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Become A Real Estate Agent In Ohio

Real Estate License Information
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Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Ohio or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Ohio. 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 Real Estate & Professional Licensing Division of the Ohio Department of Commerce is responsible for the licensing of all the real estate brokers and salespeople in Ohio. The Division aims at providing fair and consistent administration of responsibilities while protecting consumers and the public. The office of the Division is in Columbus, Ohio.


The requirements for all applicants for a real estate agent license in Ohio include being at least 18 years of age and being honest, truthful and of good reputation. If an applicant has ever been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude, or adjudged by a court to have violated any civil rights laws regarding real estate within the past two years, the application will probably be denied unless the Superintendent of the Division of Real Estate can be satisfied that the violation will not occur again. All applicants must successfully pass both parts of the real estate exams and apply for their license within one year of passing their initial exam. Once licensed, all real estate agents need to successfully complete 30 hours of specific, approved real estate continuing education courses every three years before their date of birth. These may be distance-education courses by correspondence or over the internet.

The requirements for a real estate salesperson license in Ohio include having a high school diploma or GED if born after 1950. All salesperson applicants need to be sponsored by an Ohio Broker. Applicants who were not licensed as either a real estate salesperson or broker within the four-year period immediately preceding the application, need to successfully complete 120 classroom hours of specific real estate courses within the ten-year period immediately preceding applying for their license. These real estate courses need to have been completed at a college or university that awards a degree in at least a two-year program. All education requirements need to be met before applying for the real estate examinations.

The requirements for a real estate broker license in Ohio include successfully completing the educational requirements. These are based upon the date one was originally licensed as a salesperson. The real estate courses need to have been completed at a college or university that awards a degree in at least a two-year program. If originally licensed prior to January 2, 1972, the applicant does not need to complete any additional real estate courses. If licensed between January 2, 1972 but prior to January 3, 1984, the applicant needs to successfully complete 120 hours of specific classroom courses. If licensed after January 3, 1984 but prior to August 1, 2001, the applicant needs to successfully complete 240 hours of specific classroom courses and the minimum of two years of college. If licensed after August 1, 2001 the applicant must complete 240 hours of specific real estate courses (which are a little different that the prior category of 240 hours), plus complete a minimum of two years of college. Again, the 240 hours of real estate courses may be included in the two years of college.

All applicants for a real estate broker license in Ohio need to have been actively licensed as either a broker or salesperson for at least two years. This includes working an average of 30 hours per week for two of the last five years immediately preceding the license application. Applicants must have completed 20 real estate transaction, or have the equivalent in approved experience. All education requirements need to be met before applying for the real estate examinations.

The approved real estate schools for prelicensure are located online. The approved continuing education real estate schools provide mostly distance education courses.

The examinations in Ohio are handled by Experior, a professional testing company. The examination fees are $49.00 for a salesperson applicant and $69.00 for a broker applicant, and all fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. There is a $40.00 rescheduling fee for the exams.

Real estate licenses expire on the agent's birthday each year. Applicants may renew the real estate license within 60 days prior to the expiration date.

You can locate almost all of the real estate forms you need online.

Real estate careers are strengthened by membership in the many organizations that provide services for the professional agent. Organizations like the Ohio Association of Realtors (http://www.ohiorealtors.org/) and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (http://www.nareb.com) (NAREB) assist many in locating real estate jobs within the industry. The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (http://www.arello.org) (ARELLO) and The National Association of Realtors (http://www.realtor.org) (NAR), the world's largest professional association, are excellent resources for professional enrichment and real estate education.

We also offer information and resources for Ohio Commercial Mortgage