Real Estate Licensing
Learn about the real estate license requirements for your state.
For many real estate careers you will need to have a real estate license issued by the state in which you intend to practice. This applies to brokers and realtors, and in some cases appraisers and assessors. For real estate agents and brokers there's no getting around it—it's a mandatory requirement for every state in the U.S. as well as the District of Columbia.
Appraisers and Assessors
Appraisers and assessors of real estate are required, by federal law, to be state-licensed or certified if they are involved in any federally-related transactions with a loan amount of $250,000 or more. Appraisers are not required to have a license on loan amounts less than this, but many states require practicing appraisers to have a license, just as they do brokers and realtors.
For real estate appraisers, licensing qualifications vary by state but must conform to the standards set by The Appraisal Foundation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Property assessors must meet licensing criteria that have been determined by an assessor board at the local or state level. One type of state-issued appraiser license allows an appraiser to value any type of property, while another state-issued license, the state-certified residential real property appraiser license, allows an appraiser to value any residential unit of one to four families regardless of value.
An assessor's qualifications also vary by state but are very similar to the licensure and certification required by appraisers. In most states, the assessor board sets education and experience requirements that must be met in order to obtain certification to practice.
Brokers and Realtors
Every state requires real estate agents and brokers to have a license. This real estate license is obtained by accomplishing the following:
- Passing a written examination—more comprehensive for a broker than realtor–which must be renewed every one to two years by attending continuing education courses or seminars
- Experience in the field (usually one to three years)
- A minimum training program of 60 to 90 hours
- Some states waive the field experience if the applicant has a bachelor's degree in real estate
Many states prepare their own unique testing, while others use a nationally prepared exam. The tests for brokers and realtors are comprehensive, with a certain percentage of the questions requiring potential professionals to solve mathematical problems, while another percentage of the test deals with state-specific real estate law, rules and regulations.
Property Managers
Property managers, who oversee the operation of commercial, industrial or residential real estate, are required by most states to hold either a property management license or a realtor license because part of their responsibilities involve collecting rent, negotiating leases and listing properties. There are a couple of exceptions; Idaho and Maine do not require a realtor license and the State of Washington only requires a property manager to be licensed if they don't own the property they are managing. Managers of federally-subsidized public housing are required to be certified.
State License Offices
