17 Apr Real Estate Post-Licensing & Continuing Education – UPDATED 2022

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. Depending on the state, newly qualified agents will need to complete a one-time post-licensing exam, and regular Continuing Education classes.

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 Post-licensing and Continuing Education for newly qualified real estate agents to reflect the areas that seem to be causing the most trouble.

If you are not yet licensed, you need a different page: our schools.

We’re adding states all the time – if yours isn’t listed, please check back soon.

California

Salespersons:

Salespersons renewing a license for the first time must complete 45 hours of continuing education, including five separate three-hour courses in the Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management; 18 hours of consumer protection; and remaining hours in consumer service or consumer protection courses.

Take the courses online now: California Salesperson First Time Renewal Courses

Subsequent salesperson renewals with an expiration date on or after 1/1/2016 or who are renewing on a late basis on or after 1/1/2016 must complete a further 45 hours of continuing education consisting of:

• One eight-hour survey course covering Ethics, Agency, Fair Housing, Trust Fund Handling, Risk Management, and Management and Supervision (licensees can choose to take each of the mandatory subjects separately)
• 18 hours of consumer protection courses
• Remaining hours may be related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

Take the courses online now: California Salesperson Subsequent Renewal Courses

Brokers:

The same pre-1/1/2016 exceptions as above apply.

Brokers renewing a license for the first time must complete 45 hours of continuing education consisting of:

• Six separate three-hour courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, Risk Management, and Management and Supervision,
• 18 hours of consumer protection courses,
• Remaining hours related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

Take the full course online here: California Broker First Time Renewal

Broker subsequent renewals have the same requirements as Salesperson renewals (see above). 

Florida

Sales Associates:

Within 18-14 months of becoming licensed, you must complete 45 hours of continuing education from a recognized distance or classroom provider.

Looking for a course? Try Florida Continuing Education – First Renewal Course

Subsequently every further 24 months you must complete 14-hours of continuing education, consisting of 8-hours of specialty credit, 3-hours dedicated to an update of Florida laws and 3-hours of Ethics and Business Practices.

Looking for a course? Try Florida Continuing Education – Subsequent Renewal Course

Brokers:

Within 18-14 months of becoming licensed, you must complete 60 hours of continuing education from a recognized distance or classroom provider.

Try this Florida Continuing Education – First Renewal Course

Every 24 months thereafter, FREC requires you complete 14-hours of continuing education consisting of 8-hours of specialty credit, 3-hours dedicated to an update of Florida laws and 3-hours of Ethics and Business Practices.

Try this Florida Continuing Education – Subsequent Renewal Course

Georgia

Brokers and Sales License:

Four-year renewal period.

First time renewals require 25 hours of continuing education.

Select course: Georgia Post-License First Renewal Course

All subsequent renewals require 36 hours of continuing education during each four year renewal period, including 3 hours on the topic of License Law.

Our recommended provider for this course: Georgia Continuing Education Course

Texas

Two-year renewal period for any license type.

Sales Apprentice:

First time renewals call for 270 qualifying real estate course hours, 4 hours of TREC’s Legal Update I, and 4 hours of TREC’s Legal Update II posted to your license record prior to submitting your renewal. Note that hours completed as part of initially becoming licensed are counted towards the 270 total.

See all the individual courses, and packages at our recommended provider’s site

Subsequent renewals require 18 hours Continuing Education courses including:

• 8 hours of TREC Legal Update I and II,
• 10 hours of elective modules
• If you have been made a supervisor by your broker for six months or more, an optional 6-hour Broker Responsibility course as part of the minimum 18 hours of CE.

Individual Broker:

Every two years, complete 18 hours of approved Continuing Education courses, including 8 hours of TREC Legal Update I and II and 10 hours of elective modules.

If you have sponsored one or more sales agents, served as the designated broker for a business entity broker that sponsors sales agents, or have been made a supervisor of other license holders, you will need to take the 6 hour Broker Responsibility Course as part of your 18 hours of CE.

Courses and modules available here: Texas Broker Continuing Education Course

The most important thing to remember about real estate continuing education is not to wait until the last minute! Sometimes states will “throttle” you and only allow you to take X hours of course requirements per day, so you’ll be in trouble if you wait too long and run out of days.