If you’re interested in getting a real estate license in Illinois, you’re not alone. Every year, people from Skokie to Glenview and all over the Chicago metro area add how to get real estate license to their search history.
Before you get started there are a few specific prerequisites to being a real estate agent. These include being at least 18 years old and having a high school diploma or GED. You also need to have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or state ID card.
Once you’ve met those requirements, the work to get your real estate license begins. What education is required to be a real estate agent is often one of the first questions you’ll have. Here’s what you need to know, so you can get the quality education needed and the information required to succeed as an Illinois real estate professional.
What do I need to be a real estate agent?
Step 1: Start With Taking a Course
Your pre-licensing course will teach you all the fundamentals of real estate. It’s the first step toward crossing “how to obtain real estate license” off your list of things to accomplish. The class is a total of 75 hours, which will go by fast when you’re learning all kinds of new things. Sixty of those hours are broker pre-license topics, and the other 15 are applied real estate principles. In other words, how to use what you’re learning in real-world situations.
Worried about where to get real estate license education that works with your schedule? There’s no need to be concerned about that. Classes are affordable, online, and can be taken at your own pace, so you can work them around the other obligations in your life. Working toward something more is easier when you have the right help on your side.
Step 2: Pass the Real Estate Exam
After you’ve finished the course, it’s time to take your licensing exam. There are 140 multiple choice questions on the test, and you can take it again if you don’t pass on the first attempt. One hundred of the questions are national, and the other 40 are Illinois-specific. You need to score a 70% on the national question portion to move on to the state portion, and you need 75% on the state portion to pass.
With 2.5 hours to take the national option and 90 minutes to take the state, you’ll have time to think about each question. If you’re really stuck on a question, it’s best to move on and come back around to it if you have time because you want to have time to see all the questions. You’ll get your results right away.
Step 3: Select a Sponsoring Illinois Broker
To work as a new real estate agent in Illinois, you need to submit your application for licensing to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). That’s done through a sponsoring broker and finding one should be an important part of your journey. Many brokers are looking for new agents. Interview with a few of them and choose the one that’s a good fit for your needs and goals.
Ask about the details. Will they give you marketing materials? What does their commission structure look like? What type of reputation do they have? The more questions you ask, the more easily you can choose a sponsoring broker that’s right for you. You have two years after passing the test to apply for and get your license, so you can take some time to select the best broker.
Step 4: Apply for Your Real Estate License
The fourth and final step of getting your license is submitting it to the IDFPR after you’ve reached an agreement with a broker who will sponsor you. You’ll need to have a background check, and the information you’ve provided will be checked for accuracy. Once you’ve done that, provided everything checks out, you’ll have your license.
Then, you can start working with your broker to help people buy and sell properties all over the area. Whether you’re in Highland Park, Naperville, Springfield, Champaign, or somewhere else in the Chicago area, there’s always a need for quality real estate agents committed to helping people with important property transactions.
The bottom line on getting a real estate license.
So, what do you need to become a real estate agent? The most important aspect of how to get your real estate license is to make sure you’re working with the right place to get your license. When you start on your real estate journey with Chicago Real Estate Institute, you can feel confident that you’re getting the pre-licensing and post-licensing (continuing education) courses you need for success.
