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Step 1
Interview real estate and education professionals to determine the appropriate courses required to obtain a real estate license. These professionals may include a counselor at the local community college, the broker at the real estate office where your license will be held or a resource in a professional real estate organization, such as a County Board of Realtors.
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Step 2
Check the state real estate licensing requirements by either calling the state office in charge of regulating licenses or printing the list from an Internet website. This office varies from state to state. Check your state's website using the search term "real estate license requirements" to determine the correct office in your state.
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Step 3
Locate a real estate office with which to place your new license. Real estate agents must work under a broker, even when they operate primarily from a home office. Interview brokers and agents in various offices to determine the best fit. Ask questions about the services the office offers and the types of fees that individual agents are required to pay. As part of the office agreement, the broker may offer to pay the agent's real estate course fees, although the agent is usually required to pay her own individual licensing fees.
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Step 4
Sign up for real estate classes. This may be done at an online or brick-and-mortar real estate school. Many local community colleges offer real estate classes in traditional formats or from extension programs where the student may do all of the work from home. Most states have at least one well-known correspondence school that offers coursework meeting the requirements for the real estate license. This is usually the fastest route, but requires the student to be exceptionally focused and well disciplined to complete the courses and exams independently from home.
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Step 5
Complete the coursework. Many large real estate offices, with many potential agents in school, offer study sessions, sample exam questions and in-depth seminars to review the materials that are critical to passing the state licensing exam.
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Step 6
Take the state licensing exam. Once the coursework has been completed, a comprehensive exam is required by the state. This may be taken under a designated broker's supervision in many states.
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Step 7
Be fingerprinted by an official agency (check your state for the required agency), fill out the license form and file the documents with the state office responsible for Realtor supervision in your state.
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Step 8
Obtain errors and omissions insurance. Errors and omissions insurance protects the agent against lawsuits that may be filed related to work in real estate, such as misrepresentation or errors in official documents. Some brokers require agents to obtain an insurance policy prior to joining the office, whereas others offer the agent an opportunity to purchase a policy using the office's main policy.
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Step 9
Join the NAR to become one of the more than 1.3 million real estate professionals in the organization. The Realtor designation, which may be used on business cards and promotional materials, signifies that the agent follows the ethical guidelines outlined by the NAR. Membership also provides access to continuing education and representation by local, state or territorial boards that assist with work-related issues. Most boards also offer professional networking opportunities.
