How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Kentucky

To earn and keep your Kentucky real estate license, you need to meet certain educational requirements set by the Kentucky Real Estate Commission (KREC). You need pre-license coursework before you take the official state exam, post-license coursework to keep your license, and you need continuing education (CE) to renew your license every year.

Unfortunately, we don't offer real estate courses for Kentucky at this time. You'll need to check the Kentucky Department of Professional Licensing's website for approved educational providers.

As a trusted real estate school, we want to help you navigate Kentucky's regulations even though we don't carry the courses for the state. For that reason, we'll go over the licensing process, required courses, and other important details below.

What Are Kentucky's Real Estate Pre-Licensing Education Requirements?

KREC requires 96 hours of pre-licensing coursework from an approved provider (or 6 credit-hours in real estate from an accredited college) to earn your sales associate license. You can't take any more than 9 hours of coursework within a 24-hour period, so the fastest you can get through the course is 11 days.

Pre-licensing final exams have to be proctored in Kentucky – monitored to prevent cheating. You're allowed to take the final up to three times.

Who is Eligible to Become a Real Estate Agent in Kentucky?

To apply for a sales associate license in Kentucky, you must be 18 years of age and possess either a high school diploma or a GED.

Your background check must indicate that you've never been charged or convicted with a felony and that you have no misdemeanor charges or convictions within the last 5 years.

What Else Do I Need to Do to Earn My Kentucky Real Estate License?

In addition to passing the required pre-license course, you need to:

• Complete a background check
• Pass both portions of the Kentucky Sales Associate exam
• Submit your application to the Kentucky Department of Professional Licensing
• Find a sponsoring broker
• Acquire Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance

What is the Kentucky Real Estate Licensing Exam Like?

The Kentucky sales associate exam is administered by a third-party testing service (PSI) in several locations throughout the state. You'll answer 80 national topic questions within a 2.5-hour time limit and 50 Kentucky -specific questions within 1.5 hours.

They'll give you pass/fail results before you leave. If you only pass one portion of the exam on your first try, you'll only need to retake that portion as long as you pass it within 4 months. After that deadline, you'll need to retake the entire exam.

What is the Deadline for my Kentucky Real Estate License Application?

You have 60 days after passing your state licensing exam to turn in your application. Your background check report is only good for 90 days, so plan accordingly.

You need a sponsoring broker and E&O insurance to be issued an active sales associate license. In order to meet deadlines, you can apply for an inactive license then activate later once you've committed to a broker and secured insurance.

What Are the Real Estate Post-Licensing Requirements in Kentucky?

All new sales associates need to complete 48 hours of post-license education (PLE) from an approved provider within 2 years of being issued an active sales associate license.

Kentucky PLE includes:

• 32 hours of mandatory content, including
  • 3 hours of Commission Compliance
  • 6 hours of Agency
  • 6 hours on Contracts
  • 3 hours on Finance
  • 3 hours on Advertising
  • 3 hours on Disclosure
  • 3 hours of Fair Housing
  • 3 hours of Technology & Data Security
  • 2 hours of Risk Management
• 16 hours of approved elective content, which may cover:
  • Real Estate Auctions
  • Anti-Trust
  • Appraisal & Home Inspection
  • Land Use
  • Property Rights
  • Property Management
  • Real Estate Investments
  • Business Planning

You have three chances to pass each final exam.

Like pre-licensing, you can't take more than 9 hours of post-licensing in a 24-hour period. That means post-licensing requirements can't be completed in less than 6 days.

If you miss your PLE deadline, your sales associate license will be canceled.

How Often Does a Kentucky Real Estate License Have to Be Renewed?

Kentucky real estate licenses need to be renewed by March 31st every 2 years.

What Are Kentucky's Continuing Education Requirements for Real Estate?

Actively licensed agents need 6 hours of approved continuing education per year, including 3 hours in an approved law course.

Courses that qualify for law credit include Kentucky license laws, agency, contracts, fair housing, environmental law, 1031 tax laws, ANSI Standards, antitrust, landlord-tenant law, planning and zoning issues, and misrepresentation. Ethics courses generally do not fulfill the requirement.

Your yearly CE is due by December 31st of each year. The first two calendar years of your initial license, when you're taking PLE, are exempt.

Additionally, every 4 years, all active licensees need to take a 6-hour Kentucky Core Course that covers federal, state, and common laws relating to real estate. Two versions fill the requirement:

• Kentucky Residential Core Course (for all licensees)
• Risk Management for Brokers, also known as the Broker Core Course (available only to broker associates and principle brokers)

Your Core Course will count as your required CE for the calendar year in which you complete it.

What Kind of Jobs Can I Get with a Kentucky Real Estate License?

With a Kentucky real estate license, you can pursue a number of careers, including:

• Residential real estate agent
• Commercial real estate agent
• Real estate broker
• Property manager

Within each career, a wide range of niches and specialties are possible. Some practice areas are more well-paid than others, and unsurprisingly, those often call for additional certifications or licenses.

To get an idea of your potential earnings in Kentucky, you can look at the median wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Job Title	Average Hourly Wage	Average Yearly Wage
Sales Agents	$18.40	$38,270
Brokers	$34.64	$72,050
Property Managers	$23.48	$48,830

A real estate agent's income is commission-based, for the most part, so it differs a lot from person to person. As a result, some real estate professionals make far below those averages, while others make much more. For example, the top 90th percentile of Kentucky sales agents make $99,310.

To learn more about your career options, potential niches, and how commissions work check out our Resources page for more info.