22 Apr Real Estate License Continuing Education
So, you passed your pre-licensing classes and your passed your state exam. The real estate exams are FINALLY done, right? Not so fast! Real estate license continuing education is part of the deal if you plan to work in the real estate business.
Pre-licensing classes are the first part of the educational requirements to receive a real estate license. Luckily, you only have to complete those one time. However, continuing education classes will be required throughout your career.
Continuing education classes in the real estate industry solve a few different problems. First and foremost, they force everyone who has a license to take a “refresher” course every few years. The refreshers courses usually cover hot topics in the industry, which can be anything from how to appropriately describe your real estate “team” to new social media rules.
The laws and regulations in the real estate business are constantly evolving. Every year, there are lawsuits that happen because of bad behavior by real estate professionals. Sometimes the incidents are accidental or sloppy, and sometimes they are malicious. Based on the types of lawsuits seen in a given year, the state will update the pre-license exams and continuing education exams to reflect the areas that seem to be causing the most trouble.
Head over to this new post for a list of classes for Continuing Education
What happens if you miss a deadline and don’t complete your continuing education in time?
That happens from time to time. Sometimes there’s a grace period where your state won’t penalize you for missing the deadline. Sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to get your license fully restored and could involve extra delays, fees, paperwork or some combination of the three. And if you let it go too long without completing your continuing education, you will eventually lose your license. Eeep!
How often do you have to complete your continuing education requirements?
This depends on your state, but most of the time the education requirements have to be met before you renew your license. That’s every few years for most states.
Also, there are a few states that waive the continuing education requirements for agents who have had a license for several decades. If you’re a true “old timer” you may not have to complete the same courses as everyone else. (While this was common about ten years ago, it is slowly being phased out in most parts of the country. I guess the old timers need some refreshers from time-to-time too!)
Do I have to complete my continuing education in the classroom or can I do the course work online?
Great question! Many states allow for their licensees to complete their continuing education course work online. Some of them require licensees to attend training in a classroom setting. With everything else being available online these days, we’re not sure why some states require classroom attendance, but they do. From what I’ve been told, even traffic school education can be done online these days (not that I would ever speed on a public road, of course).
Who is authorized to teach continuing education classes?
The list of providers you’ll see when you scroll up on this page is the list of schools we recommend. If you don’t see your state listed and would like some help finding a reputable provider in your state, please send me a quick note and I’ll see what I can dig up for you.
What happens if I fail my continuing education class?
As long as you’re not cutting it close with your timing (i.e. waiting until the last minute…not that any real estate agents would EVER do that haha), you should be fine. You may have to pay another small fee to retake the exam, but they’re usually not too difficult. It’s always easier to pass it the first time, but it’s not the end of the world if you have to take it over because you didn’t pass the first time.
Are there any states that don’t require continuing education for real estate licensees?
It’s possible that there are a few states that don’t require continuing education or provide some loopholes for special circumstances, but we don’t keep that list. If you are living and working in a state that doesn’t require continuing education, please let us know in the comments and we’ll update this post!
What if I got a license in another state this year. Will that licensing education count toward my continuing education requirements?
That would certainly be a nice situation, but it usually doesn’t work that way. All the licensing rules and laws are state-specific. While some states have reciprocal agreements that make it easy for their licensees to get licensed in both places, continuing education doesn’t usually work that way. Again, if you hear of a situation where that IS the case, please let us know in the comments.
Why are the continuing education courses counted in hours like a college course?
This seems a bit antiquated as well, but it’s vocabulary that most people understand. I don’t know about anyone else, but the number of hours I spent studying in college seemed to have no relation to the number of credit hours I was earning for the course. Real estate has adopted the same sort of system, so we just have to roll with it.
Does Keller Williams University offer continuing education courses?
Keller Williams real estate courses are mainly focused on the business building activities you’ll need to succeed in the real estate business. That education has some components of state laws and licensing laws, and the format will change a bit from state to state. Keller Williams is in the business of helping people build big businesses and achieve financial independence, which are topics not covered by pre-licensing or post-licensing schools.
What else do I need to know about continuing education at Keller Williams?
The best thing to do is to stay up to date with all the local training events at your office. If anyone has other suggestions, it will be the local office. As always, please let us know how we can help from here!