Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Louisiana or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Louisiana. 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
Louisiana
Real Estate Commission (LREC) maintains a tradition of open government
and promotes progressive education programs in order to serve and protect the
public interest. The main office of the Commission is located in Baton Rouge.
The
requirements for a real estate salesperson license in Louisiana
include being at least 18 years of age and having either a high school diploma
or GED. Applicants must successfully complete 90-hours of approved education courses
and pass the salesperson real estate exams. All salesperson applicants need to
be sponsored by a licensed Louisiana real estate broker, and the applicant also
needs to provide Errors & Omissions Insurance before being licensed.
If the applicant for the Louisiana salesperson license is or has been licensed
in other states they may be given credit for some of the
real estate courses.
They will not be allowed to substitute any other courses for the 30-hours of the
course that specifically covers Louisiana laws.
The
requirements for a real estate broker license in Louisiana
include having a high school diploma or GED, and having been actively licensed
in any state for at least two years as a real estate salesperson. The applicant
must successfully complete 150 approved classroom hours or the equivalent. Full
credit will not be given for these courses unless they were taken during the prior
five years. Under no circumstances will courses be accepted that were taken over
ten years prior to the exams. 30 hours of the course need to cover
Louisiana
real estate law, and 30 hours needs to be on Broker Responsibilities.
All broker applicants must pass the broker real estate exams and then provide
proof of Errors & Omissions Insurance before they apply for their license.
If the applicant for a Louisiana broker license is or has been licensed in other states,
they may be granted partial credit for the educational courses. No credit is allowed for
the 30-hour portion of the courses that specifically covers Louisiana laws. If the applicant
has completed a course that is equivalent to the 30-hour Broker Responsibilities course
they may be able to waive taking it again.
Broker and salesperson applicants from another state may be able to waive the national
portion of the
real estate exams if they took it within the last five years,
but will still need to take the Louisiana state portion.
Applicants for both the broker and salesperson licenses who have any type of criminal
conviction, felony or misdemeanor need to undergo a limited background investigation
and receive approval from the Commission to take the exams.
The approved
Real
Estate Schools for Prelicensure in Louisiana are located online. Some courses
completed at a college or university may also apply, and partial credit may be
granted for real estate courses completed in other states.
Once licensed, all brokers and salespersons are required to complete 30 hours
of post-licensing during the first full calendar of licensing. Schools providing
post-licensing courses can be located
online.
All real estate agents who hold
active licenses must also complete
8
hours of approved continuing education courses each year.
Continuing
Education Schools provide distance education courses to assist agents in meeting
their requirements.
You can find Louisiana
real estate agent forms online.
The initial Louisiana real estate
licensing
fees are: $120 for the broker license and $45 for the salesperson license.
Renewal fees are $70 for an active broker license and $35 for an inactive broker
license; $35 for an active salesperson license and $35 for an inactive salesperson
license. The fee for transferring from an active license to an inactive, or from
an inactive to an active license is $45. Licenses expire on December 31st of each
year.
Louisiana has
reciprocity
agreements with seven other states.
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
Louisiana
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)
is the world's largest professional association. These organizations also assist
in locating
real estate jobs within the industry and are excellent resources
for real estate education.
We also offer information and resources for Louisiana Commercial Mortgage