Have you decided to choose real estate as your career? Opting a career pathway is definitely a major move in your career journey. So, to prior to making any final decision about your career in real estate, you must be aware that this is not an easy job. You would have of invest a lot of time doing paperwork, managing office, developing contacts and dealing with customers
After having made a big decision in your life, you must be wondering where to start from or how to infiltrate the real estate industry.
Initiating you real estate career would require you to obtain a real estate license. Now you must be thinking about how to get your real estate license. Following is a guide that would help you to acquire your license.
Eligibility criteria for obtaining the real estate license
- You must be 18 years or older.
- You must have U.S citizenship.
- You must complete your pre-license education based on your state’s requirement.
- You must pass the state examination for real estate license.
Pre-license education
First you would need to understand the pre-licensing requirements of your state since these requirements are different for each state. You can read these requirements from the official real estate website of your state.
Now that you know your state’s licensing requirements, you need to choose a licensing programme which is in accordance with them and enroll in them. Such courses are offered by realty universities and technical schools. You can also get this education online.
This pre licensing course includes housing laws, fiduciary responsibilities, contracts, deeds, types of property ownership and many more. You would need to complete the course and it is better to take some practice tests before appearing in the state exam.
State real estate exam
In order to sit in the state real estate exam, an application to take the test is submitted to the state. The process might take a few weeks to process as this requires a background check. You can register for the exam and schedule the exam date once the process is completed.
After the exam you will be notified about the results and you will get the license after passing the exam.
If unfortunately you fail the exam, you can retake it. This exam can be taken upto three times in a year.
Sponsors and brokers
In a few states, before applying for the license, it is mandatory to find sponsors to work with. Finding sponsors is not a tricky job as you would get paid on commission. You would need to interview a couple of sponsors to find out which suits you the best.
After getting your real estate license you would be all set to get your real estate office operational.
