Whether you’re a real estate sales agent, broker or Realtor(r), every state’s real estate regulatory body requires you to renew your license at regular intervals. There are often many different aspects to the renewal process, but the most time consuming part of all is usually the education component called Realtor Continuing Education (CE).
CE courses are designed to ensure that licensed real estate agents and brokers keep current with developments in the industry and stay well-informed about best practices. They are generally taught by subject matter experts who are highly qualified to do so and have experience in the field. They’re also designed to help licensees understand and comply with the laws and regulations in their respective states.
The exact number of CE hours required varies by state, but they typically include a certain number of mandatory topics. These topics can range from real estate law to ethics to fair housing and beyond. The real estate CE requirements for your particular state can be found at the State Real Estate Commission’s website.
In New York, for example, both real estate salespersons and real estate brokers must complete 22.5 hours of CE every two years to renew their license. This includes 2.5 hours of courses about ethical business practices and 1 hour of courses about recent legal matters, such as rules and regulations, DOS opinions, and court decisions that are relevant to real estate in the state. First-time renewals have an extra hour of agency related coursework that must be completed.
New Jersey real estate agents need 12 hours of CE each year, and the requirements vary by license type. For example, sales agents need 3 hours of Fair Housing and 1 hour of Agency Law. The license renewal requirements for New Jersey real estate brokers are a bit different, as they need 10 hours of Mandatory Topics and another 4 of the Core Subjects.
Ohio real estate licensees need 21 CE hours to renew their licenses every three years, and the exact requirements vary by license level. For example, Sales Associates need 6 hours of Mandatory Topics and 8 of the Core Subjects, while Broker Associates and Responsible Brokers need 9 and 14 of the same topics, respectively.
Illinois requires 12 CE hours to renew a license, but the specifics differ by license type. For example, Sales Associates need a 4-hour Core Course and 2 hours of Ethics training. Brokers require a 6-hour Core Course, as do those who work in Property Management. As an approved online training provider, our sister site 360training has convenient packages and course options that can satisfy your Illinois license renewal requirements.