The Beginner’s guide to getting a Florida real estate license
Are you looking for a career where earning a six-figure income is easier and having a flexible work-life schedule is possible?
Working in real estate can be a professional dream come true for you if you value a high-paying job with the freedom to set your own working hours.
Real estate agents and brokers in Florida enjoy a lucrative and rewarding career where opportunities for earning are plenty and the satisfaction of helping people is also immense.
Florida’s real estate landscape is booming with opportunities for agents, brokers, and realtors who are enjoying being in the center of action.
The southeastern coastal state is currently placed at the second spot for the hottest real estate market in the country and is witnessing booms due to many geographic, demographic, and economic factors.
The market is dynamic, robust, and ever-evolving and with a rising demand for residential and commercial real estate in the state, Florida is poised to exhibit consistent growth.
If you are looking to start your career or want to switch to real estate from another industry, now is the time to make your move.
Due to the strong market demand, rising population growth, and relatively affordable housing, real estate agents and brokers in FL can reap benefits from the influx of homebuyers, migrant workers, and real estate investors.
Becoming a real estate agent in Florida can be incredibly rewarding and exciting, yet it might seem daunting at first.
To help you get started, we have put together this detailed guide which covers all the key aspects of how to get your Florida real estate license with confidence.
After reading this article, you will have a clear understanding of how to prepare for a career in real estate.
Licensing requirements for real estate agents
Like most states, Florida also requires aspiring real estate professionals to complete a step-by-step process for obtaining a license.
As per the regulations, it is mandatory for all applicants to fulfill the education, training, and background verification requirements to qualify for a salesperson or broker license.
The state’s highest authority, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation License is in charge of issuing, renewing, and rejecting the licensure of salespersons, brokers, realtors, appraisers, and other industry professionals.
In Florida, aspiring real estate agents or ‘salespersons are required to complete 63 hours of state-approved pre-licensing education.
The Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) requires applicants to have at least a high school diploma or its GED equivalent to qualify for a license.
Also, you must be at least 18 years of age or older to be eligible to apply for a salesperson or broker’s license in Florida. It is important to note that the FREC requires all applicants to be ethical, truthful, and honest in their character background.
Note that if you have any criminal record from your past, you should disclose it during your background check.
Depending upon the crime and its severity, it will be decided whether you will be eligible for a DBPR Florida license or not.
Once you complete the pre-licensing education and clear the mandatory background verification and criminal history check, you will be eligible to take the Florida salesperson licensing exam.
Background Check and Verification
Completing your background check and identity verification is a critical step in your journey to becoming a real estate agent in Florida.
Florida requires aspiring professionals to undergo a criminal background check.
Since real estate is a heavily regulated industry, it is mandatory for all applicants to adhere to the qualifying standards and guidelines for trustworthiness, integrity, and honesty.
The purpose of the background check is to rule out unethical, criminal, and incompetent individuals.
This ensures only lawful and non-criminal applicants can appear for the licensing exam and become eligible for work in the industry.
For verification purposes, you will need to submit your digital fingerprints, along with some legal proof of your identity to obtain a Florida department business license.
Note that you must only choose a FREC-approved fingerprint scan center to get an electronic copy of your fingerprints.
Only when you have successfully completed and passed your background check, you will be
eligible to appear for the Florida salesperson licensing exam.
Steps to Become a Salesperson in Florida
Step 1: Complete pre-licensing education
The Florida Division of Real Estate (FREC) mandates that every applicant must complete a
minimum of 63 hours of pre-licensing education.
Generally, it takes between a few weeks to a month to complete the course credits.
You are free to choose between in-person, and physical classroom-based learning or enroll in an online Florida real estate course to complete the education.
Irrespective of your preferred medium or mode of learning, you will cover the fundamental topics and subjects during your pre-licensing education. Some of the mandatory courses will cover the following:
- Principles of Real Estate
- Real Estate Laws
- Ethics, Fraud Protection and Consumer Rights
Completing pre-licensing education will not only help you fulfill the educational requirements for a Florida salesperson license, but it will also help you prepare for the real estate licensing exam in FL.
After completing the course credits, you will receive a certificate of completion which you must keep handy for future use.
Note that your course credits will remain valid for two years after the date of completion.
Step 2: Pass the Florida salesperson license exam
Like most states, Florida requires aspiring real estate salespeople and brokers to take and pass the real estate licensing exam.
The licensing exam is designed to test the level of preparation by asking multiple-choice questions covering both state and national-specific portions.
In order to take the final exam, you must first submit an application to the FREC with your certificate of completion of pre-licensing education and background clearance proof.
To do so, you can visit the FREC website and simply submit all the required documents online or submit the documents via mail.
It generally takes anywhere between a week to ten days to get your licensing application to be reviewed and approved.
Once your application is approved by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) in Florida, you can schedule your preferred date and time for taking the licensing exam at any of the Pearson Vue centers in Florida.
The exam is three hours in duration and it will ask you 100 multiple choice questions to test your knowledge.
You will get a total of 210 minutes to attempt all the questions. To pass the exam, you must score at least 75% or above in the final score.
Note that taking the exam will cost you around $58 for each attempt. You can take as many attempts as required.
When it comes to the difficulty of the Florida real estate licensing exam, it depends greatly on how well-prepared and confident you are.
Yes, clearing the exam on the first attempt is certainly a difficult task but with proper knowledge and enough practice, it is achievable for most students.
Step 3: Find employer sponsorship
Congratulations on passing the exam and obtaining your DBPR Florida license to start working legally in the real estate market.
As the final step, it is mandatory that all newly licensed salespersons find a sponsoring employer to activate their license.
It is important for newly licensed professionals to learn under the supervision of senior professionals and understand the ropes.
Working with a supervising brokerage or more experienced broker is the key to learning the inside-out details and working of your trade.
Thus, you must find a senior broker or a brokerage firm who would be willing to take you on board and allow you to be associated with them.
Once you find a suitable broker or firm, you can submit the details of your sponsorship on the Florida DBPR website online to activate your salesperson license.
Step 4: Complete continuing education
As per the Florida DBPR, it is mandatory for all active salespersons and brokers to update and renew their licenses within a stipulated time duration.
In Florida, the license renewal process is perpetual i.e. it must be renewed after every 2 years from the date of issue or from the first date of renewal.
To do so, real estate professionals are required to complete additional post-licensing education every two years from a state-approved education provider.
Note that you are free to enroll in an online post-license course to complete the 45 hours of course credits for first-time license renewal.
Completing Florida DBPR continuing education is mandatory if you want to continue in your career and maintain the active status of your salesperson license.
Note that in Florida, the license expiration date is on March 31st or September 30th every 24 months.
To renew a salesperson license, you must complete 45 hours of continuing education credits prior to your first license renewal due date.
If you are curious, the post-licensing education curriculum is formulated to give you a more in-depth and advanced knowledge of working in the real estate industry.
After completing the coursework, you will have to take a final exam which will include 100 multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge and preparation.
You must score at least 75 percent or above to clear the post-licensing end-of-course test.
If you are unable to complete post-licensing education before the license renewal due date, you will risk getting your license becoming invalid or null.
There is absolutely no grace period for license renewal - if you fail to complete the license renewal requirements on time, your license might be deactivated.
Additionally, you might be required to pay late fees and penalties to reinstate your license.
Note that you must pay a $32 fee to renew your license along with proof of completion of continuing education credits.
Benefits of obtaining a Florida real estate license
If you have read the article so far, it should be clear to you that getting a real estate salesperson license in Florida requires completing a series of steps.
You might be wondering whether obtaining a license is worth it or not and whether you should invest time and money in getting one.
We believe becoming a licensed salesperson or broker in Florida is certainly worth putting in the effort.
There are many doors and opportunities that are reserved for licensed professionals only and many paths that open only if you have a license.
Having a license is proof of your ability to work in the industry and assist clients in buying or selling real estate license in Florida.
Plus, a state-approved license will also make you more trustworthy and knowledgeable in the perception of your clients.