Educational Requirements to become a Real Estate Broker in Florida

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Who can become a real estate broker in Florida?

A real estate broker can operate on behalf of another party, a buyer or seller or can supervise other brokers and real estate agents. To apply for a real estate brokership in Florida, the individual must:

• Be least 18 years of age.
• Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
• Have the licensure application approved. (Check your real estate license application status by providing the necessary details.)
• Have an active sales associate license and practised for 24 months in the last 5 years.
• Finish the 72 hour pre-licensing course.
• Pass the state examination.

Read more about the general requirements to become a real estate broker here.

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

• Basic educational requirement: High school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED)
• Prelicense: 72-hour Florida pre-licensing course
• Post license: Two 30-hour post licensing courses, Real Estate Brokerage Management and Real Estate Investment
• Continuing education: 14 hours of approved continuing education courses and end of course exams which is common for both sales associate and a broker.

Pre-licensing course:

The state of Florida has a mandatory 72-hour pre-licensing course requirement that covers 18 sessions. The course modules are listed below for you:

1. Becoming a Licensed Real Estate Broker
2. Opening A Real Estate Office
3. Owning, Managing, and Supervising a Real Estate Office
4. Escrow Management
5. Office Inspections and the Disciplinary Process
6. Overview of Real Estate Valuation
7. Sales Comparative, Cost Depreciation, and Income Approach
8. Comparative Market Analysis
9. Basic Business Appraisal
10. Brokerage Relationships
11. Contracts
12. Financing Real Estate
13. Closing Real Estate Transactions
14. Federal Income Tax Laws Affecting Real Estate
15. Investment Real Estate
16. Zoning and Planning, Subdividing of Land, and Special Issues
17. Environmental Concerns Affecting Real Estate Transactions
18. Property Management

Read more about the real estate broker pre-licensing course here.

Pre-licensing exemptions:

Attorneys and candidates who hold four year degree or higher in real estate are exempt from pre-licensing education.

Florida licensing exam:

The Florida state licensing exam is a 100 question multiple choice test and the passing score is 75%. Candidates who do not qualify the test have the option of retaking it after a month after the initial attempt but within one year of the original exam. On failing the retest, the candidates have to repeat the entire pre-licensing course to be eligible to take the licensing test again.

Post-licensing course:

Within the first 18 to 24 months of receiving the license, the licensee is supposed to finish two 30-hour courses approved as the post-licensing education and take the corresponding end of course examinations.

Real estate brokerage management course:

1. The Challenge of Change
2. Leadership
3. Management Skills
4. Communications and Decision Making
5. Analyzing the Business Environment
6. Analyzing the Market
7. Developing a Plan
8. Structuring the Organization
9. Structuring Business Systems
10. Structuring the Finances
11. Business Policies and Procedures
12. Marketing and Advertising
13. The Practical and Legal Realities of Staffing
14. Recruiting, Selecting, and Hiring the Staff
15. Professional Competency
16. Coaching Performance
17. Monitoring Operations
18. Managing Risk

Real estate investment course:

1. Ownership Interests in Real Property
2. Feasibility Studies of Real Estate Investments
3. Financial Analysis of Real Estate Investments
4. Financing for Real Estate Investments
5. Income Taxes and Real Estate Investments
6. Investing in Land
7. Investing in Residential Properties
8. Investing in Office Buildings
9. Commercial Real Estate Investments
10. Investing in Industrial Properties
11. Special Real Estate Investments

Post licensing exemption:

Candidates who hold a four year degree or higher in real estate are exempt from post licensing education too while attorneys are not exempt from it.

Course exam:

Following each course, there is an exam on the same. The tests are 90 minutes each containing 50 questions per test, a score of 75% or more is required to pass the test.

Additional attempt:

Candidates who do not pass the end of the course exam can retake the test one more time within one year of the date of the first attempt. If the candidate still does not qualify the test, he/she must attend the full course again and retake the test with a passing score before the renewal deadline.

Continuing education:

The candidates are required to complete 14 hours of continuing education every two year license period after. The continuing education includes:

• 3 hours of Florida Core Law (mandatory)
• 3 hours of Real Estate and Business Ethics (mandatory)
• 8 hours of Speciality Credit (electives)

Exam:

The final exam score should be 80% or more for the candidate to qualify, failing which the licensee must re-enroll and retake the entire course and the exam following it.