How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Florida

Considering a career in real estate within the State of Florida? Working in the Sunshine State certainly looks like every realtor’s dream. A strong economy, great commercial properties and beautiful residential areas make the state a hotbed in the housing market. But how do you get a real estate license and start legally practicing within the state?

Well, let’s take a look at the steps required to become a real estate agent within the State of Florida, some of the costs involved and how long the entire process will take. Keep on reading!

How To Get Your Real Estate License in the State of Florida

As we mentioned before, there are several key criteria you have to pass before you can become a real estate agent in the state of Florida. These criteria were put in place by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), the government agency in charge of licensing and regulating real estate agents within the state. In a nutshell, they include:

You must be at least 18 years old
You must have a high school diploma or its equivalent
Complete all 63 hours of Real Estate pre-licensing classes
Pass the final exams in your pre-licensing real estate courses
Submit to a criminal background check
Complete the Licensing Application
Schedule your Real Estate Sales Associate Examination
Pass the Florida Real Estate Sales Associate Examination
Find a broker to sponsor you

While all these may seem pretty simple, there are some important aspects that I would like to highlight to make the process as smooth as possible.

Meet the Minimum Age, Education, and Citizenship Requirements

The first part is quite straightforward and applies to most states in the country. Any individual interested in applying for a real estate license within the State of Florida must provide proof that they are at least 18 years of age and have a GED, high school diploma or its equivalent. The individual must also be a U.S. citizen with a valid Social Security Number or a lawfully documented resident within the country. You must also have not been convicted of certain felonies within a particular period.

Complete 63 Hours of Real Estate Pre-Licensing Courses

The next step is to complete 63 hours of FREC-approved real estate pre-licensing courses. This course covers the basic theories and practical concepts that you will need to know as a practicing real estate agent in Florida.

The topics covered in the course include:

Foundations of the real estate business
Real estate regulations and statutes
Agency relationships
How to remain compliant with state and federal laws
Real property laws
Financing options and mortgages

These classes can be a combination of physical classes and online resources and coursework or solely online classes depending on your preferences. These classes will be held by experienced real estate professionals at FREC-approved centers.

These courses may seem a bit confusing initially since you are learning an entirely new set of languages and concepts. However, with time and dedication, you’ll easily adapt and find yourself gaining a deeper understanding of the real estate industry.

Learn more about real estate classes here: Florida Real Estate School

Pass the Final Exams in Real Estate Courses

Once you have completed the courses you have to pass the final examination with at least a score of 70%. Once you have passed this you will be presented with a Certificate of Completion for that course. When applying for your license you must submit a copy of this certificate to be eligible. This course will be valid for 2 years after the course completion date.

Most people rush to finish the material and take the final exams. However, this is not the best way to approach the course. Take your time to ensure that you understand the course material fully and avoid overwhelming yourself with information. It takes some time for FREC to process your application, so overloading yourself with information will only make the process harder than it has to be.

If you fail the exam, you may sit for it again once within a year of the original examination. If you fail again, you will be required to retake the entire course before being eligible to retake the course final exam.

Complete the National Criminal Background Check

This involves providing the FREC with a completed Criminal Background History before applying for their real estate license. It takes about 5 days for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to process your fingerprint and draft your criminal history and the service generally costs around $50.

Therefore, make sure you submit your fingerprints at least 5 days before applying for your real estate license. Any application that is submitted without a complete background check work is considered incomplete.

You will be required to provide accurate demographic information at the time your fingerprints are taken. Also, make sure that you identify the profession for which you are seeking to be licensed. Your Originating Agency Identification (ORI) number to provide for real estate licenses is FL920010Z.

You will be required to bring 2 forms of identification to the electronic fingerprinting site on the day of scheduled fingerprinting. One of the two types of identification should clearly show your picture and signature such as a driver’s license, state identification card or passport.

Digital fingerprints can be taken at any authorized location across the US. Request an appointment online or you can contact Pearson VUE at 877-238-8232 for more information concerning the process.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) will retain the results of the prints for 12 months from the date your digital fingerprints were electronically received by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE retains the prints for 180 days only. If your prints have expired at the time your application is submitted to the department, you will be required to submit new prints again.

Apply for a Florida Real Estate License

After completing all your courses, passing your licensing exams, and being fully certified by the national background check, it’s finally time to apply for your license. You can submit your application online to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR). It may take about 10 days to be notified by email when your application has been approved. This service costs about $84. You will be informed of the required documentation.

Schedule Your Exam

Once you have passed your pre-licensing exams and have received your Certificate of Completion, your next task is scheduling your Florida Real Estate Licensure Exams. The exams are handled by Pearson VUE, a national testing company that has been contracted by the state to handle FREC licensing exams.

Once you process your application and pay the examination fee of $36.75, they will send you an Examination Authorization Form which entitles you to take the exam only one time. You can also obtain more information about the process by reading the Pearson VUE candidate handbook.

There are also dozens of study material and updated preparatory questions that candidates can easily download or purchase from various sources online. These study tools as well which include interactive quizzes and short video content covering key areas which usually appear in the exam.

Pass the Florida Real Estate Licensing Exam

The Florida state salesperson exam is divided into two sections of multiple-choice questions, a national section and a state section. The total number of questions is 100 questions which are to be answered in 210 minutes (3.5 hours). A passing score of 75 percent is required in both sections.

Your score will be displayed immediately after completion of the exams and an official score report with your score and any other diagnostic information will be provided to you. The exam report will also be reported to the Florida Real Estate Commission.

You must pass both portions of the exam before moving on to the next steps with your license. If you passed one section of the exam and failed the other you can retake only the section you failed. However, you must pass the section you failed within three months or you’ll have to rewrite both sections of the exam.

Find A Florida Brokerage To Sponsor You

The last step before licensing is to apply for sponsorship with a licensed broker. This involves completing a sponsorship request which may take several months. There are several important things to keep in mind when choosing a broker. They include factors such as:

Broker reputation
Mentorship culture
Commission splits
Commission caps
On-going monthly fees, and so on.

In Conclusion

Getting your real estate license in Florida is quite easy if you follow all the required steps. The entire process can take an average of 10 weeks and may cost you between $300-$1000 depending on the pre-licensing center chosen and other factors. However, with hard work and dedication, you’ll be a licensed Florida real estate agent in no time.