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 nine 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.