.aspx

Wyoming: https://realestate.wyo.gov/

Having a college degree will allow you to skip the education courses requirement. Instead, you will only be asked to submit proof of your college education.

I passed the test…now what?

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