How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Florida
Do you want to become a Florida real estate agent? Real estate is a fascinating career where you're out meeting people, touring houses, analyzing markets, and staging homes. It can be rewarding to guide people through the biggest financial investment of their lives. You can even help dreams come true.
In Florida, there are both sales associate licenses and broker licenses. Sales associates work for an affiliated broker, often as an independent contractor, who trains them, supervises their activities, and pays them commissions from completed sales. Two years of experience as a sales associate is one of the requirements for becoming a broker.
So, how do you become a real estate agent? The simple answer is taking a pre-license course, passing a test, and finding a broker to work under. The long answer is a little more complicated.
General Real Estate License Florida Requirements
Licensing requirements are developed at the state level by a state regulatory agency, such as a board of realty regulation, real estate commission, or department of licensing. License law enacted by state legislatures is designed to protect the public from unqualified, unethical real estate professionals.
If you want to buy and sell a property for compensation, you must have an active Florida real estate license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The general requirements for obtaining a Florida real estate license include:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- High school diploma or equivalent
- United States Social Security number
- Complete 63 hours of approved pre-licensing instruction within the last two years
- Pass the Florida sales associate exam
- Pay the $89 fee and get fingerprinted
- Submit the application
Real Estate License Florida Exam Requirements
Within 24 months of application, you must successfully complete 63 hours of pre-licensing instruction from an approved school or provider. The course must cover topics required by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC). There are classroom courses available throughout the state and there are numerous online courses as well.
Then, before the expiration of the initial sales associate Florida real estate license, you'll have to complete a FREC-approved, 45-hour post-licensing course.
Steps for Getting A Florida Real Estate License
To get a Florida real estate license, you will have to:
- Learn: Complete an approved 63-hour prelicensing course online or in person. This course will be valid for two years after the course completion date.
- Apply: Submit a completed application, electronic fingerprints, and the $89 fee.
- Pass the licensing exam: You must score at least 75 or pass the Florida Real Estate Law Exam with a grade of at least 30. Pearson Vue conducts the exam.
- Activate: You must activate your license. Otherwise, the permit is issued inactive.
- Learn some more: Before it's time to renew your Florida real estate license for the first time, you'll need to complete an approved 45-hour post-licensing course.
After that, you have to complete 14 hours of continuing education to renew your license. You can complete the education necessary to become a Florida real estate agent from the comfort of your home or any place with internet. 360training.com, a leading online real estate school since 1999, offers a FREC-approved online prelicensing course that meets the state requirements. The Florida Premium Prelicense Package includes:
- 63-hour Florida Prelicense Sales Associate course
- Florida real estate exam prep
- Unlimited practice exams
After completing the pre-license course, you can return to your student profile page where your Certificate of Completion is available for printing.
What Else Should You Know About Becoming a Florida Real Estate Agent?
Real Estate Market According to Salary.com, the salary range for real estate sales associates in Florida is $38,793 and $50,510, but this varies quite a bit according to location and an agent's motivation and hustle.
A sales associate's pay comes from a portion of commissions based on the sales price of completed transactions. You may also learn more about the cost of getting a real estate license in Florida here.
Florida Real Estate Commission
The Florida Real Estate Commission enforces the real estate license law and passes rules to fulfill its responsibilities. In June 2015, the FREC introduced paperless licensing. After passing the licensing exam, you can print your license from your online DBPR account at www.myfloridalicense.com.
National Association of Realtors
The largest professional association in the real estate industry is the National Association of REALTORS®, which was first organized in 1908. To be a full member of this association, a person must be licensed in an individual state to sell real estate and must join the local association of the NAR. A REALTOR® is a re al estate professional who subscribes to a strict code of ethics known as the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
So there it is. A quick breakdown of what you need to do to get a sales associate license in Florida. If you have any questions, visit the Florida DBPR web site. States periodically update their requirements, so it's smart to see the Department web site once in a while to stay up to date.
Get Started Now!
Did you know that 360training offers one of the most popular Florida Pre-License Online Training Programs? Time to get started today. Are you from another state? Check out our other Real Estate Pre-Licensing Courses.
