How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Pennsylvania

To acquire and renew a Pennsylvania real estate license, you need to meet specific educational requirements set by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission. That includes pre-license education to learn the basics, post-license courses to set you up for success, and continuing education to keep you up to date.

Unfortunately, we don't offer Pennsylvania real estate courses at the moment. Check the Commission's website to find a school that is REC-approved.

But we know how convoluted state licensing regulations can be, so below, we'll summarize the coursework and additional steps that are necessary to earn and maintain a license in Pennsylvania.

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

The Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission requires 75 hours of pre-licensing coursework from an approved provider.

The 75 hours consist of two courses:

  • 30-hour Pennsylvania Real Estate License Fundamentals course, which covers:
    • Land, Real Estate, and Property
    • Public and Private Land Use Controls
    • Environmental Issues
    • Legal Descriptions
    • Interests in Real Estate
    • Forms of Ownership
    • Transfer of Title
    • Title Records
    • Principles of Contract Law
    • Principles of Financing
    • Real Estate License Law
  • 45-hour Pennsylvania Real Estate License Practice course, which covers:
    • The Real Estate Business
    • Professional Ethics
    • Rules and Regulations of the Real Estate Commission
    • Anti-Trust
    • Fair Housing Laws
    • Agency Law
    • Home Ownership
    • Listing Property
    • Selling Property
    • Legal Liability and Risk Reduction Issues
    • Agreement of Sale
    • Financing the Single Family Residence
    • Valuation/Appraisal
    • Closing the Residential Transaction

Pennsylvania requires the final exams of your pre-license courses to be proctored. In other words, they have to be monitored by a disinterested third party to make sure you don't cut corners.

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

You need to be at least 18 years old to be eligible for a Pennsylvania real estate salesperson license.

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

In addition to meeting the educational requirements, you need to:

  • Pass the state license exam
  • Find a sponsoring broker
  • Submit your license application

What is the Pennsylvania Real Estate Licensing Exam Like?

You need to take the exam within 5 years of completing your pre-license course.

Pennsylvania's real estate license exam is administered by a third-party testing company named PSI at a number of testing sites throughout the state. It consists of 80 national topic questions (with a 2-hour time limit) and 30 Pennsylvania-specific questions (with a 1-hour time limit).

Before you leave the testing center, you'll know whether you passed or failed.

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

Your exam scores are valid for 3 years. You need to turn in your application before those periods have passed.

If you pass the two portions of the exam on different days, the three years begins on the earlier pass date.

What Are the Real Estate Post-Licensing / First Renewal Requirements in Pennsylvania?

Salesperson licensees need to complete 14 hours of post-license education before your first renewal. That includes a 7-hour general module and a 7-hour practice-specific module (either residential or commercial).

Curriculum includes:

  • General module
    • Duties of licensees
    • Closing costs
    • Agreement of sale, addenda, and special clauses
    • Title reports
    • Zoning
    • Agency relationships and representation agreements
    • Environmental concerns
  • Residential module
    • Uniform construction code and zoning
    • Environmental issues
    • Types of construction
    • Land development
    • Home inspections and home warranties
    • Mortgage information
    • Fair housing
    • Agreements of sale
    • Case studies of real estate and disciplinary actions
  • Commercial module
    • Commonly used terms
    • Letters of intent
    • Agreement of sale
    • Environmental issues
    • Leases and clauses
    • Property management
    • 1031 exchanges
    • Tenant fit out
    • Floor measurements and load factors
    • Zoning issues
    • Local commercial real estate issues

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

You need to renew a Pennsylvania real estate license every 2 years. Your renewal paperwork is due by May 31st of every even-numbered year.

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

Pennsylvania requires you to complete 14 Continuing Education hours from an approved provider by May 31st of even-numbered years.

For your second and subsequent renewals, the requirements are:

  • 2 hours on advertising
  • 1.5 hours on property management
  • 10.5 hours of approved electives

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

Having a real estate license in Pennsylvania can lead to a variety of careers, including:

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

No matter what role you choose, you can pick from a large number of specialties and niches. You'll make more money in some niches than others – unsurprisingly, the more lucrative areas often call for additional certifications or licenses.

For an idea of your potential salary in Pennsylvania, we can look at average wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Job Title Average Hourly Wage Average Yearly Wage
Sales Agents $23.77 $49,430
Property Managers $29.78 $61,940

Your salary as a real estate agent is usually commission-based, so it varies a lot by individual. Some agents earn little, while the top earners (the 90th percentile of agents in the state) make $100,460.

Check out our Resources page to learn more about your career opportunities, potential real estate niches, and how commissions work.

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