The details of how you get a real estate license is different in every state but here’s a walk through list that can be catered to where you live:
For starters, to get a license you will need to fulfill a prerequisite number of hours of education. The state that you are specifically applying for this from has a commission that determines the number of required hours so this number will vary. In my state of WV it is 90, yours could be 60, etc? To fulfill these required hours of education you can’t just get a book and simply study for the upcoming testing date. You have to get your required hours of education from a source that also has been approved by the state that you are trying to get your real estate license for. Be sure to check your localities commission for providers they have approved. To pound on this point a little more; When looking for an online class or in class provider make sure they are approved in your state to offer the education you are looking to pay for. State law will always govern getting a real estate license in the United States and the Internet clearly is a worldwide market. That in mind, don’t just buy a class from some school in Florida if you want to test in West Virginia and you haven’t checked out where that education can be applied. Same rule applies in every state. Check out whom you are getting your pre real estate license education from carefully. As a general rule of thumb I’d stay local to where you are getting your real estate license simply for the fact the test you will eventually be taking is made and proctored by that states officials. Don’t necessarily think global when dealing with step 1.
After you have fulfilled your states regulated hours of pre license education from an approved school it is time for step #2! To submit an application to your states commission and request that you be issued a real estate license. The application is laid out like a job application and wants to know some basic info about you. In West Virginia you can get the applications here. If you are not in West Virginia simply Google your localities commission and they should have their application posted. After your commission approves your application they will send you a letter assigning you a seat for the state specific exam. This is what you have been prepping for during those grueling prerequisite hours of class! The state exam here consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. You need to get at least a 75% on this test to pass. After passing the test expect a letter in the mail that congratulates you and allows your future employing broker to hold your new, crisp, black and white, real estate license.
In a nutshell
#1 Find an approved class offering “pre sales license” turkey real estate investment education for your particular state.
#2 Pass that class! (the length of this class is determined by state law and varies)
#3 Fill out your states license application and get it back to them. (When in doubt, ask the school you are taking the class from)
#4 After the commission see’s you have fulfilled your pre real estate license class and completed their app they will send you a reservation for the state exam.
#5 Pass their exam!
#6 You now will hold a real estate license and will need to find a broker in your area to work under.
#7 Pat yourself on the back. This process can take at least a month and require a whole brain load of real estate facts you might never see again in real life practice.