Obtaining a California Real Estate License

Becoming a California real estate agent can be a good career move.

You can make a lucrative career out of listing and selling real estate in California. Many Golden State cities consistently rank at the top of the "most expensive" housing categories, resulting in big commission checks for those who list and sell the homes. To obtain a California real estate license you must be 18 years of age or older, a legal U.S. resident and capable of passing a criminal background check. You must also obtain a license from the California Department of Real Estate.

Instructions

1. Enroll in a California Real Estate Commissioner-approved real estate school or the University of California to take the required pre-licensing courses. Most campuses in the California State University system also offer the required courses, but check the school's catalog to make sure. You can find a list of required courses on the California Department of Real Estate's (DRE) website.

2. Apply to take the exam by submitting a completed Salesperson Examination Application. Include a cashier's check, personal check or money order, payable to the California Department of Real Estate, in the amount of $60.00. You can also pay this fee with American Express, Visa or Master Card by filling out the Credit Card Payment form at the DRE's website. Include your transcript or other proof of passing the required pre-licensing courses with the application and fee.

3. Wait for the DRE to send the Examination Schedule Notice, which will inform you of your test date, or an authorization for you to self-schedule via the department's website. The letter should include instructions, and may take up to six weeks to arrive.

4. Find a broker with whom you would like to work. Your license, when you pass the exam, will go directly to your broker, so you may want to spend the waiting period interviewing brokers.

5. Take the salesperson's exam. When you pass, you will receive a salesperson license application with instructions on how to fill it out.

6. Go to a Department of Justice (DOJ) Live Scan facility in your area to get fingerprinted. This is the only system that the DRE uses. Your fingerprints will be electronically submitted to the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the DRE will receive the results of their background checks. You can search for a Live Scan facility in your region of California on the California Attorney General's website. You must pay a $51.00 fee for the fingerprinting processing. The fee needs to go to the Live Scan facility and not the DRE.

7. Apply for a real estate license when you receive notification that you have passed the exam. Follow all instructions carefully. Include a certified copy of your birth certificate or other document proving that you are a legal U.S. resident. The DRE website contains a list of acceptable documents. You also need to include the Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) with Part 3 completed (you should have received it when you had your fingerprints taken), and the license fee of $245.

Tips & Warnings

• California State Bar members may not take the pre-licensing courses.

References

• California Department of Real Estate: Home Page

Resources

• California Department of Real Estate: Course Requirements
• California Department of Real Estate: Salesperson Examination Application
• California Department of Real Estate: Credit Card Payment
• California Attorney General: Applicant Live Scan
• California Department of Real Estate: Proof of Legal Residence in the United States