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Become A Real Estate Agent In Iowa
Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Iowa or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Iowa. 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 Iowa’s Professional Licensing Division (IPLD)
was created in 1986 to oversee the approximately 32,000 licensees of various occupations
within the state. Under the jurisdiction of the IPLD, the Iowa
Real Estate Commission regulates and administers the real estate laws in Iowa
and has the authority to promulgate rules and regulations for the industry. Their
main aim is to protect the public. Their office is in Ankeny, Iowa.
The requirements for a real estate salesperson license in Iowa include being at least 18 years
of age when applying for the license. The applicant may take the examination before then, but may not
apply until age 18. However, the application for the license needs to be made within six months
of passing the exam. Applicants are not eligible for a license if they have been rejected for licensure
in any state within twelve months prior to applying. Salesperson applicants must successfully complete
an approved 30-hour prelicense course during the 12 months prior to taking the exam. All salesperson applicants
need to have a sponsoring broker; they may not file as inactive. A thorough background check must be
submitted before applying for the license.
New salesperson applicants need to provide fingerprint cards from a local sheriff’s office or police department
and pay their fee, and also sign a waiver for a background check. The Commission’s fee for processing these
is $46. It takes approximately eight to ten weeks to process the fingerprints. The report, once obtained,
is only valid for 90 days.
The examination fee for a salesperson is $92. After passing the examination, the applicant needs
to apply for the license and pay the license fee of $125. They also must provide proof of having
Errors & Omissions Insurance.
The requirements for a real estate broker license in Iowa include being at least 18 years of age
when applying for the license. Applicants are not eligible for a license if they have been rejected for
licensure in any state within twelve months prior to applying.
The broker applicant needs to have been actively engaged in real estate for at least 24 months preceding
the date of the application, or have an approved equivalent experience.
Applicants need to successfully complete at least 60 hours of approved classroom hours of real estate education
during the 24 months prior to taking the exam. These hours are in addition to the hours taken for the salesperson
license.
The broker applicant also needs to provide a completed background check before applying for the license,
and proof of having Errors & Omissions Insurance is required. The application must be applied for
within six months of having successfully completed the real estate exams. Nonresident brokers
from another state which has an examination equivalent to Iowa’s may be able to waive the examination.
The approved Real Estate Schools for prelicensure,
continuing education, and post-licensing are located throughout the state. They
provide classroom courses in addition to computer and internet courses. Some of
the prelicensure courses may be taken online. For continuing education, a maximum
of 18 of the required 36 hours may be taken by correspondence/home study.
Application forms
for all real estate agents can be found online. The fee for a real estate salesperson
license is $125.00 and for a broker the fee is $170.00. Licenses are valid for
a three year period and continuing education courses are required for renewal.
Real estate careers are strengthened by membership in the many organizations
that provide services for the professional agent. Those holding a real estate
license usually join organizations like the Iowa
Association of Realtors, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB),
and the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO).
The National Association of Realtors (NAR),
the world’s largest professional association, assists many in locating real estate
jobs within the industry. These organizations are also excellent resources of
real estate education.
This portion of our website has been created for information purposes
only. It is our belief that all information presented here is accurate
as of today, however each state is constantly striving to protect
the public and provide more quality service to those using the services
of a Real Estate Agent. Change in Real Estate laws and regulations
is inevitable. The information presented here should be considered
a starting point and we encourage everyone to fully research any
information you are seeking.
To further assist you, we have included links to each state's
real estate licensing office, and also to the state's local Association
of Realtors site that provides current information on proposed real
estate license regulations in that area.
If you do find an error or have updated information, please contact
us and we will update our information accordingly.
