California is a beautiful state offering many opportunities, so it’s no wonder many people live there. Many more move there every year, and they need houses, apartments, and condos. If you have some people skills and like face-to-face customer interactions, you might help them find homes as a realtor.
To get to that point and start your new career, you’ll need to go through some steps to obtain a real estate license. We will talk about them right now.
How To Get Your California Real Estate License
Take the Necessary Classes
First, you’ll take the required classes. The California Department of Real Estate is the entity that comes up with and offers them. You must take the California Real Estate Practice course, as well as the California Real Estate Principals course. You can also take the Legal Aspects of Real Estate course, though that is an elective.
You must take these courses before you tackle the state’s real estate license exam. When you finish them, you will know some basic real estate principles, and you’ll also know most of the terminology that you’ll encounter in your new career.
The State Exam Application Process
Next, you’ll apply to the California Department of Real Estate to take their exam. You must have a course completion certificate, which the department will email to you. Make sure to look through your spam folder if it doesn’t make it into your inbox.
You can apply either online or through the mail. Applying online shouldn’t take as long, and it’s probably more convenient for you.
The DRE takes up to eight weeks to schedule you for the exam. You can study during that time. You might ask others who took the exam already what you should expect. If you’re attending a real estate training school, the teachers can help you prepare.
The Practice Tests
Many schools you can attend will offer practice tests. You can take them and retake them while you wait to take the actual test. You want a 90% score or better.
The practice tests, much like the exam itself, feature questions about the real estate terminology you’ll encounter. They’ll also teach a simple approach when you must solve word problems. These problems, or ones like them, appear on the actual exam.
Take the Exam
When you get a date and time, you’ll take the exam. You can take it at several sites around California. You can find one in Los Angeles, Oakland, and elsewhere.
The exam features 200 multiple-choice questions. You must get at least 150 of those correct to pass. After you’ve passed, you will get your license. You can use that and find work. You might work for a realty company and start selling homes soon afterward.
You should enjoy your new profession. Many individuals find the real estate industry very rewarding. You can put families in homes they’ll love for years to come. You can meet interesting people, and it is steady work as well.