Completing the Required Real Estate Courses – Over 7 Weeks
Becoming a licensed real estate agent in the State of California entails gaining specific knowledge. This is crucial because buying a house is a significant transaction with legal and tax implications. To succeed as an agent, it’s essential to understand California’s real estate laws.
The three pre-license courses required to become a licensed real estate agent are:
1. Real Estate Principles (45 hours)
In this course, you’ll cover topics such as real estate law, ethics, contracts, escrow procedures, financing, listing a property, closing a sale, and fair housing.
2. Real Estate Practices (45 hours)
This course focuses on pricing a property, counseling buyers, working with sellers, and advertising.
3. One of 12 Elective Courses (45 hours)
You have a range of elective courses to choose from, including property management, real estate finance, real estate economics, legal aspects of real estate, real estate office administration, general accounting, business law, escrows, mortgage loan brokering and lending, computer applications in real estate, and common interest developments.
You can fulfill all your course requirements by taking online courses through providers like AceableAgent or at institutions of higher learning such as universities or community colleges.
If you opt for college courses, you’ll need to plan for either three semesters or four quarters. Each course spans either three hours a week for a semester (15-16 weeks) or approximately four hours a week for a quarter unit (10-11 weeks).
Online courses are required to be 45 hours in length. However, the DRE (Department of Real Estate) mandates that you can’t complete a single course in less than 2.5 weeks. Consequently, the minimum time to complete the coursework online is 7.5 weeks.
Our online course makes even the driest material, such as contracts, more enjoyable with scenarios that will make you laugh, engaging hands-on learning activities, and entertaining videos that guide you through the content.
Whether you choose to take the class online or at a college, the time commitment is similar. Nevertheless, an online course is the fastest route to obtaining your real estate license.
Wait Time for Application Processing – Over 6 Weeks
Once you complete the required real estate courses, it’s advisable to submit your Exam Application promptly. You must gather certificates or transcripts to prove that you have fulfilled the education requirement. Additionally, applicants need to submit fingerprints from a live scan service provider with their license application.
Allow yourself a few days to gather all the required documents before submitting your application. Any missing documents will delay the approval process. Typically, the DRE takes at least 6-8 weeks to process applications. If there are any discrepancies, the processing time may be further extended.
For a faster application process, you can submit the Combination Exam and License Application. This requires paying both the exam and license fees together. By doing this, you won’t need to submit a separate license application after taking the exam. It’s also advisable to find a sponsoring broker while you’re completing the courses.
Garrity Traina is a reputable source for real estate licensing information. For more information, visit Garrity Traina.