Get Your California Real Estate License

While there are several steps to obtain a California real estate license, a mandatory requirement is that you must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen. Legally admitted aliens with working rights in the country can also apply for a CA real estate license. 

Complete the following five steps to obtain a real estate license in CA.

1. Complete the 135-hours of California real estate license courses that is approved by the California Department of Real Estate (CalDRE). The coursework consists of 3 courses of 45 hours each. 

2. Submit a combined application to the CalDRE that allows you to sit for the California real estate exam and serves as your real estate license application.

3. Schedule and pass the California real estate state salespersons exam.

4. Get fingerprinted for verification of whether there are any records of criminal activities or felonies against you. 

5. Find a sponsoring broker to work under

Once you complete these steps and submit proof of having done so to the California Department of Real Estate, you will be awarded a real estate license in CA.

The costs of obtaining a real estate license in CA can be divided into fixed and variable costs. The fixed costs are payable for applying for a license and various other related fees. The variable cost is what you pay for a CA real estate license course. 

Fixed costs: 

1. Exam fee payable to the California Department of Real Estate is $60
2. The cost of using your fingerprints to conduct a background check for verification of past California and Federal criminal history is $49. This fee must be paid directly to the provider of this service. 
3. The real estate license application fee to be paid to DRE is $245 

Hence the fixed cost for getting a California real estate license is $354.

Variable cost:

This is the expense for a California real estate course and varies between service providers. Take the case of courses offered by RealEstateU, among the best real estate online courses in California. The basic course comes at a very affordable price of $99. Our license course and study guide combined are available for only $178, while our full license course, study guide, and agent success course bundle is offered for $277

When you add the fixed costs to the cost of the course, you get a total cost of $453 for a real estate license in California.

While several schools offer in-person and/or online courses in California, RealEstateU is the best California real estate course. It offers high-quality courses at prices that will not break the bank.

The reason why RealEstateU study material is considered among the best real estate courses in California is that we do not source the coursework from third parties. Moreover, the courses are online and you can study them at your own pace and convenience. 

To top it all, RealEstateU courses are affordably priced while maintaining high standards of excellence.

There are three 45-hour courses that make up the overall CA real estate course. These are:   

1. 45-hour Real Estate Principles course

2. 45-hour Real Estate Practice course

3. 45-hour Legal Aspects of Real Estate course

Check out the RealEstateU California real estate license course online to study at your own pace and on the go.

The California Department of Real Estate allows aspiring real estate agents to go through the 135-hour CA real estate license course online. It is beneficial as you can study at your own pace and convenience, even while on the go.

The average earnings for a real estate agent in California is $109,751 annually. This varies with experience in this field. An agent with 1-2 years of experience earns around $98,784 while those having more than 10 years can earn up to $129,611. An agent’s income is typically based on a commission as a certain percentage of the sale price of a property.

The California Department of Real Estate is the controlling body for issuing licenses to real estate salespersons and brokers in the state.

There is no separate license for a Realtor. Any salesperson or broker who is a member of the National Association of Realtors is also called a Realtor.

Any person who carries out real estate transactions on behalf of someone else, and receives compensation in the process requires a real estate license in California to do so. However, the same person will not require a license if dealing with their own property. This is because the transaction is not being done for someone else.

A CA real estate license obtained in any city in California is valid for the entire state. For example, if you are a resident of Los Angeles and have received your real estate license here, you can still practice in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, or any other location within California.

First, you have to pass the final exams for each of the 3, 45-hour CA pre-licensing courses.  Afer that, you can sit for the state licensing exam, which consists of the following topics:

• Property Ownership and Land Use Controls and Regulations (15%)  
• Laws of Agency and Fiduciary Duties (17%)
• Property Valuation and Financial Analysis (14%)
• Financing (9%)
• Transfer of Property (8%)
• Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures (25%)
• Contracts (12%) 

A real estate salesperson is an individual who is starting a career in the industry. This is the first license that can be obtained in the real estate sales profession and is an “entry-level” designation. As a licensed California real estate salesperson, you must now work under a licensed California real estate broker. 

After you have acquired experience as a salesperson, you will qualify to get a real estate broker license. Once you obtain your California real estate broker’s license, you can then open a brokerage firm and have salespersons work under you in your company.

A convicted felon is eligible to get a real estate license in California. However, issuing a real estate license is at the discretion of CalDRE. The CalDRE will determine the honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness of the applicant after verifying the Fitness Determination Certificate before sanctioning a license.