A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Continuing Education
Getting into real estate is not as straightforward as many would expect. With required prelicense training and long periods of studying, real estate agents commit hundreds of hours to the craft before even taking the exam.
Once licensed, it’s then the realtor's responsibility to maintain their status as a real estate agent in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations. Real estate agents can accomplish this by knowing exactly when their license is due to expire, and enrolling in regulatory approved real estate continuing education (CE) courses specific to their state.
These courses are designed to refresh agents on the knowledge they’ve previously learned, as well as introduce them to new topics that are useful in the field. Follow along as we dive into everything new realtors need to know about real estate continuing education.
What is Real Estate Continuing Education?
To put it simply, states require that real estate agents update their professional skills and knowledge by completing real estate training every time they renew their license. While this mandatory training can seem daunting, today’s realtors benefit from the ability to take their training online. How agents approach their continuing education training makes all the difference. The realtors that see their continuing education training as an opportunity to learn and grow as a professional will be more likely to further their career. Vice versa, those real estate agents that approach their continuing education with dread and disdain will be less likely to take away valuable information inside packed inside the course material. Thanks to the recent growth in cloud-based computing and web-based services, today's realtors that enroll in real estate continuing education are no longer required to complete their training in physical classroom settings. Simply put, today’s real estate agents can easily take charge of the pace, setting, and time that they fulfill their real estate continuing education training. A benefit that past agents didn't have access to.
Who Needs Real Estate Continuing Education?
Real estate salespersons and brokers are required to renew their license after three to five years. As part of renewing their license these agents will need to enroll in real estate continuing education training that complied with their state’s specific regulations. While license expiration dates may vary, the process of maintaining a license and staying compliant is practically the same. The hours or credits required often vary from one state to the next, so it’s best to cross-check with your local real estate commission for the latest information regarding your state’s real estate continuing education training. With that said, most online training providers will typically have the most recent training requirements listen in the course description of each continuing education course.Why is Real Estate Continuing Education Important?
Real estate continuing education is invaluable for two major reasons. First, the continuing education training is required for agents looking to update and maintain their real estate license. Secondly, the training helps further train realtors in relevant, important topics that can help them reach greater success moving forward. There’s no denying that real estate is a competitive field, which is why staying in the loop is critical to the development of your career. An expired real estate license is the last thing agents want in your pocket at the peak of their career. This is why it’s crucial to take initiative and be proactive about getting training completed early in a timely fashion. Doing so will help real estate agents take action if any errors or issues arise when updating their license.An Overview of Real Estate Continuing Education
A typical real estate continuing education program can be anything between 12-18 hours, depending on your state’s specific requirements for salespersons. Brokers, on the other hand, may need additional hours and courses as part of their continuing education program. Some of the topics that real estate continuing education covers are:- Updated real estate state laws and regulations
- Home inspection or renovation
- Environmental concerns and hazards
- Fair housing
- Real estate financing
- Asset management
- Taxes
