Did you pass the North Carolina real estate licensing exam and now you are wondering what your next steps are? Or maybe you are planning to enroll in a broker pre-licensing course and you want to know what the licensing process is in North Carolina. Well in any case, you are at the right place. In this article, we will break down the licensing process after passing the real estate exam. Now, don’t be alarmed. The most important and difficult part is behind you if you already passed the exam. It is only a matter of meeting the North Carolina state requirements to finalize your real estate broker license.
You passed the exam, now what?
Once you have satisfied all the North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s requirements and passed the real estate licensing exam, you can expect to receive your license certificate within 10 calendar days after taking the exam. This license certificate will be mailed to you at the address you provided in your license application form. While waiting to receive your license certificate, you should not engage in the real estate broker business as your license is valid on the date they issued the certificate and not the date you passed the exam. The license you will receive will be an inactive broker license on provisional status. This is standard for all new licensee. Before engaging in the real estate business in North Carolina, you will need to fill out a “License Activation/Affiliation” form with the help of a broker-in-charge and file this form with the Commission’s office. This will activate your provisional broker license. As you may have understood by now, a provisional broker must be supervised by a broker-in-charge in the state of North Carolina.
How can I remove the provisional status on my broker license?
To terminate the provisional status of your real estate license, you must satisfy the North Carolina post-licensing requirement set by the Commission. This requirement consists of completing three (3) 30-hour post-licensing courses for a total of 90 hours. Once you’ve received your initial license certificate, you will have 18 months to complete all of your post-licensing courses. These three courses are divided in the following categories:
Broker Relationships & Responsibilities
Contracts & Closing
NC Law, Rules & Legal Concepts
Once you’ve completed all three courses within 18 months of initial licensure, you will obtain your full broker license status. This may seem like a lot of work but trust us, it will be worth it in the end. Real estate is great career path that presents many amazing opportunities.
When do I need to renew my North Carolina Broker License?
In North Carolina, all real estate licenses expire on June 30th of each year unless they are renewed by that date. This is true even if you obtained your license in May or June. Licensees can renew their license online on the NCREC website. The annual renewal cost is $45 and can be paid with all major credit cards. In addition to having to renew your license, you will have to complete 8 hours of Continuing Education courses. These 8 hours are broken down into two (2) 4-hour categories: Update courses and Elective courses. You must satisfy this requirement by June 10th of every licensing year in order to renew your license. Well, that sums it up folks. With the information provided above, you should have a good understanding of the licensing process after you passed the North Carolina real estate licensing exam. While there are several requirements to be met to obtain a broker license in the state of North Carolina, we strongly believe that all your effort will pay off. Being a real estate broker can be a very fulfilling career. Our students are always thrilled to obtain their broker license as they know it will unlock many great opportunities and we can’t wait for you to be one of them.