In North Carolina, you must be at least 18 years of age; be of good character (a criminal background check is required); be a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien under federal law; and have a Social Security number. You must also pass a broker pre-licensing course or possess equivalent qualifications acceptable to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC), and pass the state license examination.
You must take and pass a 75-hour broker pre-licensing course. After successful completion of the course, you can apply to take the state examination to receive your provisional broker license.
The cost of our course is $365. You also need to purchase a textbook for $40.
The book is sold at The Realtor® Store. You can find them at www.realtorstore.com or contact them at 704-940-3126.
Your tuition fee includes:
- Attendance at the 75-hour Mingle School of Real Estate Broker Pre-Licensing course
- A student workbook
- Study materials
- A special three-hour math review class with separate math workbook
- Practice tests and quizzes
- A review session prior to your course exam
Click here for the 75-Hour Broker Pre-Licensing schedule. We will be glad to answer any questions you might have at 704-372-2984. Registration information can be mailed upon request.
Broker Pre-Licensing students must attend at a minimum 90 percent of all scheduled classroom hours. Broker pre-licensing students cannot miss more than 7.5 hours of scheduled classroom hours. Students cannot miss the first scheduled broker pre-licensing class. Students missing the first scheduled pre-licensing class will be required to reschedule for another pre-licensing course. All hours missed, including late arrivals and early departures, are counted in total absences allowed. Students who do not satisfy attendance requirements will not be eligible to take the course final exam.
Your final grade is based entirely on your performance on the final course exam, and you must score an 80 percent or higher to pass and receive a certificate of completion. If you score a 70 percent-79 percent, you can take a different exam for a second chance to obtain the 80-percent passing grade. You must take your retake within 30 days of the end date of your class.
If you score under a 70 percent on your final exam, or under an 80 percent on your retake exam, you must take the entire 75-hour broker pre-licensing course again. You can only take the retake exam one time. If you retake the class within six months of your final exam date, the schedule of fees is as follows: First retake-$125 (if the student retakes within six months), second retake-$250 (if the student retakes within six months), third retake-$365 (required to pay full tuition again). Students are eligible for the retake prices only if they retake the course within six months from the end date of the course they last took. If a student retakes the course a fourth or fifth time, the retake price is $125 and $250.
Before you can apply to NCREC to take your state exam, you must complete a criminal background check. NCREC only accepts background checks done by Carolina Investigative Research. They can be reached at www.cir-nc.com or 919-460-7799. Your background check can take as long as a month, so it is advised to complete it during your pre-licensing class.
After obtaining your background check, you must mail it along with your certificate of completion; a completed application; and a $30 cashier’s check, certified check or money order to NCREC. It usually takes NCREC 5-7 business days (although it can take up to a month) to process your application, and after that they will mail you back an admission ticket that allows you to sit for the state test. The testing fee is $66 and must be paid to the testing center, not to NCREC. You can schedule your test as soon as two days after receiving your admission ticket and the test is administered every day Monday-Saturday.
Your certificate is good for three years. After three years, you will have to take the class again if you want to obtain a license. It is recommended that you take the exam as soon as you can after completing the class to give yourself a better chance to pass.
As a provisional broker you must hang your license with a firm and be supervised by a broker-in-charge (BIC) to sell and list real estate. Furthermore, you must complete 90 hours of additional post-licensing education within three years of obtaining your provisional broker license. The 90 hours consists of three separate 30-hour classes, and you must take at least one of these classes every year to keep your license active. Once you have completed all three classes, the “provisional” status will be removed from your license and you will have a full-fledged broker license.
Research the local market and learn about the various firms. There are large and small firms, some with many branch offices, and some with just one office. Some have highly structured training programs for new agents and some operate on a more informal, learn-as-you-go basis. There are firms that operate as buyer-brokerage firms only and others that provide full-service brokerage. A practical plan might be to contact the sales managers of at least three firms, preferably representing a variety of different-sized firms, and ask about the training and support for new agents available.
Mingle School is unable to provide job placement but we do have a recruiting program. The Mingle School of Real Estate is owned by the Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association (CRRA). CRRA member firms will come in to share information about their firms during class lunch periods or breaks. You also have the option of receiving recruiting mailings from various area firms.