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how to become a real estate agent in north carolina
HOW TO BECOME A REAL ESTATE AGENT IN NORTH CAROLINA
Posted by: Kaplan Real Estate Education
Updated: November 2020
If you’re interested in starting a North Carolina real estate career, you likely have questions. This is a big move! People come to real estate from all walks of life…recent high school graduates, career changers in their mid-30s or 40s, and older people looking to supplement their income during retirement. The state of North Carolina has very specific requirements for people who want to become real estate agents.
First of all, it’s important to establish a few vocabulary terms in North Carolina real estate. In North Carolina, a licensed real estate agent (traditionally called a salesperson in other states) is called a broker. The person at the brokerage who oversees the agents (traditionally called a broker) is called a broker-in-charge in North Carolina. Becoming a real estate broker in North Carolina requires a state-issued license.
Requirements to Qualify to Become a North Carolina Real Estate Broker
To be eligible to become a licensed North Carolina real estate agent, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be a US citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien under federal law. You are not required to be a resident of North Carolina.
- Complete a state-approved 75-hour broker prelicensing course.
- Pass the North Carolina State Licensing Examination with a score of at least 75%.
- Once you receive your broker’s license from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, brokers must complete all three postlicensing courses within 18 months of initial licensure to retain eligibility
This list includes all of the basic requirements to earn your North Carolina broker’s license. But launching a successful career will take additional work.
Are You a Good Fit for a Real Estate Career?
Before going through the education and applying to take the licensing exam, you need to make sure you understand what a real estate career entails and determine if you are a good fit. When you work as a real estate broker, you’re the boss. You handle all of the day-to-day functions of your career, including office management, paperwork, lead generation and prospecting, networking, managing relationships, and negotiating transactions on behalf of your buyers and sellers. Do you know any licensed North Carolina real estate brokers? If so, talk to them! Find out what their world is like on a daily basis. Ask about the skills necessary to make a real estate career work. Get the answers you need and decide if you have what it takes to be a full-time real estate broker.
Understand North Carolina’s Real Estate Licensing Requirements
North Carolina has very specific real estate licensing requirements, and those requirements change from time to time. The North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s website has the most current official prelicensing requirements. Kaplan Real Estate Education also has a Steps to Licensing page that provides simple steps to outline what you must do in order to earn your North Carolina real estate broker’s license.
Enroll in a North Carolina Real Estate Prelicensing Course
As listed previously, in North Carolina, you must complete your 75-hour real estate prelicensing course in a live online or online classroom. These courses are offered by a number of private real estate schools, as well as community colleges throughout the state. Choosing a school is a critical decision in your journey. Find a school with a solid reputation, top-notch content and instructors, and a focus on student success. The state exam is not easy. It’s also important to ask your real estate education provider if they offer any guarantees for prelicensing students. Your real estate prelicensing education will take a lot of hard work and cover a comprehensive breadth of material. The education you receive will lay the foundation for your career as a North Carolina real estate agent.
Apply To Take the North Carolina Real Estate Broker Exam
You need to apply to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission to take your exam. Once you apply for your license, you will receive your notice of examination eligibility from the Commission. Once you have received the notice, you can schedule your North Carolina real estate licensing exam with AMP, the state’s exam provider. You have three years from the date your application is filed to pass the licensing exam.
Pass the North Carolina Real Estate Broker’s Exam
Completing your education requirements is a critical first step toward passing the exam. But it often isn’t enough for most students. You’ll likely need to spend more time studying. Kaplan Real Estate Education highly recommends enrolling in an exam prep class. All of the work you do will be for naught if you don’t pass the state exam. Our prelicensing course comes with free enrollment in our comprehensive exam prep course. Completing practice exams, identifying and quantifying your strengths and weaknesses, and immersing yourself in comprehensive review of topics will develop your knowledge and prepare you to pass the exam.
On exam day, show up with a positive attitude. Use the knowledge you’ve acquired to master the exam and walk out with a 75% or better. You’ve done the work…now reap the rewards!
You’re Almost Ready to Start Your North Carolina Real Estate Career
Passing the exam is a requirement to practice as a licensed North Carolina real estate broker. But now you need to find a broker-in-charge to hang your license with. As a real estate broker, you are licensed to act on behalf of a broker-in-charge and may not act as broker independently. Many people will begin seeking a broker early in the licensing process.
The license you receive will be a Provisional Broker’s License. The state of North Carolina requires that you also complete postlicensing education to remove the provisional status of your license. There are three 90-hour courses you must complete. You must complete all three courses within 18 months of licensure to complete your postlicensing education.
Good luck on your journey to becoming licensed and launching your successful North Carolina real estate career! No two days will be the same, but they will all be a part of your rewarding and exciting journey in real estate.
5 Steps Toward Getting Your
North Carolina Broker License
Getting your North Carolina real estate license might seem confusing, but we’re here to guide you through the process. Note that each state has its own terminology to distinguish between the various license types in real estate. When it comes to North Carolina, what is typically known as a “real estate agent” is called a broker, and every broker starts their real estate career as a Provisional Broker.
Read on to learn the five steps you’ll need to complete before starting your career in North Carolina real estate as a Provisional Broker. To learn about how much it costs to get your real estate license
Prerequisites
To start, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien under federal law
- You are not required to be a resident of North Carolina
- Complete 75 hours of approved Pre-Licensing education.To start, you must successfully complete 75 clock hours of approved Pre-Licensing courses. In North Carolina, you can now complete your Pre-Licensing education online. You no longer have to go to a physical classroom.
- Pass the course final exam.After you complete all the course materials, you’ll need to pass the final exam issued by your
Pre-Licensing real estate school. North Carolina requires this exam to be proctored, and you can find out more about the online proctoring process here. - Complete the application.Pre-Licensing students must submit an application to the Commission before attempting to schedule the license exam.On The North Carolina Real Estate Commissions website, you can apply for your North Carolina Broker License. You’ll need to create a log-in profile with the commission to submit your application.At the same time, you’ll need to complete a criminal background check. You can submit your background check online via the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.
- Pass the North Carolina real estate examination.Once your application is approved, you will receive a Notice of Exam Eligibility by email. Upon receiving this email, you will have 180 days to take the exam.You’ll need to travel to a PSI testing facility to take this test. To find the location nearest you and schedule an exam, you can visit the PSI website. This exam takes 3.5 hours and consists of 120 questions with both state and national portions. You’ll need to get 29 out of 40 state exam questions correct and 57 out of 80 national exam questions correct.North Carolina provides the option of taking the licensing exam remotely instead of at a physical testing center location. PSI will have in-person on site testing available for those students who wish to take the exam in-person instead of online. An exam can be scheduled at this link. PSI has a dedicated number for candidates with scheduling/issues on their exam – (855) 579-4638.Do you need help passing your North Carolina real estate exam? The CE Shop also offers comprehensive Exam Prep tailored to North Carolina. If you have any additional questions, visit our North Carolina real estate exam frequently asked questions page.
- Choose a sponsoring broker.To be licensed on active status, you must be employed or associated with a current and active North Carolina real estate brokerage firm or sole proprietor. Picking the right broker to work with is a key factor towards success as you build your new career. Here are some questions to consider when looking for a sponsoring broker:
- What kind of real estate agents are they looking for?
- What is their reputation, both locally and nationally?
- Are they technologically advanced and up to date with the latest systems?
- How do they support their agents with education and training?
- What kind of commission structure do they offer?
- Do they offer benefits?
- Do they provide their agents with leads and marketing material?
- Is there room to grow with the brokerage?
