Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Wisconsin or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Wisconsin. 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..
Real estate licenses in Wisconsin are issued by the Wisconsin
Department of Regulation and Licensing in Madison. The department licenses
and regulates over 100 professions with the mission of protecting the citizens. The Wisconsin
Real Estate Board shares the authority and responsibility of the department.
The office of the Real Estate Board is in Madison.
In Wisconsin, there are three levels of real estate licenses. They are Real Estate
Apprentice, Real Estate Salesperson, and Real Estate Broker.
The requirements for a real estate apprentice license in Wisconsin include being
18 years of age and passing a general knowledge test. Apprentices work directly
under the supervision of a licensed broker. They are required to work a minimum of
20 hours per week over three or more days, and six of the 20 hours are to be spent in the
study of real estate laws, regulations and procedures
The requirements for a real estate salesperson license in Wisconsin include having
successfully completed at least 72 hours of approved real estate courses at an approved real estate school,
or, a transcript showing 10 academic semester-hour credits in real estate or real estate
related law completed at an institution of higher education, or a photocopy of current bar
membership or a certificate of good standing in the Wisconsin State Bar. Applicants must
also successfully passing the real estate exams.
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Nonresident salesperson applicants who have held an active salesperson's license in
another state within the two years preceding the Wisconsin application may take the
Wisconsin Reciprocity Course through the Wisconsin Realtors Association prior to taking
the real estate salesperson's exam. Nonresident salesperson applicants need to
successfully complete 13 specific hours of approved courses and successfully complete at
least 10 semester-hour credits of approved courses.
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for salesperson related forms.
The requirements for a real estate broker license in Wisconsin include a specific
36-hour brokers course of approved education programs in business management from an
approved Wisconsin school AND if applicant does not presently hold a salesperson's license
in Wisconsin, applicant must also complete the 72-hour salesperson education requirement,
or, a transcript showing 20 academic semester-hours credit in real estate or real estate
related law completed at an accredited institution of higher education AND if applicant
does not presently hold a salesperson's license in Wisconsin, applicant must also complete
the 72-hour salesperson education requirement.
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for broker related forms.
Nonresident broker applicants who have held an active broker's license in another state
within the two years preceding the Wisconsin application may take the Wisconsin
Reciprocity Course through the Wisconsin Realtors Association prior to taking the real
estate broker's exam.
All applicants for a real estate license need to apply for their license within one
year of passing the real estate exams, and once licensed, all agents need to complete
continuing education requirements.
The Wisconsin real estate examinations are under the supervision of Pearson Vue
and applicants can apply for the exam directly with them online. The examination fee for
either a salesperson or a broker is $69.00. The testing centers are located throughout the
state.
The fee for a new license, either salesperson or broker is $75. Renewal fees are
$82.
All Wisconsin real estate agent licenses expire biannually on December 31st of
even-numbered years. When real estate agent licenses are not renewed on time and need to
be reinstated, the reinstatement fee for either a broker or salesperson license that has
been expired for over five years is $107.00.
Wisconsin has reciprocity agreement with Illinois and Indiana. The license fee for a
reciprocal broker license is $128.00 and for a reciprocal salesperson license is $83.00.
Effective 12/15/08 all licensees must complete 18 hours of continuing education in each
biennium through six approved 3-hour courses. Courses 1, 2, 3 and 4 and two elective
courses are required.
Licensees may pass a 60-question test-out exam in lieu of completing the continuing
education courses. The test-out exam is administered from July 1 of each odd-numbered year
to June 30 of each even-numbered year by Pearson Vue. If a licensee fails to take the exam
during this one year period, they must complete the education courses at an approved
provider.
Real estate careers are strengthened by membership in the many organizations that
provide services for the professional agent. Organizations like the Wisconsin Realtors
Association 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.