Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Oregon or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Oregon. 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 Oregon Real Estate Agency aims at providing quality protection for Oregon real estate consumers and a balanced professional environment in which real estate agents may serve their customers. The agency was established in 1919 and processes over 23,000 licenses biannually.

Oregon issues two basic real estate licenses. They are the broker license and the principal broker license.  The licensing requirements for the standard broker license include:

• Oregon Real Estate Practice (30 hours)
• Real Estate Law (30 hours)
• Real Estate Finance (30 hours)
• Contracts (15 hours)
• Agency (15 hours)
• Property Management (10 hours)
• Real Estate Brokerage (20 hours)
• Beginning January 1, 2011, applicants must have a high school diploma, GED, or international equivalent

The standard salesperson licensees receiving their Oregon broker license through this process needed to meet two more requirements before working as a sole practitioner:

• The licensee must have three years of active, licensed experience, either in Oregon and/or another state

The licensee must pass the real estate broker license exam. In order to work as a principal broker, these licensees must also complete the 40-hour Brokerage Administration and Sales Supervision course in addition to the above two requirements. And, when applying for the principal broker license, there is a $230 licensing fee.

The requirements for a real estate broker license in Oregon include providing a Background Check Application along with one completed fingerprint card that meets FBI processing standards, and a processing fee of $47.00.

The requirements for all real estate brokers licensed in Oregon include successfully completing at least 30 clock hours of continuing education courses during the preceding two license years. The Oregon Real Estate Agency does not approve the continuing education courses; they are certified by the licensing broker who self-certifies his own courses. At least 15 of the 30 hours need to be on required topics. The courses may be taken in traditional classrooms, by correspondence, audio or video tapes, CD-Rom, over the internet, etc.

Licensees renewing an active license are exempt from continuing education requirements. However, when the licensee does reactivate the license, 30 hours of continuing education courses need to be successfully completed within the prior two years.

You can locate some of the approved real estate schools online. Other courses may be found at local real estate schools, community colleges, or through the National Association of Realtors.

The broker examination application may be printed online. The examination fee is $75.00. You can also locate many other Oregon real estate forms online.

Licenses are renewed for a two year period during the month they expire. The renewal fee is $230 for active licenses, and $110 for inactive licenses. There is a $30 fee for renewing late. If the license is not renewed within one year, all rights to this license are lost.

Oregon has reciprocity agreements with five other states If an out-of-state broker is from one of these states, obtaining an Oregon license is relatively easy. If not from one of these states, the applicant has to meet all of Oregon's prelicensing requirements: background check, education, and examination.

Real estate careers are strengthened by membership in the many organizations that provide services for the professional agent. Organizations like the Oregon 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.