Dreaming About a Career in California Real Estate? Now is the Time to Get started
When it comes to choosing a high-paying, flexible career where you can achieve financial stability and professional autonomy, real estate is among the top choices.
One of the most amazing benefits of working in real estate is the fact that your income potential is not limited by a fixed salary.
As a real estate agent, the more deals you close, the more commissions you can make, and this means you can directly influence how much money you earn as a professional.
Another important benefit of joining the real estate industry is the lower barrier to entry, which means that you need not spend years getting a college degree or specialized education.
Compared to other professions where you can earn a six-figure income, working as a real estate professional is relatively easier and simpler to start with.
In the booming real estate landscape of California, real estate agents can easily make anywhere between $100K to $120K in a year.
Plus, real estate agents enjoy the professional flexibility to work from anywhere and have their own schedule, which allows them greater freedom compared to a conventional job.
You may have been thinking of working as a part-time real estate agent or transitioning into this career as a full-time professional.
Imagine achieving a financially stable lifestyle while working in a dynamic, exciting industry with numerous growth prospects - if this sounds like a dream come true, it can be a reality.
Are you already wondering how do I get my real estate license in CA and embark on a rewarding and fulfilling career journey?
To work as a real estate agent in California, all you need to do is complete a specific set of steps and fulfill various state and federal requirements.
If you are keen to pursue a career in real estate but are not sure where or how to start, this comprehensive article will answer all your questions and guide you in the right direction.
What does a real estate agent do
The housing market in California is benefiting from the strong economic outlook, growing job market, and the demand for real estate in Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Dublin, Fremont, Bakersfield, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, and San Jose is growing steadily.
California contributes to around 40 percent of the top 10 hottest real estate markets in the country, and if you are keen to build a flourishing career, now could be a great time to start.
However, before pursuing a career path and committing to it, it is important to gain clarity on what you will be doing in the job role.
California’s real estate industry continued to flourish and create exciting opportunities for salespersons, brokers, and realtors.
The career path of a real estate agent is filled with various duties and responsibilities, and you will be expected to perform a diverse range of tasks daily.
Although your job duties will vary depending on your employer, skill, and experience, below is a list of some of the common ones:
- Meeting with prospects and clients to discuss their requirements and needs while responding to inquiries.
- Gathering all the required information to help suggest the right solution to meet the client’s needs.
- Evaluate the goals, budget, scope, and aspirations of your clients to help them get the best value for their money.
- Educate clients about property types, ideal locations, real estate trends, consumer rights, state laws, and other legal disclosures.
- Assist clients in completing the required paperwork and finalizing contracts for closing a real estate deal.
- Guide clients in arranging property visits, site tours, and scouting for ideal properties in California.
- Working with brokers, home inspectors, property appraisers, and underwriters to facilitate the real estate deal.
- Preparing marketing and promotional material for generating leads on behalf of a broker or brokerage firm.
- Answering any queries or resolving any concerns of prospects and clients at any stage of a real estate transaction.
- Staying updated with industry trends, latest regulations and developments, and news in the California real estate market.
If you are an aspiring real estate agent, you must be prepared to juggle multiple tasks and duties at work.
Are you already thinking about how do I get a real estate license in CA and kickstart a profitable career? Keep on reading till the end to find out the step-by-step process.
Meet the pre-license eligibility requirements.
Before you start preparing for working in real estate, you need to complete the minimum qualifying requirements.
Like any other profession, real estate is also governed by a set of state and federal laws, as per which aspiring agents must:
- Be at least 18 years of age or older
- Be a legal resident of the state of California
- Have a high school diploma or GED equivalent
The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) also requires you to fulfill the minimum standards of honesty, integrity, and truthfulness and prove that you have a clean background and no history of any criminal activity, felony, or convictions.
Meeting the basic statutory requirements is mandatory to prove your eligibility for a CA real estate license.
Complete California salesperson pre-license education.
Next in the list of license requirements is fulfilling the education requirements by completing the California pre-license course from a state-approved and accredited education provider.
As per the DRE in California, you must complete 135 hours of pre-licensing course credits to become eligible to take the state real estate license exam.
The pre-licensing education curriculum is formulated to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of the principles of real estate, including the various state and federal laws and guidelines for real estate agents.
The 135 hours of pre-licensing coursework will cover important courses such as:
- Principles of Real Estate: This covers the basic principles of working in the real estate industry and its underlying components, processes, and policies. You will also learn about the state and federal laws governing real estate professionals.
- Real Estate Practices: This covers the fundamental knowledge of real estate concepts and terminologies such as property management, contracts, escrow, types of property, appraisal, and real estate finance, among others.
During your pre-license courses, you will learn about how the industry works, what its underlying frameworks and how you need to work with consumers.
Students are free to join an in-person, physical classroom-based real estate college or enroll in an online real estate pre-license course to complete their course credits.
Note that, as per the state of California real estate license requirements, you must learn from a state-approved or accredited education provider.
Generally, most students prefer enrolling in online courses to complete their education from any location at their convenience and enjoy a more flexible learning schedule.
Depending on your learning preferences, schedule, and work-life balance, you should make an informed decision on whether in-person or online classes will work better for you.
Pass the California real estate license test.
Now that you have completed the mandatory 135 hours of pre-licensing coursework, you will be eligible to apply for the California real estate license exam.
As per the state law, it is mandatory to take the test and pass it to qualify for a salesperson license in CA.
The California salesperson license exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions covering both state and national-specific portions. It will cost you around $60 to take the test.
This is why investing in a quality pre-license education course is important, as it will help you prepare for the test with confidence.
You can visit the California DRE website to schedule the test as per your preferred date and time and take the exam at a Pearson VUE center in one of the following locations:
- Oakland
- Fresno
- Sacramento
- San Diego
- Los Angeles
To pass the test, you must score at least 70 percent and if you are unable
to clear it in one attempt, you can reappear for the test after 24 hours.
However, it is important to learn that if you are unable to pass the exam in three attempts, you might have to complete your pre-license course credits again.
Many students often wonder about the difficulty of the real estate license test and whether it is possible to pass the exam on the first attempt or not.
While the exam is certainly challenging, your odds of success depend on how well prepared and confident you are.
To boost your preparation, it is recommended to practice using sample tests and mock questions, as they can help you become familiar with the exam format and questions.
With the help of a California real estate practice exam, you can significantly improve at managing your time and preparing for the commonly asked questions and topics.
Submit your Salesperson license application.
After completing the pre-licensing education and clearing the salesperson licensing exam, you will require just a couple of additional steps to earn your licensure.
To complete this step, you must be prepared to submit proof of your course of completion along with additional documents to clear the federal background verification check.
Firstly, you need to submit the proof of completion of your 135 hours of course credits, along with a certificate of passing the licensing exam.
Secondly, you are required to submit an electronic copy of your fingerprints to complete a background check.
The California law requires all applicants to complete mandatory background verification and criminal history checks to meet the standards of ethics and good moral conduct.
It will cost you around $49 to get an electronic scan of your fingerprints taken at any of the state-approved live scan providers.
After submitting the required documents, the DRE in California will take a few weeks to process your application.
Once your application and supporting documents are approved, you will receive your CA salesperson license.
Find Employer Sponsorship
Now that you have obtained your salesperson license, there is one last step you must complete to start working with clients in California.
The DRE requires newly licensed agents to work under the supervision of a sponsoring brokerage with an active state license.
It is a mandatory requirement to gain practical, real-world industry experience early on in your career by working under the guidance of senior professionals.
To activate your salesperson license, you must submit your employer sponsorship details to the department.
If you are committed to growing in your career and gaining experience, you must carefully choose and shortlist a supervising broker or brokerage firm.
To complete this step, you can easily look for local brokers and firms in your area, as California is home to thousands of licensed brokers.