Here are the basic Steps to Become a Real Estate Agent in Florida
1. Purchase and begin Your 63 Hour Florida Pre Licensing Course for Sales Associate –
For pre-license course, recommend a company called The CE Shop. I like their formatting and they offer pre-license and continuing ed courses.
https://nhfc.theceshop.com/florida/pre-licensing/fl-sales-associate-pre-licensing-cost
Truly you can use any online real estate school that is FREC approved and provides the 63 hour Florida Pre-license course for sales associates.
2. Apply For Your Real Estate License for Florida https://www.myfloridalicense.com/CheckListDetail.asp?SID=&xactCode=1010&clientCode=2501&XACT_DEFN_ID=744
3. Get Fingerprinted – register here https://dtis.com/ and then sign up for a location: most UPS stores will accommodate this – you can call to make an appointment and ensure you bring the proper identification required.
4. Complete Your 63 Hour Florida Pre Licensing Course and Pass Your Florida Sales Associate Exam (through the online course you selected)
5. Schedule and Pass the Florida State Exam – this is scheduled as an in-person exam at a physical testing site through Pearson https://home.pearsonvue.com/fl/realestate (there is a location off Baymeadows Rd in Jacksonville or others throughout Florida).
6. Find a Sponsoring Broker to hang your license under – NextHome First Coast is an excellent choice! 🙂 That’s ME! Once you select a brokerage, you will sign up for the association (NEFAR) and MLS and get lockboxes and such. I can talk to you about all of that once you complete your exam. The first thing is to get licensed. If it takes a while for your application to be processed and approved and you find you have down-time while waiting to take the state exam, please contact me. I’ll give you an early glimpse into my Day One program, which is a training program for all new agents to set up their first 12 weeks to be successful in the first 12 months!
Resource links for reference:
FREC is the Florida Real Estate Commission, and they govern licensure.
https://www.floridarealtors.org/
DBPR is the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. They monitor your license once you have it, and ensure you are completing your continuing education credits on time.
https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp
There are continuing education credits required as a licensed Realtor, and many other things to learn as you go. The first step is getting the pre-license course selected and started!
Pace yourself, and try to accomplish an hour or two a day. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to take the exam. Call me for help or guidance as you progress through the pre-license course. I am happy to provide relevant examples to help you better understand the concepts in practice.
Best wishes on a successful real estate journey! I hope to be a part of your future.
~Stephanie