Requirements for obtaining a Broker’s license
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Basic Requirements
To qualify for a real estate license, applicants must:
(1) Be at least 18 years of age;
(2) Be a United States citizen, a non-citizen national or a qualified alien under federal law;
(3) Have a social security number;
(4) Satisfy the prescribed real estate education requirements (or possess equivalent qualifications acceptable to the Commission); and
(5) Pass the real estate license examination. (Exceptions: Persons eligible for licensure by reciprocity and broker applicants who
hold a North Carolina salesperson license and complete the Broker Prelicense Course.)
(6) Satisfy the Commission that they possess the requisite character to be entitled to licensure.
Broker Applicant Who Is NOT a Licensed NC Salesperson: To qualify for the real estate license examination, a broker
applicant who is NOT a licensed North Carolina salesperson must have completed, within three years prior to license application,
BOTH a 67-hour Salesperson Prelicense Course AND a 60-hour Broker Prelicense Course at a North Carolina school approved by
the Commission. The 67-hour salesperson course is a prerequisite for the 60-hour broker course. The applicant is required to pass
both courses.
Broker Applicant Who Is a Licensed NC Salesperson: A broker applicant who is a licensed North Carolina salesperson must
have completed, within three years prior to license application, the 60-hour Broker Prelicense Course at a North Carolina school
approved by the Commission AND, if applying after the first renewal of his/her salesperson license, must also have completed the
continuing education mandatory update course and one continuing education elective course during the license period in which the
application is filed. NO ADDITIONAL LICENSE EXAMINATION IS REQUIRED.
BROKER LICENSE APPLICANTS
No license examination is required of broker applicants applying under Option #1. Except for certain applicants noted under
Option #4, all other broker applicants applying under Options #2, #3 and #4 must pass the North Carolina real estate license
examination.
Option #1
Completion by a Licensed NC Salesperson of the Prescribed 60-Classroom-Hour NC Broker Prelicense Course
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Conditions:
(1) The Broker Prelicense Course must have been completed within three (3) years
prior to filing the license application. No license examination required.
(2) If the salesperson is applying for a broker license after the first renewal of
his/her salesperson license, the applicant must also have completed the current CE
mandatory update course and one approved CE elective course during the license
period in which the broker application is filed.
Required Documentation:
(1) Certificate(s) of Course Completion (original) issued by the school for
submission to the Commission. Do NOT submit a transcript, a grade report or a certificate provided by the school for
display purposes.
(2) If continuing education for the current license period is required and the applicant has just taken the continuing
education within 30 days of filing the broker application, also submit copies of the CE course completion certificates. (After
30 days, the licensee’s salesperson record at the Commission should reflect the CE taken.)
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Option #2
Completion by an Unlicensed Person of BOTH the Prescribed 67-Classroom Hour Salesperson Prelicense Course AND the
Prescribed 60-Classroom-Hour Broker Prelicense Course
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Conditions:
Both courses must have been completed within three (3) years prior to filing the
license application. The salesperson course is a prerequisite for the broker course.
Required Documentation:
Certificates of Course Completion issued by the school for submission to the
Commission. Do NOT submit a transcript, a grade report or a certificate provided by
the school for display purposes.
Note:
An applicant applying for a broker license under this option who has a salesperson
license application pending must first withdraw his/her salesperson application in
writing before his/her broker application will be accepted for consideration.
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Option #3
Licensure as a Real Estate Broker in Another State
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Conditions:
Applicant must have held such license within three (3) years prior to filing the license application.
Required Documentation:
(1) Original course certificate or transcript showing course title, dates and number of classroom (or credit) hours and a copy
of either the course description or the outline of topics covered in the course.
(2) Description of the course schedule (number of classroom hours per day and week) and statement as to how the course was
conducted (live instruction, computer disk, correspondence, etc.).
Required Documentation:
Certification of License History (original) from the Real Estate Commission
(or licensing agency) in the other state issued within the previous six months and
indicating license history and any disciplinary action taken or complaints pending
against the applicant. (Proof of education is not required.)
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[Apply under Option #4 only if you do not qualify under Options 1-3.]
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Option #4
Real Estate Education and/or Experience Equivalent to the Qualifications in Either Option #1 or Option #2.
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Conditions:
The Commission strongly encourages applicants to qualify under Options 1-3. In rare instances, an applicant with a very
substantial amount of real estate education and/or extensive real estate experience may be found by the Commission to
possess education and/or experience equivalent to the salesperson and/or broker courses. Applicants bear the burden
of satisfying the Commission that their education and/or experience justifies a course waiver. Waiver of both the salesperson
and broker courses will be very rare. Waiver of the broker course based on experience alone, even experience as a licensed
salesperson, will require proof that applicant has experience in residential property management and commercial brokerage
as well as in residential sales. Combinations of real estate education and experience will be considered, but real estate
education will be preferred over experience. Education and experience must be relatively recent.
Examples:
Waiver of BOTH Salesperson and Broker Courses — Provided below are a few examples of qualifications the Commission
has found sufficient to justify waiver of both the salesperson and broker courses:
(1) Five years’ experience within the previous ten years as a North Carolina attorney handling real estate matters on a
full-time basis. [License examination required]
(2) An A.A.S. degree or B.S. degree with a major (24 semester hours) in real estate three years prior to application filing.
[License examination required]
Waiver of Broker Course Only — Provided below are a few examples of qualifications the Commission has found
sufficient to justify waiver of the broker course only:
(1) Licensure as a salesperson in North Carolina and four years’ full-time experience in real estate brokerage in North Carolina
within the previous five years, involving: 30 residential listings and 50 residential sales; renting and managing 12 houses for a period
of one year or more; and four commercial listings and 10 commercial sales. [NO license examination required]
(2) Completion of the 67-hour North Carolina salesperson course within the past three years (but NOT licensed as
a salesperson); three years’ recent full-time, lawful, unlicensed experience selling new homes owned by a North Carolina
corporate homebuilder as an employee of the corporate homebuilder; two years’ lawful unlicensed experience as an apartment
complex resident manager; and one year of lawful experience as an unlicensed assistant to a commercial broker. [License
examination required]
Note: Experience or education in a single specialized real estate or related field such as residential sales,
commercial brokerage, property management, appraisal or mortgage lending will NOT, standing alone, be
acceptable under this option.
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