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Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Arkansas or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Arkansas. Contents of this article may include information on real estate education, schools, training courses, continuing education, tests and exams, laws, license requirements, renewal information, forms and more..

The State of Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) with offices in Little Rock, Arkansas administers all aspects of the real estate licensing industry. The main mission of the Commission is protecting the public interest.

The requirements to become a real estate agent in Arkansas include being at least 18 years of age. The Commission also requires a background check of all applicants to determine if they are trustworthy, and each applicant is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants for a real estate salesperson license in Arkansas need to successfully complete 60 classroom hours of approved pre-license real estate education, 30 of which   are classroom hours that must be in the basic principles of real estate. These classes may be from an accredited postsecondary school or a private school authorized to teach them. After obtaining the required real estate courses, the applicant must pass the state examination and pay the required fees.

You can find a listing of the prelicense Arkansas real estate schools online. There are many schools offering these approved real estate courses.

The Arkansas real estate exams are developed and administered by a national independent testing company. The fee for the exam application is $50, with an additional exam fee of $75 paid to the exam testing service, Pearson VUE.  There are five testing facilities throughout the state where an applicant can take the examinations

The real estate education requirements include post-license education for all new brokers and salespersons. Those holding a salesperson license are required to complete 18 classroom hours within the first year of obtaining their license. Those holding a broker license are required to complete 30 classroom hours within the first year of obtaining their license. If the post-license requirement is not met, the licenses are put on an inactive status. All real estate classes in Arkansas must be actual classroom courses, not correspondence courses.

Applicants for a real estate salesperson license pay a license fee of $50.00 and a Recovery Fund Fee of $25.00. The fees need to be paid within 90 days after passing the real estate exams.

Applicants for a real estate broker license pay a license fee of $70 and a Recovery Fund Fee of $25.00. These fees, also, must be paid within 90 days after passing the real estate exams.

You can find some Arkansas real estate forms online. The rest of the forms need to be obtained from the Real Estate Commission.  Click here to see a list of Arkansas Real Estate related fees.

To renew a real estate license in Arkansas, those holding a real estate salesperson license pay $50, and those holding a real estate broker license pay $70. Renewals are due before September 30th of the current year, with a penalty for late renewal. Licenses actually expire on the 31st of the current year. When an Arkansas real estate license has expired, the Commission will usually allow reinstatement within three years from the calendar year in which the license was last renewed.

Licenses for all real estate agents may also be kept in an inactive status at the Real Estate Commission. To make the license active, six hours of Arkansas real estate courses need to be completed, plus a $30.00 fee paid. A license may be kept inactive indefinitely as long as the applicable renewal fees are paid.

Arkansas real estate careers are enhanced by membership in the Arkansas Realtors Association and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB). The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and the Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers offer excellent information pertaining to real estate jobs in the state.

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