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Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Kentucky or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Kentucky. 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 Kentucky Real Estate Commission (KREC), with offices in Louisville, is responsible for protecting the public interest regarding all real estate transactions. The Kentucky Statutes updated the real estate regulations effective April 22, 2005.

The requirements for a real estate salesperson license in Kentucky include being at least 18 years of age and having a high school diploma or GED. An exception to the diploma requirement is made for applicants with at least 28 credit hours from a post-secondary institution. The salesperson applicant needs to have completed 96 approved classroom hours or have completed six semester credit hours in real estate courses from an accredited college or university.

 In order to take the examination, the applicant must submit to a criminal background check. Those who currently or have ever held a license in another state must also include a License Certification from that state. All applicants for the Kentucky salesperson license must pass the real estate examinations. Once passed, the applicant must apply for the license within 60 days or forfeit the examination results. Real estate salespersons are exempt from the continuing education requirements during the first calendar year in which they are licensed.

Applicants for the broker license in Kentucky must also submit to a criminal background check in order to take the real estate exams. Once the exams are passed, the applicant has 60 days to apply for the license. If not applied for within that time, the examination results are forfeited.

The criminal background process can take 10-12 weeks, and the Real Estate Commission requires that it not show any felony convictions at any time, misdemeanor convictions within the past five-year period, or evidence of dishonesty, untruthfulness or bad reputation. The FBI cost for the investigation is $18.

Approved Real Estate Schools for Prelicensure are located throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Six hours of approved continuing education courses are required every calendar year for all Kentucky agents. The Kentucky Core Course, a 6-hour class designed to keep licensees updated on all aspects of real estate law, is required to be taken once every four years. The Core Course can replace the other 6-hours required, but the other 6-hours cannot replace the Core Course requirement.

Some approved courses from some other states are accepted for continuing education. Courses from certain other states are not accepted. Classes less than 3-hour duration are not accepted, nor are foreign language courses or computer courses. Failure to meet the Kentucky continuing education requirement can result in a $200 penalty and losing your license. Additional penalties may also be imposed, including appearing before the Commission and an additional penalty of $500.

License Recognition requires active out-of-state licensees to pass the state law portion of our exam and submit all required application materials in order to be licensed. Some applicants are required to take a 48-hour Kentucky real estate law class prior to applying for their license.Kentucky no longer has reciprocity agreements though with other states.

The examination fees are $75 for either a broker or salesperson. Effective July 5, 2005, the real estate license exams are administered electronically by Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) in Kansas.

All licenses expire on March 31st of each year. The late renewal penalty is $100 if paid between April 1 and May 15. If paid after May 15, the late renewal penalty is $200.

 All active Kentucky real estate licensees are required to carry errors and omissions insurance as a condition of licensure.

Real estate careers are enhanced by membership in the many organizations that provide services for the professional agent. Those holding a real estate license usually join organizations like the Kentucky Association of Realtors and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) assist many in locating real estate jobs within the industry. The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and The National Association of Realtors (NAR), the world's largest professional association, are excellent resources for real estate education and professional enrichment.

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