Get your New Jersey Real Estate license for Just $149 — 100% online at your own pace

To obtain a New Jersey real estate salesperson license, an applicant must be at least 18 years old, have a high school education or equivalency, complete a 75-hour pre-licensing course at a state-approved school, pass the state licensing exam, and apply for a license through a sponsoring broker. The New Jersey Real Estate Commission must also be satisfied as to the applicant's honesty, trustworthiness, character, and integrity. Applicants with criminal convictions or who are currently on parole or probation may be denied a license.

The New Jersey Real Estate Commission does not publish an official end-to-end licensing timeline. The process involves completing a 75-hour prelicensure course, passing the state licensing exam administered by PSI, completing a fingerprint-based background check, and securing a sponsoring broker to submit the license application. Most applicants complete the process within a few months, though the timeline varies based on course pace, exam availability, fingerprinting scheduling, and the time needed to find a sponsoring broker.

The initial salesperson license fee is $160, and the fingerprint-based background check costs $66.05. Pre-licensing course tuition varies by provider and format, and the state licensing exam requires a separate fee paid to PSI at the time of scheduling. Applicants may also need to budget for exam retakes if they do not pass on the first attempt.

Can convicted felons get real estate license in New Jersey?

All salespersons are required by law to possess good character, trustworthiness, honesty, and integrity. N.J.S.A. 45:15-12.1 specifically prohibits licensure to anyone that has been convicted of forgery, burglary, robbery, any theft offense other than shoplifting, criminal conspiracy to defraud or other like offenses within the 5 (five) years preceding the application for licensure. These may also constitute grounds for denial if the conviction is older than five years if it relates to professional license revocation or shoplifting.

After you pass your real estate licensing exam, you will be asked a series of screening questions. It's important that you answer these questions truthfully and disclose at this time any prior criminal activity. You will be asked to sign and certify that your screening questions are accurate and truthful. If the New Jersey Real Estate Commission has any concerns about your qualifications, you will be given a chance to submit a written explanation for your screening question responses.

Do you need a highschool diploma to do real estate in New Jersey?

Yes, New Jersey requires all salespersons to hold a high school diploma or its equivalent in education.

A sponsoring broker is a licensed real estate broker who employs a salesperson and holds the salesperson's license. New Jersey law requires all salespersons to work under a sponsoring broker. In New Jersey, you can take the licensing exam without a sponsoring broker, but you must have one to submit a license application and to practice real estate.

Can you get a real estate license in New Jersey if you dont live in the state?

There are no state residency requirements to earn a real estate salesperson license.

You must follow all the same steps as a New Jersey State resident to earn a real estate salesperson license. If you are a salesperson who holds a license in Florida, New York, or Pennsylvania, you could qualify for an education waiver. Check out the requirements for a waiver for your state.

How to get fingerprinted for real estate license in New Jersey?

Try to time your fingerprinting with your application submission. Start by filling out the required Universal Form. Next, online scheduling is highly recommended for booking your fingerprint location and time. You will directly pay IDEMIA a $66.05 fee for the background check. They accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, prepaid debit cards, and ACH.

New Jersey does require all real estate salespersons to be fingerprinted for a state and federal background check.

It usually takes about 7 to 10 days from the day you schedule the appointment to the actual appointment. After that, there is not a time estimate for how long the background check takes.