California FAQs

Because of mandatory education wait periods, the whole process from education to license in hand can take approximately five to six months.

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• Register for and complete 135 hours of required education. Brightwood has complete licensing packages available in various delivery formats. 
• The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) has 18-day minimum wait periods for all final exams for licensing education courses. You must wait 18 days to attempt each final exam. Due to the minimum wait periods required by the DRE, it will take students a minimum of 54 days to complete the required licensing education courses.
• Apply for your Salesperson Exam/License Application,  including fingerprinting and background check. Brightwood does not offer fingerprinting in California; this must be done at your local sheriff's station and can take up to 3 months to complete.
  • Upon receiving your required education completion certificates, the application can be printed from California Bureau of Real Estate (BRE) website:www.dre.ca.gov. Students must send in their certificates with the application
• California DRE will send you an approval to take the licensing exam, this process can take 1–2 months to complete.
• Take the California Salesperson License Exam. To pass the exam you will need a score of 70% or better. Go into exam day knowing you are fully prepared for success. Enroll in the 2-Day Exam Prep Course, the ideal way to wrap up your required education with a review of key concepts and 'Hot Topic' subject areas.

Learn more about how to get your California real estate license.

Learn more about the California real estate requirements.

As of October 1, 2007– Completion of 45 hours in Principles, 45 hours of Practice, and a 45-hour elective (Legal Aspects recommended). 4-year license issued upon passing state licensing exam. 135 total hours of education required.

Learn more about our Licensing Courses.

California Real Estate Principles.

Licensing Exam for salesperson is 3 hours and 15 minutes in length and consists of 150 multiple-choice questions.

A score of 70% or higher is required to pass.

Most students benefit from an exam prep course to help them pass the California Real Estate license exam. Prepare for your exam and pass the first time with our exam prep courses and study tools:

• 2-Day Exam Prep course is available in Live Classroom and online OnDemand delivery formats.
• California Real Estate Agent Flashcards will help you retain key terms and concepts for exam day.

Learn more about our California Exam Prep courses.

The California Department of Real Estate is the governing body for real estate licensing and continuing education. Learn more at www.dre.ca.gov.

California Department of Real Estate

www.dre.ca.gov

2201 Broadway, Sacramento, Ca. 95818

(916) 227-0900

Additional locations in Los Angeles, Fresno, Oakland, and San Diego.

Exam locations are subject to change, check website for details.

Per California regulations, you cannot complete more than 15 credit hours within a 24 hour period.  Our system will make online exams available based on this regulation in a rolling manner.  If you are in a time crunch, please check back often to see if you have additional items available to complete.

Electives will depend on personal and professional topics that interest you.

Courses range anywhere from $199 to $699. The exam fee is $60.00 for Salesperson/agent and $95.00 for Broker. The licensing fee is $245.00 for Salesperson/agent and $300.00 for Broker.

You can retake the Salesperson/agent exam for $60.00 and the Broker exam for $95.00

They are not accredited, which means they do not transfer to the college level. But they are fully approved for real estate licensing in the state of California.

The links below provide additional information for BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), MUNI (San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency), and the various parking garages in the San Francisco area.

Public transportation is highly recommended for San Francisco classes. On average parking garages usually cost around $30 a day (some are closed on the weekends).

BART: http://www.bart.gov/

MUNI: http://www.sfmta.com/

Parking garages in San Francisco area: www.parkingquest.com

• Currently enrolled students with questions about reprinting a certificate, locating/tracking materials, or requesting a transfer, please contact our Customer Support team Monday–Thursday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Friday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Eastern Time via email at restudentsupport@kaplan.com or via phone: 

800.636.9517

If you live in:   
California, call direct at: 800.660.8105
Colorado, call direct at: 800.660.2188
New Mexico, call direct at: 800.777.1171
Texas, call direct at: 800.638.9708
Minnesota, call direct at: 888.523.1020

• For questions about accessing or viewing your courses, or assistance with online education, our Technical Support team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist you by phone or email. If you require immediate assistance, please call. Emails will be responded to promptly and always within 24 hours from being sent.

Phone: 888.213.5124
Email: retechsupport@kaplan.com

• For questions about course content or curriculum, please email our instructors at nationalleadinstructor@kaplan.com.

We make every attempt to make our websites and products mobile- and tablet-friendly. However, not all features are compatible with all tablets and phones.

• When working on regulated course material, we recommend using a Windows- or Mac-based desktop or laptop computer.
• We recommend the use of Windows 7-10 or macOS 10.9 or later operating systems.
• We recommend the use of current Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browsers. We also support Internet Explorer 11 and Edge.
• For business customers, please verify the browser choice and use with your manager or IT department.
• We recommend online learners have the latest version of Flash (until Aug 1st 2018), when it will no longer be needed.
• We recommend online learners have at least a 2MB connection.

In general, online access to study materials for courses shall be granted for a period of up to 6 months from the date of purchase. Online access may be less than 6 months, if limited by state law or changes made at the discretion of Kaplan Real Estate Education.

View our Terms and Conditions policy.

Our full return policy can be found here.

Both formats are delivered online via the Internet but there are distinct differences with unique advantages designed with the highest level of convenience and success in mind. This page provides details on all of our course delivery formats.

We have a team of seasoned real estate professionals who develop our materials as well as teach our courses. Meet our lead instructors.

All Kaplan Real Estate Education licensing, postlicensing and continuing education courses are submitted and approved by that state's governing body.

Each state has a different governing body that regulates real estate professionals with requirements that vary by state. To find the requirements for your state, go to your state's landing page and select 'State Requirements' from the top navigation.

Each state handles reciprocity differently. We encourage individuals who are licensed in a state and desire to become licensed in additional states to contact the target state regulator body for details. After obtaining the requirements necessary to be licensed in that state, our customer service team can assist you with matching courses to state reciprocity rules. 

What is the difference between a sales person and a broker? A real estate salesperson or broker is a professional licensed by their state to help consumers with real estate matters.  A salesperson must work under a managing or principal broker, this is the broker who is in charge of the brokerage firm.  Some states only license brokers, in that case, new brokers may be called broker associates and are required to work under a managing or principal broker. Much like a salesperson. 

A managing, principal or employing broker is a licensed broker who is in charge of a brokerage firm and the salespersons or broker associates of the firm. Typically to become a managing broker at least two years of active license experience and further course work and sometimes license exams are required.

No matter if you are a real estate salesperson, broker associate or managing broker the job is the same work with buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords to help them reach an agreement.

This video provides a simple five-question test to determine if you fit the profile.

An appraiser gives an opinion of the quality, value, or utility of a specific property. An appraisal is usually required whenever real estate is sold, mortgaged, taxed, insured, or developed. A typical appraisal might include physically inspecting the property, measuring the improvements and collecting the associated costs, preparing a site drawing, writing the physical description of the property, researching official records and deeds, finding similar properties to compare, and writing a final appraisal report.

• Make a list of brokerage firms you want to talk with. If you don't know where to start, browse real estate ads to see if some firms seem more interesting than others.
• Visit your local Chamber of Commerce or Board of REALTORS^® to find out which firms are best represented. Pay attention to television and radio advertising, billboards, and the “For Sale” signs you see in yards.
• Make appointments with the managing or principle broker of each real estate firm on your list. Larger firms may have recruiting managers.

• Ask the broker for an itemized list of startup expenses. Are you required to join local, regional, and national professional organizations? Are there recurring monthly or quarterly expenses for membership?
• Find out if advertising expenses are paid by the agency. How about “For Sale” signs and other signs? Do they provide them to agents free of charge?
• Who pays for long distance telephone calls to clients? How about photocopies, stamps, and other office-related expenses?
• Does the firm provide in-office computers and printers for real estate agent use, or are you expected to bring your own?
• Ask if the firm carries errors and omissions insurance for agents. If so, find out what's covered. Discuss the policy with an insurance carrier to make sure it's adequate.

According to Salary.com, most real estate agents earn on average between $36,566 and $47,610 annually. How much agents make depends on the number of transactions they complete, the commission paid to the brokerage, and their split with the sponsoring broker. If you are talking with a franchised agency, be sure to ask what percentage of each sales commission is deducted and sent to the franchising company. Top producers earn a lot more than the average real estate agent. Each real estate office sets its own standards for top producers, but it's probably safe to say that a top producer would need to sell at least one home a month to qualify. Mega-stars earn $200,000 and up per year. Very few real estate professionals earn a salary versus commission.

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