How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Utah

Professional education plays a vital role in obtaining and renewing a real estate license set by the Utah Division of Real Estate (UT-DRE). You need to satisfy pre-license requirements to earn your license and complete a particular amount of professional training every year for renewal.

Below, you'll find guidance on how to earn and renew your Utah real estate license.

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

UT-DRE requires 120 hours of pre-licensing coursework from an approved provider.  Curriculum includes:

• Real Estate Ownership Concepts (12 hours)
• Brokerage and the Law of Agency (12 hours)
• Contracts (16 hours)
• Property Management (4 hours)
• Settlement (8 hours)
• Federal Taxation (2 hours)
• Real Estate Finance (16 hours)
• Valuation and Appraisal (6 hours)
• New Construction (2 hours)
• Math Skills (4 hours)
• Federal Laws (6 hours)
• Utah Laws (24 hours)
• Testing and Review (8 hours)

Unfortunately, AgentCampus by 360training doesn't offer Utah pre-license education at this time, only continuing education. You can find an education provider authorized for pre-license on UT-DRE's website.

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

To become licensed in Utah, you need to:

• Be at least 18
• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent
• Have no felony on their record within the last 5 years (from the time of conviction/plea to sentence completion)
• Have no misdemeanor involving fraud, misrepresentation, theft, or dishonesty within the last 3 years

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

Once your pre-license coursework is complete, you need to:

• Pass the Utah Real Estate Sales Agent Exam
• Submit your application, plus a:
  • Qualifying questionnaire
  • Consent to a background check
  • Certification of legal presence
  • Candidate education certifying document from your pre-license school
  • Non-refundable fee

What is the Utah Real Estate Licensing Exam Like?

Utah's real estate license exam is administered by Pearson Vue, a third-party vendor. You can take the exam in half a dozen locations in and near Utah (including Grand Junction and Las Vegas).

On exam day, you'll need to bring 2 forms of signature ID, one of which must be a government-issued photo ID. You'll have to answer a series of qualifying questions.

The exam itself has two parts: a national portion and a state-specific portion. You'll know how you did before you leave the testing center.

You need a score of 70% or higher on each part to pass the sales agent exam. If you only fail one part of the exam, that is the only portion you'll need to retake as long as you pass it within 6 months. After that, you'll have to retake the entire exam.

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

Your entire license application has to be submitted within one year of passing pre-license coursework and 90 days of passing the license exam.

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

Utah real estate licenses have to be renewed every 2 years, based on your original licensing date. You can find your next expiration printed on your license. Alternatively, you can find it in the UT-DRE's licensee database.

To renew your license, you'll need to:

• Meet your CE requirements (explained below).
• Complete RAP Back fingerprinting and consent to a background check. If you reside outside Utah, you'll need to mail two Blue FD-258 cards to the DRE, instead. The processing of cards takes longer than RAP, so you need to submit them as early as possible.
• Renew your license through Utah's Real Estate License Management System (RELMS), including fee payment.

You'll be able to start the renewal process as early as 45 days before your expiration.

It's important to renew on time because Utah has no working grace period. Once your license expires, you won't be able to work until it's active again. Also, the fees and amount of continuing education will increase the longer your license stays expired.

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

Utah requires salespersons and brokers to complete 18 hours of Continuing Education with an approved provider like AgentCampus by 360training.

If you're a new agent, undergoing your first renewal, your CE has to include:

• A 12-hour New Agent Course, which counts towards your "core" requirements
• The new 3-hour Mandatory Course, in either Residential, Commercial, or Property Management
• 3 additional hours of any topic you choose

After that, your CE requirements are:

• At least 9 hours of Core Topic courses
  • The new 3-hour Mandatory Course (Residential, Commercial, or Property Management)
  • At least 6 hours of other Core Topics
• The remaining hours in approved elective courses

Continuing Education hours are due by the 15th day of your renewal month, to make sure your credits reach UT-DRE in time.

Core, Mandatory, Elective…How Do I Know Which Is Which?

Approved providers should be labeling courses appropriately on their websites, but you can find out for sure on the UT-DRE's Education Search.

More broadly, "core" courses are on topics the UT-DRE have deemed more essential, like:

• State-approved forms and contracts
• Other industry forms or contracts
• Ethics
• Agency
• Short sales or sales of bank-owned property
• Environmental hazards
• Property management
• Prevention of real estate and mortgage fraud
• Federal and state real estate laws
• Fair housing
• Division Administrative Rules
• Broker trust accounts
• Water law, rights, and transfer

"Mandatory" hours are a subset of core hours. It's intended to help address common areas of concern. These courses come in 3 types: Residential, Commercial, or Property Management.

"Elective" topics can come from a much longer list of approved topics, including marketing, customer relations skills, sales promotion, technology, and more.

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

Once you're licensed as a real estate agent in Utah, you can pursue a number of careers, including:

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

Moreover, there are many real estate niches and specialties you can choose from, based on your role, the kind of real estate you sell, and the type of client you cater to. Some niches are more profitable than others – those often call for extra licenses or certifications.

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

With commission-based vocations like real estate, your income will depend directly on how well you sell. There are part-time professionals with modest earnings, as well as those who make big bucks. In Utah, the top 90th percentile of sales agents make $159,090.

You can learn more about career options, potential real estate niches, and how commissions work by checking out our Resources page.