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Become A Real Estate Agent In Tennessee
Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Tennessee or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee
Real Estate Commission is one of the regulatory boards under the Tennessee
Department of Commerce & Insurance. The Real Estate Commission was created in
1951 to handle the licensing of agents within the state, and its main office is
in Nashville.
The requirements for a real estate affiliate broker license in
Tennessee include being at least 18 years of age and having successfully completed
60-hours of approved courses in real estate principles and fundamentals before
taking the real estate exams. Affiliate brokers licensed after 12-31-04 must have
completed the 30-hour “Course for New Affiliates” prior to being issued a license.
No prior experience is required for the affiliate broker.
The requirements for a real estate broker license in Tennessee
include being at least 18 years of age and having held an active affiliate broker
license for 36 months if licensed as an affiliate broker after May 12, 1988. The
broker license applicant needs to have successfully completed 120 classroom hours
of approved real estate education. 30 hours of these must be an ‘Office/Broker
Management’ course. After completing the education requirements and passing the
broker real estate examinations, the licensee must complete 120 additional hours
of approved post-licensing courses before the third anniversary of becoming
licensed. Brokers licensed after January 1, 2005 need to complete continuing education
requirements after completing the 120-hour post-license requirement. Most licensed
applicants from other jurisdictions need to fulfill all of the above criteria
that Tennessee applicants need to fulfill, unless the applicants home state has
a reciprocity agreement with Tennessee.
A few other requirements pertain to all applicants. Persons who have been licensed in another state
within the last five years must obtain a License Certification from that state. Anyone who has
had a real estate license revoked or suspended in Tennessee or in another state probably will not
be approved for a license. The commission does not approve the applications of anyone on parole
or probation unless two years have passed from the date of expiration of probation, conviction,
or release from incarceration. Once the two years have passed, the commission may issue a license
on a one-year probation basis.
You can locate the approved
real estate schools for prelicensure and for continuing
education online. Instructions for seeing a list of approved schools are located under the 'Licensing Resources' heading.
The real estate examinations are handled by PSI
Examination Services out of Las Vegas, NV. The $55.00 examination fee is the same
whether you take one portion or both portions of the exams, and whether you are
a broker or an affiliate broker. The fee is nonrefundable and not transferable.
You may register online for the exams.
Licenses are issued for a two-year period and expire on December 31, 2006 and
every two years thereafter. The renewal fee is $80.00 and the renewal applications
are due by November 1st. All renewal applicants need to provide proof of errors
and omissions insurance. The premium for a two-year policy is $260.00.
Tennessee has reciprocity agreements with twenty-two other states,
each which may have different qualifications. All applicants from other states
need to provide errors and omissions insurance.
You can locate many of the real estate formsonline,
and others may be obtained through the Real Estate Commission.
Real estate careers are strengthened by membership in the many organizations
that provide services for the professional agent. Organizations like the Tennessee
Association of Realtors 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
real estate education and professional enrichment.
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.
