Earning Your Florida Real Estate License

Want to sell real estate? Whether driven by a passion for helping individuals find their dream homes, negotiating lucrative property deals, or navigating the complexities of real estate transactions, obtaining a Florida real estate license is the essential first step. This comprehensive process involves a combination of education, examination, and practical training. Here’s how to become qualified to sell real estate in the Sunshine State.

General Requirements

To be eligible for a Florida real estate sales associate license, you need to fulfill specific prerequisites: 

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Have a US Social Security number
• Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent (I.e., GED)

Your first Florida real estate license will be a sales associate license, which works under the supervision of a licensed real estate broker.

Florida Pre-License Education

Anyone who works in real estate needs to understand the rules and regulations of the industry. That’s why your first step is passing the 63-hour Florida pre-license course. At the end of the class will be a closed-book, non-proctored final exam, which you must pass to get credit and your certificate of completion.

The Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) requires the pre-license course final exams to have at least 100 multiple-choice questions, with a passing grade of 70%.

You decide if you want an in-classroom course with the flexibility of online learning. Either way, you still need to take it with a Commission-approved course provider.

Do you have a degree with a major in real estate? You might be eligible for a pre-licensure course exemption. For that, turn in an official transcript with your application for review.

If you are a practicing Florida lawyer, you are exempt from the pre-license course. You’ll provide a copy of your current Bar card with the exam. 

Get Fingerprints & Background Check

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Licensing (DBPR) requires your fingerprints to be electronically taken by an approved LiveScan Service Provider. The Florida DBPR will use your fingerprints to run a background check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.

When submitting your fingerprints, you must include your social security number and the following ORI number: FL920010Z.

Fingerprints and the background check report typically cost between $50 – $80, depending on which LiveScan location you use. One DBPR station has fingerprinting as a service, charging $37.82 as of 2023.

Apply for A Florida Real Estate Sales Associate License

Your next step once ordering the fingerprints is to make the license application, which can be done online or printed.

The application fee of $83.75 is payable to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Now would be the time to submit any transcripts, especially if you want a pre-license course waiver. 

The FREC will review and approve your application for the state licensing exam. The testing vendor, Pearson VUE, and the state will notify you once you can take the exam. You’ll need an authorization number to sign up, so wait until you receive this.  

Pass the Florida Real Estate Exam

Look for an Authorization Letter via email from Pearson VUE, the state’s testing vendor. The Authorization Letter will include your Candidate Identification Number, which is essential for scheduling your state exam. This can be done online, making finding the testing location closest to you easier.

The Florida real estate licensing exam fee is $57.75. On test day, you must present your Certificate of Completion for the pre-license education or the education waiver from the FREC. The exam has 100 multiple-choice questions and requires a passing grade of 75%. You have a 3-1/2 hour time limit. 

As an online test, you’ll leave the Pearson VUE testing center knowing if you passed.

Receiving your Florida Real Estate License

After you pass the exam, the Pearson VUE testing center will upload your result to the DBPR licensing system. It will automatically issue you a license number and a Certificate of Licensure. Florida doesn’t send paper licenses, so it’s up to you to go online to the system and download your license.

Initially, this will not be an active real estate license. Your next step will be to be hired by a qualifying Florida real estate broker. This person will supervise your work as a real estate sales associate, so picking the right one to mentor you in the early stages of your career is critical to setting you up for long-term success. Take your time to choose the right real estate brokerage. 

Once you’ve found that person, the qualifying broker can access the DBPR system to activate your license. 

Post-Licensing Education

Within the first year of your licensure and before your initial salesperson license expires, take the required 45-hour post-licensing course. These courses include exams which you must also pass to earn your credit. Your initial licensing will last for 18-24 months, depending on when you earn your license. 

This is not the same as continuing education, an ongoing requirement. For that, you’ll take 14 hours of coursework. Three hours must be an update of Florida real estate laws, and three hours will be in Ethics and Business Practices. The remaining eight are elective specialty credits. 

All courses must be with a state-approved education provider. 

Florida real estate salesperson licensing

As you can see, receiving your Florida salesperson real estate license takes a few steps that will prepare you to serve your clients better. If you’re ready, take the next steps and learn more about the benefits of a career in real estate. 

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