What does a real estate agent do?

Do you know that the decision to become a real estate agent can bring you top money in GA? That’s true because the real estate business is one of the most stable and prosperous in Georgia. People buy homes and sell them, they rent property and lease it regularly. It is a good real estate salesperson who helps them with these activities and earns money for their services.

Yet, being a real estate agent requires from you some effort. First of all, you need to get a license and succeed with the exam. Moreover, in Georgia, the law requires every candidate for the position of a real estate agent to undergo two exams. The first is the final exam of your educational course and the second is a real estate exam provided and required by GREC, an official state regulator of the real estate industry in Georgia.

After all, you need some skills and expertise to work as a real estate salesperson for one of the local official real estate brokers. Which are these skills, you may ask?

• Marketing and market analysis skills
• Sales experience
• Skills in GoogleAds and similar technologies
• Skills in WordPress

Besides, as you are engaged in an evaluation of homes and commercial properties, you work with people, and you conclude top-dollar contracts, you also need to be communicative, active, and flexible, and acquire some knowledge in psychology and math. That’s what each real estate agent in Georgia does in their working routines.

Besides, the scope of any real estate company services supposes three types of licenses for its employees. There are:

• A real estate agent’s license;
• A real estate broker’s license;
• A Community Association RE Manager’s license.

8 Steps to obtain a real estate license in GA

So, if you are sure that a real estate agent position is beneficial for you and your career, probably, it’s time to start your path to the license which allows you to work throughout the state as a real estate salesperson. Let’s consider how to get the license of a real estate agent and avoid multiple pitfalls during licensing.

The whole process of real estate license acquisition can be divided into 8 parts. So, we are going to share some information about these parts (let’s call them steps) in our guide. Saying briefly, you’ll have to undergo these steps:

1. Meet the regulator’s requirements for a real estate license;
2. Complete a 75-hour training course which includes tutorials in multiple disciplines;
3. Pass a course exam to receive a diploma that confirms you are a professional in the real estate niche;
4. Pass a criminal background check to provide the information that you was not engaged in any crime before;
5. Get in touch with the licensure center to pass the state real estate exam and obtain the license;
6. Pass the exam in the PSI testing & licensing center;
7. Consider an affiliate real estate broker to prove that you’ll be hired after licensing;
8. Make an application for a real estate license;

So, let’s consider each step in detail to get more info about them.

1. Meeting GREC requirements for a real estate license in Georgia

The first thing to do is to decide whether you meet all of the specific requirements provided by the local regulator, GREC. You should be:

• Least 18 years;
• A citizen of the US or at least a permanent alien resident with a legal background;
• Providing your confirmation of high school graduation (high school diploma) or other higher education confirmations (college or university degree fits OK) is necessary.

That’s what forms the requirement basis for obtaining a permit to work as a real estate employee in Georgia.

2. Complete 75 hours of approved pre-license training

Then it’s time to empower your skills and knowledge as a real estate sales person. You can do it by passing special courses provided by Georgia accredited educational centers and schools. They provide you with paid services which include both on-board and online training with a focus on information related to finance, insurance, marketing, laws, sales, and other questions any real estate agent should know.

Studying in an Accredited School

Order an approved course for pre-licence real estate training in your state.

Start Education Course

The courses can be attended on a convenient schedule. Some choose to attend them once a week, while others prefer to get the full course in two to four weeks with high intensity. That’s up to you.

Courses to become a real estate agent cost differently. The price depends on the school policy, the intensity of your education, and the type of attendance (online or in person). So, you should count on minimal pricing of $299 and up to $1,000+.

3. Submitting fingerprints and passing a criminal background check

Besides pre-licensing courses, do not forget about the requirement of a criminal background check. You can do that in Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) and provide your licensee with its eligible report. Your fingerprints will be taken and your criminal history will be extracted for the report.

4. Pass the course final exam

Pre-license classes finish with the exam you need to hold before applying for the state examination of your professionalism. Just consider it to be a prep routine to ensure you learn all the necessary skills before you take the exam in one of the department centers.

5. Apply to take the exam

Then you should get access to the state GA real estate exam. This can be made online using this site. Please, fill in a registration form and select the date for your examination.

6. Pass the real estate exam

The real estate agents exam consists of 2 sections total of 152 questions related to agency relationships, real property ownership, finance, marketing regulations, property management, state laws, local GA regulations, affidavit issues, etc. It is written, not in the form of an interview.

The exam is held using PCs, also you can also bring your calculator. You have 4 hours to complete all tasks and receive the score calculated by the Angoff measurement. You can complete it in person at any examination center or choose online completion. Do not be afraid of failure as you can retake it.

7. Find a brokerage firm or a sponsoring broker

Then if you gained success with your real estate exam, you have to contact a reliable broker company which may sponsor you. Only sponsored candidates acquire the license in Georgia because it is proof of your becoming a licensed professional specialist who will be hired with a 100% guarantee buy a reputable associate.

How do I find a supporting GA real estate broker to work for?

There we have some ideas about becoming sponsored by local real estate agencies. Just pick up our list and contact its reps to get their sponsoring.

1. The Premier Group;
2. 1st Class Real Estate;
3. Keller Williams Realty;
4. Skystone Acquisitions;
5. Century 21 Real Estate.

Feel free to contact all of them and ensure that you will be sponsored.

8. Georgia real estate license application

To get your real estate license, you have to enter the website and use the format of the Candidate Handbook. Please, sign in and login on the official website or find the AMP testing center in your neighborhood to place the statement for a real estate license. Submit your diploma of passing real estate pre-licensing courses and your exam results.

Do not forget to pay the commission for the real estate licensing application which are as follows:

• Examination fee – $121 per each attemp;
• Licensure commission – $170 if you place it in three months after your exam is completed; $340 if you manage to do this later.

Then you will receive your license and your status of a real estate pro.

Post-license training and education

The principle of RE licensure in GA is simple. You are provided with a license for four years or 48 months subsequently. The expiration date of your license is the last day of your birthday month i.e. if you are born in December, authorities require you to place the request for the real estate license renewal after the 31st of December.

Besides, you may need to take 36 hours of CE before you apply for your real estate license renewal. Then you’ll be provided with coursework to perform and then your application will be processed. When you apply for renewal for the first time, you need only to take 25 hours of post-license continuing education as a student. Then, after the next 4 years, you’ll have to have 36 hours of continuing education for post-licensing processing. It’s the main condition to make your license activated for the next 4 years. If you neglect this condition, it will be inactive.

As for the costs of license renewal, the commission paid in person is $125, yet if you apply for the valid update online, it saves you $25.

Georgia real estate license reciprocity

Georgia state laws accept licenses from all US states except Florida, so if you move to Georgia, you just need to submit your current real estate license issued by any state except FL.

The same it works in another direction and you can successfully apply for your GA license reciprocity in all 50 states.

Cost of real estate license in Georgia

The total cost of your real estate license may vary depending on the costs of courses, time of application for the license, and some other reasons. You can find the latest relevant costs in the table we provide you with.

Jobs you can get with a Georgia property license

What about jobs and perspectives which real estate license offers to their owners? There are some ideas embodied in the table below.

Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) conclusions

GREC provides clear navigation for real estate salesperson candidates and its conclusions base on the completion of its main requirements. In case you provide GREC with all the papers including your personal ID card and security number, your certificate of completion real estate courses, and your successful exam completion, the conclusions will result in an approval of your real estate license.

Let’s answer the most typical questions about real estate licensing in Georgia.

About the author

Michael Baker is a journalist with over 5 years of experience in the real estate industry. His knowledge of licensing processes, procedures and requirements makes her an expert in the field.