Guide to Becoming a Real Estate Agent in Maryland
Complete a Pre-Licensing Course
Attend and successfully pass a Pre-licensing class approved by the Maryland Real Estate Commission. The Pre-Licensing class is a 60 hour course designed to outline Real Estate law and theory. By the end of the course, you will be ready to take a 110 question course final exam. This exam must be passed with a 70% or higher average.
Take the Maryland Real Estate salesperson Exam
The Maryland Real Estate salesperson Exam is administered by a company named PSI Examination Services. PSI has locations across the state of Maryland. More information can be found about PSI in the Maryland Real Estate Licensing Exam. The exam consist of two different sections, National and Maryland state portion. You have an overall time of 2 hours to complete both sections. You are allotted 90 minutes to finish the National portion and 30 minutes to finish the Maryland state section.
Choose a brokerage to affiliate with
After completing your Maryland Real Estate salesperson exam, you will now need to affiliate with a brokerage of your choice. You must affiliate with a brokerage, who in return holds your license on file.
And I know the big question you want to ask, Which real estate brokerage should I affiliate with? This question doesn’t have a magic answer and may be different depending on who you ask.
We are affiliated with Keller Williams American Premier Realty, located in Bel Air, MD in Harford County, and couldn’t be happier. The people, training, and culture is what led us to Keller Williams. There are however, many other great real estate brokerages in the state of Maryland. Do your research and see which brokerage fits your needs, to help make an informed decision. If you determine that the brokerage you affiliated with doesn’t fit your personality, you always have the opportunity to go elsewhere.
Apply for your license online
Once you have decided upon a brokerage, the next step is to apply for your Maryland real estate salesperson license. You must apply for your license with the DLLR by going to the DLLR (Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation) website and clicking on “Licensing Applications” and select “Apply for an Original License”.
Congratulations on becoming a licensed Real Estate Agent
Once your application is approved, your Maryland real estate salesperson license will be issued to the brokerage of your choosing. As stated before, your brokerage holds your license. They will issue you a pocket card in which you should carry on your person when conducting business.
Requirements for a Maryland Real Estate License
- Be of good character and reputation. Prior offenses may hinder your ability to obtain a license.
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Successfully complete a 60 hour basic real estate course approved by the Maryland Real Estate Commission.
These requirements are appointed by the DLLR and General Assembly of Maryland.
Pre-licensing Course
The first step in obtaining your Maryland real estate license is attending a 60 hour pre-licensing course. The Maryland Real Estate Commission requires that every real estate licensee take a classroom program titled Principles & Practices of Real Estate. The course outlines all the technical aspects of real estate math, law, and theory. The Pre-Licensing course can be completed in several different ways to accomidate your schedule; online, standard Monday thru Friday classes, or evening classes. The going rate for a Pre-Licensing course is approximately $200. This differs at every location, but materials included are the two following books; Modern Real Estate Practice & Maryland Real Estate Practice and Law.
To find out more information on Pre-Licensing classes, to obtain your Maryland Real Estate License, please visit the DLLR list of approved education providers. To take an online pre-licensing course, please visit Frederick Academy to get started. They offer pre-licensing courses, CE courses (continuing education), as well as broker licensing courses. If you are looking to obtain your license in one of the following states, they can help you with that as well! Frederick Academy offers pre-licensing courses for Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington D.C.
Many brokerages such as Long and Foster and Coldwell Banker offer the Pre-Licensing exams at locations around the state of Maryland. These classes are held at brokerages of theirs around the state in hopes that you affiliate with their brokerage following the Maryland Real Estate Licensing Exam. You can choose to affiliate with them or inquire at other brokerages to see who fits your style and personality.
Maryland Real Estate Licensing Exam
The Maryland Real Estate licensing exam consists of two portions. Both the National and Maryland State sections must be passed with at least a 70% completion rate. If only one section is passed, you have up to one year to complete and pass the other section. You will only need to pass the section that you did not successfully complete.
Testing
Testing is conducted by PSI Examination Services. PSI has locations through out the state of Maryland. You will need to schedule an appointment with PSI to take your exam. The Real Estate licensing exam has a two hour time limit and is taken using a provided computer at the location. Results are provided directly after completion of the test. PSI also offers a Real Estate Licensing Practice Exam for those looking to experience what the exam is like before the real thing.
It is very common for applicants to fail on the first and even second time taking the exam. Don’t get discouraged from this. As stated earlier, you have one year from the date of taking the exam to complete and pass the section or sections you did not pass before. If you happen to pass on the first go around, Congratulations!
Applying for Your License
The next step is to apply for your Maryland Real Estate Salesperson license. This is completed by going to the DLLR (Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation) website and clicking on “Licensing Applications” and select “Apply for an Original License”.
Applicants must apply for their Maryland Real Estate license within one year of passing the Maryland Real Estate Licensing Exam. If you fail to affiliate with a brokerage within that one year time period, you will be required to retake the exam.
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