How to become a Real Estate Broker in Florida

Who is a real estate broker?

A real estate broker is a person that appraises, auctions, sells, exchanges, buys, rents or offers, attempts or agrees to do so, negotiates sales and exchanges of business enterprises or real properties on behalf of another party for some compensation. Read more about the role of a real estate broker.

What are the general requirements to become a real estate broker in Florida?

Below mentioned are the general requirements to become a real estate broker in Florida:

Age and citizenship: The minimum age requirement for obtaining a real estate license in Florida is 18 years, which is the usual age mark for most of the other states too. Applicants are required to have United States Social Number to apply for any type of real estate license.
Education: A high school diploma or its equivalent is sufficient to apply for a real estate license. However, applicants are expected to complete a pre-licensing education.
Pre-licensing education: Applicants upgrading from sales associate or applying for out of state experience are required to complete the Florida 72-hour pre-licensing course. Individuals with a four year real estate degree are, however, exempt from the course.
Exam: Applicants applying for out of state or upgrading from sales associate are required to take the full exam for licensing which consists of 100 questions. Mutual agreement applicants only have to take the 40 question law portion of the exam.
Fee: The fee for a broker license is $91.75 which breaks down to $14.75 non-refundable application fee, $72.00 license fee and $5.00 unlicensed activity fee.

Who can apply for a real estate broker license?

There are three main applications available for candidates to apply for a real estate brokership in Florida and interested parties are to choose the application type depending on the application criteria.

Upgrade from sales associate to broker: A sales associate is a person who can do the same tasks of a broker but under the direction, control or management of a broker or a developer. A sales associate who has held a license for at least 24 months in the preceding five years is eligible to upgrade his/her license to a brokership.
Mutual recognition agreement: A licensed broker from any of the eight states Florida has mutual agreement with can apply for a broker’s license in Florida through the mutual recognition application. The states Florida has mutual agreement with are: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska and Rhode Island.
Out of state experience: A licensed real estate associate or a broker with an experience of at least 24 months in the preceding 5 years is eligible to apply for Florida broker’s license through the out of state experience application.

To know more about mutual agreement and out of state experience, click here.

How to become a real estate broker in Florida?

Finish the 72-hour pre-licensing course.
Complete the state licensure application along with submitting the application fee and fingerprints.
Take the state examination and pass the test by getting a score of 75 or more out of 100.
Complete the DPBR transaction form to activate the license.
Finish the 60-hour post-licensing course before the initial broker license expires.

Read more about the educational requirements of a real estate broker.

What is the application procedure?

Fill out the state application: Once the individual chooses the right type of application and fills the necessary information, it can be submitted online on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation website or can be downloaded and mailed. It takes the state four to six weeks to process and approve the application.
Submit the fingerprints: The applicant has to submit the fingerprints electronically before the application gets processed. The state vendor Pearson VUE schedules the appointments for this process, appointments can be made online or on call.
Complete the 72-hour pre-licensing course and get the completion slip issued upon finishing the course.
Pass the state licensing examination to get the license.
Finish the post licensing course and submit the course completion slip to activate the real estate broker license.