Salesperson License Requirements
Applying for the Real Estate Salespersons license will require you to take three courses prior to applying for the state exam. There are two courses that are specifically required: Real Estate Principles, and Real Estate Practice. (The third course is an elective course that can be selected from the list below.
After completing the three courses, the applicant must pass a 150 question, multiple choice test, with a score of 70% or better.
The third course may be any of the other courses listed below.
- Real Estate Appraisal
- Real Estate Property Management
- Real Estate Finance
- Real Estate Economics
- Legal Aspects of Real Estate
- Mortgage Loan Brokerage & Lending
EXCEPTIONS: If Business, Law, Accounting or Economics was completed in college the student does not have to take the elective course.
Also, a person who is a member of the bar of any state or who is a graduate of a law school recognized by the California State Bar will not be required to meet these course requirements.
Broker's License Requirements
There are both education and experience requirements which must be met in order to become a licensed real estate broker.
A real estate broker must complete the following courses:
(1) Real Estate Practice
(2) Legal Aspects of Real Estate
(3) Real Estate Finance
(4) Real Estate Appraisal
(5) Either Real Estate Economics* or Accounting.
In addition, the applicant must take any three of the following courses:
- Real Estate Principles
- Business Law
- Property Management
- Escrows
- Mortgage Loan Brokerage and Lending*
- Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate
- Advanced Real Estate Finance
- Advanced Real Estate Appraisal
- Real Estate Office Administration
If a person took both Real Estate Economics and Accounting in college, then that person would only need two of the last group of courses. In any event, there are a total of eight courses the applicant must complete.
A person with a law degree would meet all of the course requirements except Appraisal and Finance. If the person has a law degree and is a member of the California State, all course requirements would be considered to be met.
In addition to the course requirements, there are experience requirements. Specifically, the applicant must have the equivalent of at least two years full-time licensed salesperson experience. Full-time is defined as 40 or more hours per week. If a person worked in a real estate licensed capacity for 20 hours per week, then four years experience would be required.
In lieu of meeting the experience requirements, college education may be substituted. A person with any four-year college degree would not need any work experience.
Once the education and experience requirements are met, the applicant must pass a 200 question, multiple-choice test with a score of 75% or better.
Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
A new real estate salesperson who renews his or her license for the first time must complete five three-hour courses, covering Trust Funds, Fair Housing, Agency, Ethics, and Risk Management.
All other licensees who renew their licenses must take these same five courses, plus an additional 33 hours of continuing education courses, for a total of 45 hours. At least 18 of these hours must come from the category of consumer protection.
Once the five required courses (Trust Funds, Fair Housing, Agency, Ethics, and Risk Management) have been taken, subsequent renewals will require either a four-hour summary course which discusses all four of these topics, or must take any two of the four required courses. (The other two courses would then be taken in the following renewal.) The licensee is required to take a total of 45 hours of continuing education courses with each renewal.
Appraisal Continuing Education Requirements
All Licensed or Certified Appraisers are required to take 56 hours of continuing education courses every 4 years which are approved by the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers (the OREA).
Included in the continuing education hours must be at least 4 hours on Federal and State Laws and Regulations and 7 hours on USPAP
Appraisal License and Certification Requirements
The Appraisal Licensing and Certification Standards for 2008 and beyond are:
License Requirements
License Level
Trainee (AT)
Residential License (AL)
Certified Residential (AR)
Certified General (AG)
Basic Education
150 hours total, of
which 15 hours of USPAP
150 hours total of
which 15 hours of USPAP
200 hours total
(including the 150 shown above)
300 hours total
(including the 200 shown above)
College Education
None
None
Associate Degree*
Bachelor's Degree*
Experience Requirement
None
2,000 hours accumulated
over at least 12 months
2,500 hours accumulated
over at least 30 months
3,000 hours which must
include 1,500 non-residential hours
accumulated over at least 30 months
* In lieu of the AA Degree, an applicant can complete 21 college semester credits in courses covering specific subject matters: English Composition; Principles of Economics (MIcro or Macro); Finance, Algebra, Geometry or higher mathematics; Statistics, Introduction to Computers; and Business Law or Real Estate Law.
**In lieu of the BA Degree, an applicant can complete 30 college semester credits in courses covering specific subject matters: English Composition; Micro Economics; Macro Economics; Finance, Algebra, Geometry or higher mathematics; Statistics, Introduction to Computers; Business or Real Estate Law; and two elective courses in accounting, geography, ag-economics, business management or real estate.
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