Real estate is an attractive career due to its low barrier to entry–both in terms of the cost to become licensed and the time it takes to get your license. However, the time it takes to get your real estate license can vary from weeks to months.
Key Takeaways
- To get a real estate license in North Carolina, you must complete 75 hours of pre-licensing education. This can be done in as little as a couple of weeks in a self-paced format, though in-person and livestream formats typically take about seven weeks.
- After completing the pre-licensing education, candidates must pass a licensing exam. Scheduling the exam usually takes about a week, and preparation is key to passing on the first attempt.
- After obtaining a provisional broker’s license, you must complete 90 hours of post-licensing education within 18 months to remove the provisional status.
- The fastest way to complete the process is through the self-paced pre-licensing course, which could take as little as two weeks.
In this article, we’ll outline how long it takes to get your real estate license in North Carolina and the factors that can affect that timeline.
Overview of the Real Estate Licensing Process in North Carolina
To understand how long it takes to get your North Carolina real estate license, you need to know the process first. Here are the steps necessary to get licensed in North Carolina:
Steps involved in getting a real estate license
- Take the pre-licensing education. You need to complete the 75-hour pre-licensing course from an accredited real estate school.
- Submit your real estate application. Once you’ve completed your pre-licensing education, you need to submit your real estate license application online to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) along with any associated fees.
- Schedule and pass the real estate exam. Once NCREC has approved your application, you can schedule a time to take your real estate exam with Pearson VUE. Passing the exam requires getting a 75 on both the state and national portions.
- Complete the post-licensing education. To remove the provisional status from your license, you need to complete 90 hours of post-licensing education within 18 months of receiving your license.
Overview of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) regulations
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC), which is the independent state agency in charge of issuing real estate licenses, requires the following qualifications for getting a real estate license:
- Be at least 18 years or older
- Be a United States citizen, a non-citizen national, or be legally authorized to work in the United States
- Have a Social Security Number
- Pass a background check
If you satisfy all these requirements, you can start the process of getting your real estate license.
Pre-Licensing Education Requirements
The first step in getting your North Carolina real estate license is completing the pre-licensing education requirement.
Required pre-licensing courses
The first step to getting your North Carolina real estate license is to complete the 75 hours of pre-licensing education. This course will teach you the ins and outs of real estate, from real estate contracts to financing to broker agreements. At the end of the course, you will be required to pass an end-of-course exam to test your knowledge of the course material.
If you are already licensed in another state or have a higher degree related to real estate, you may not be required to take the pre-licensing course.
Number of hours needed
The pre-licensing course consists of 75 instructional hours of real estate education. Even if you choose to take the course online in a self-paced format, you must have logged at least 75 hours of computer time.
Approved education providers
You must complete the pre-licensing education from an NCREC-certified education provider, such as Superior School of Real Estate.
Typical duration to complete pre-licensing education
How long it takes to complete your pre-licensing education depends on the learning format or schedule you select. There are three learning formats to choose from: in-person, livestream, and self-paced, online.
The in-person format requires you to be present in a physical classroom taught by an instructor, whereas the livestream format allows you to learn from an instructor in real-time via a video conferencing platform. An instructor does not teach in a self-paced, online format; you take an online course at your own pace.
The in-person and livestream formats take approximately seven weeks to complete. The self-paced, online format could be completed in as little as one week, but you would need to have the flexibility to be able to study 8 to 10 hours a day, which could be tiring and make it more difficult to retain the information you learned in the course.
Free Income Guide: Learn how much you could make working in North Carolina real estate with this free guide.
The Licensing Exam Process
After you’ve completed the pre-licensing education requirement, it’s time to start the licensing exam process.
Scheduling the licensing exam
After NCREC gives you the green light that you have satisfied the application requirements, you need to schedule and take the real estate exam at a Pearson VUE testing center.
How to register for the exam
You can register for the real estate exam online 24/7 or by telephone (800-745-2627) during Pearson VUE’s office hours.
Available testing locations
There are numerous Pearson VUE testing locations throughout North Carolina.
Exam preparation tips
There are many ways to prepare for the exam, but many students choose to take an exam prep program. Superior School of Real Estate offers two exam prep options: CompuCram and an 8-hour Livestream Crammer Session.
CompuCram provides practice tests and questions, vocabulary assistance, and a pass or don’t pay guarantee. The Crammer Session is taught by an instructor over the course of 8 hours. It covers practice questions and test-taking techniques while providing insights into question structure, testing strategy, and vocabulary. Both the CompuCram and Crammer Session exam prep programs are included in Superior’s Career Ultimate pre-licensing package.
Time required to study for and pass the exam
While you aren’t required to study for the exam, it is recommended to help you pass on the first attempt. Some students like to schedule their exams a week or two after they finish their pre-licensing course. That way, the information they learned in the course is still fresh in their minds, but they have some time to review earlier or challenging sections.
Post-Licensing Education
When you receive your real estate license after passing the real estate exam, you will receive a provisional broker’s license, which requires you to be under the supervision of a broker-in-charge. To remove the provisional status from your license, you need to complete 90 hours of post-licensing education from an accredited real estate school.
Overview of post-licensing requirement
The post-licensing education requirement consists of three 30-hour courses: Broker Responsibilities, Contracts and Closing, and North Carolina Law, Rules and Legal Concepts. You have 18 months to complete the three courses from the time you receive your provisional real estate license.
Timeline for completing post-licensing education
How long it takes you to complete your post-licensing education depends on which learning format you choose. If you select the self-paced, online format, you can complete your post-licensing education in a few weeks. However, you may want to spread out your studying so that you don’t burn yourself out. Remember: You must log at least 90 hours of computer time to complete this requirement.
If you choose the in-person or livestream format, you could complete your post-licensing education in less than a month. Check our course listings to find the schedule that works best for you.
No matter which format you choose, you will need to take a course final exam, which takes approximately two hours to complete.
Continuing education requirements for maintaining the license
Once you’ve completed your post-licensing education, you need to keep your license active by completing 8 hours of continuing education each year. As with pre-licensing and post-licensing education, you can complete this requirement in person, via livestream, or in a self-paced, online format.
Factors that Influence the Timeline
While your real estate education will be the biggest factor influencing how soon you can get your license, other factors can also affect your licensing timeline.
Personal study habits and time commitment
How much you decide to study between the time you finish your pre-licensing course and your exam is up to you. If you feel like you struggled with the course material, you may want to take some more time to study and take a test prep course or program. On the other hand, if you find the course and end-of-course to be relatively easy, you may only need to study a little.
The key is not to wait too long after your pre-licensing course to take the exam; otherwise, you may not be able to recall all the material covered in the exam.
Availability of courses and exam dates
Pre- and post-licensing courses are constantly being added to Superior School of Real Estate’s course schedule so that you can start your education requirements in a timely manner. Similarly, many exam dates would allow you to schedule your exam within one week of your desired date.
Prior real estate experience and background
If you have prior real estate experience, you may not need to study as much for the real estate exam, thus shortening the time it takes to get your license.
Tips for Accelerating the Process
If you want to get your real estate license as soon as possible, there are ways to fast-track your progress.
Utilize effective study strategies
Failing your real estate exam is not only demoralizing–it adds time to the time needed to get your license. Thus, you want to put yourself in a good position to pass the exam on the first attempt. Implementing effective study strategies, such as studying a little bit each day instead of cramming the night before, better prepares you for the exam and frees up more time to do other things.
Choose the right education provider
Choosing the right education provider for your pre-licensing, post-licensing, and continuing education is critical.
First, it must be a certified North Carolina real estate education provider. Next, you will want to consider other qualifications, such as the number of years teaching real estate, the level of experience and quality of real estate instructors, the number of real estate students taught over the years, and student testimonials.
Superior School of Real Estate has educated more brokers than any other real estate school in the state. But don’t take it from us; take it from real-life students like you.
Balance work, life, and study
If you are currently working or have a busy personal life, you may wonder how you can find the time to get your real estate license. The key is planning for all three commitments: work, personal life, and getting your real estate license. You may find that one of these three commitments has to take a back seat for a short period, but remember, you only have to get your real estate license once, so any sacrifices you make are temporary.
Utilize online resources and practice exams
If you really want to accelerate your progress, utilizing online resources such as practice questions and exams is a great way to help prepare you for what to expect on the exam. All Superior School of Real Estate pre-licensing education packages come with practice exams, but if you want a little more practice, select the Career Ultimate package, which comes with the 8-hour Crammer course and the CompuCram test prep program.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We’ve covered a lot so far, but you may have some additional questions regarding how long it takes to get licensed. Below, we’ve outlined some frequently asked questions. If you still have questions, you can always reach out to one of our enrollment officers for more assistance.
Common questions about the timeline for obtaining a real estate license in North Carolina
“How long does it take to complete the pre-licensing course?”
The time it takes to complete your pre-licensing course depends on your chosen learning format. The self-paced, online format allows you to complete your course in as little as a couple of weeks, while the live stream or in-person formats typically take approximately seven weeks.
“How quickly can I schedule and take the licensing exam?”
Typically, you should be able to schedule and take the licensing exam within one week of each other.
“What is the fastest way to get a real estate license in North Carolina?”
The fastest way to get a North Carolina real estate license is to take the self-paced, online pre-licensing course, which you could complete in about a week if you studied 11 hours a day.
Launch Your Career with Superior
While it can be tempting to focus on getting your real estate license as soon as possible, it’s essential to set realistic expectations and goals for yourself so you can start your real estate career off on the right foot. Fortunately, Superior School of Real Estate has helped thousands of North Carolinians launch fulfilling and lucrative real estate careers. Will you be next?
