What courses are needed to become a real estate assistant?

Florida does not license a role called real estate assistant; the entry-level license is the sales associate. To become a sales associate, applicants must complete a 63-hour pre-licensing course based on the Florida Real Estate Commission Course I syllabus, covering real estate laws, principles and practices, and real estate mathematics. The course includes an end-of-course exam that must be passed with a score of at least 70%. Florida Bar members are exempt from the pre-licensing course requirement but must still pass the state licensing exam with a score of at least 75 out of 100 points.

Sources: FL DBPR — RE Education Requirements; Florida Administrative Code R. 61J2-3.008 (via Cornell LII) and DBPR Candidate Information Booklet.

Illinois does not offer a real estate assistant license. The state licenses three real estate professions: broker, managing broker, and residential leasing agent. A residential leasing agent must complete a 15-hour pre-license course and pass a $37 examination. Under Section 5-5(d) of the Real Estate License Act, a person may perform residential leasing activities for up to 120 consecutive days without a license if supervised by a sponsoring broker and enrolled in a pre-license course within 60 days. Those seeking to conduct full real estate brokerage must complete the 75-hour broker pre-license curriculum.

Sources: IDFPR – Real Estate Broker 75-Hour Pre-License Curriculum (Official Document); PSI — IL Candidate Bulletin; IDFPR Fingerprint Background Check Guide.

The entry-level real estate license in South Carolina is called an "associate" license. To obtain it, applicants must complete two Commission-approved pre-licensing courses: Unit I (60 hours, Principles and Practices) and Unit II (30 hours, Advanced Real Estate Principles), totaling 90 hours. An applicant with a juris doctor degree, bachelor of law degree, or a baccalaureate or master's degree with a major in real estate from an accredited college or university is exempt from this pre-licensing education requirement.

Sources: SC LLR — Real Estate FAQ.

Texas does not license a separate real estate assistant role; anyone who performs real estate brokerage services must hold a sales agent license from the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). To qualify, an applicant must complete 180 classroom hours across six 30-hour courses: Principles of Real Estate I, Principles of Real Estate II, Law of Agency, Law of Contracts, Promulgated Contract Forms, and Real Estate Finance. These courses must be taken through a TREC-approved qualifying education provider, which offers them in classroom, online, or correspondence format.

Sources: TREC — Become a Sales Agent.