Home Study Programs

The AAR offers these Home Study Programs for your convenience.

• OnlineEd
  Online Ed offers continuing education, license training and career development courses completely online. They enjoy a 98% approval rating from their students as well as the many real estate schools and community colleges that use their material. The California Department of Real Estate and other State jurisdictions have called them on numerous occasions to tell they that they have some of the very best material available.

Continuing Education

Renewal Process
Salesperson and broker licenses are issued for a four-year period and may be renewed by submitting the appropriate application, fee, and evidence of having successfully completed required continuing education (CE) courses. The Department of Real Estate mails a renewal form to the mailing address on record approximately 90 days prior to the license expiration date. The form is sent as a courtesy only and non-receipt of the form does not relieve the licensee from the responsibility of renewing the license. Proof of legal presence in the United States will also be required if the licensee has not previously provided that information. License Renewal Information (RE 211A) provides more details concerning on-time and late renewals.

Recent Continuing Education Changes:

1. Salespersons renewing for the first time after the issuance of their original license must complete 12 clock hours of CE consisting of DRE-approved three-hour courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, and Fair Housing.

2. Except as provided in item 1 above, all licensees (brokers and salespersons) renewing for the first time on and after January 1, 1996 must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved CE consisting of:

3. For all subsequent renewals, salespersons and brokers must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved CE consisting of:

NOTE: Salespersons who have been issued an 18-month conditional license must have submitted evidence of completion of two additional three semester-unit or four quarter-unit college-level courses, from a list of designated courses, in order to be eligible to file a renewal application.

Initial Renewal on or after January 1, 1996

All real estate brokers and salespersons (except for salespersons renewing an original license for the first time*) initially renewing a license on or after January 1, 1996 must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education consisting of:

• Four separate three-hour courses in the following subjects: Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, and Fair Housing;
  
• A minimum of 18 clock hours of consumer protection courses; and
• The remaining 15 clock hours related to either consumer service or consumer protection.

DRE License Status Inquiry

You may check the status of real estate salesperson, broker, and corporate licensees online. However, before you do, please take a minute and review the information below on how to use the inquiry screen.

Click here to check the status of a real estate salesperson, broker, or corporation.

NOTE: The online status inquiry feature is a service for consumers. It is not intended for, nor capable of, automated database searches or sorts. If you desire such database files, please contact the Department for information on availability and costs.

Using the Real Estate License Status Inquiry Screen

If you enter a name (and, optionally, the city), click on the find button to advance to an index of licensees who satisfy your search criteria. The license identification number, name, license type and city as contained in the mailing address of record, are displayed in the index. This information is provided to help you select the license record you are seeking.

If you click on the license I.D. number from the name index or if you use the license I.D. search from the first screen, you will migrate to the final screen that displays the public information available for that licensee such as the license expiration date, status, salesperson associates, office addresses and corporate affiliations.

The information presented reflects the license records of the DRE at the time of your inquiry; however, it will not reflect pending updates which are being processed by the Department.

Helpful Hints

· Mark the search page with a "bookmark" or "favorite" indicator so that you can initiate search requests from your own menu.

Out-of-Date Information

If your license record reflects information which is no longer current, you should notify DRE using the appropriate change request form: Broker Change Application (RE 204), Corporation Change Application (RE 204A), or Salesperson Change Application (RE 214).

Prior to submitting your application, please review the Tips for a Smooth License Transaction.

Depending on the change being requested, the average processing time frame is about 4 to 6 weeks for your record to reflect the change.

Actions Against Unlicensed Persons

The Department publishes monthly a list of names of persons and businesses which have been found to have been conducting real estate activities without a license. See Desist and Refrain Orders for Unlicensed Activities.

 

DRE Licensing Information

License and Exam Fees
All fees are nonrefundable per Business and Professions Code Section 10207.

Examination Fees

Type of Exam	Salesperson	Broker
Original Exam	$25	$50
First Reschedule	$25	$50
Subsequent Reschedule	$10	$15
Reexamination	$25	$25

Original License Fees

The following fees went into effect on August 31, 2003:

NOTE: An additional charge is required for processing fingerprints through DOJ. See Fingerprint Requirements below for details.

Renewal Fees

The following fees went into effect July 1, 2001:

	Salesperson	Broker
On Time	$120	$165
Late (within 2-year grace period)	$180	$248

Miscellaneous Fees

Fingerprint Requirements

An applicant for any real estate license must submit one set of classifiable fingerprints, acceptable to the State Department of Justice (DOJ), unless the applicant is currently licensed by DRE or has held a real estate license which expired less than two years ago.

Fingerprints must be submitted through DOJ's Live Scan Program, which involves the electronic taking and transmission of fingerprints to DOJ. A Live Scan Service Request form (RE 237) will be sent to all applicants who successfully complete the real estate examination. An original license will not be issued until a report from DOJ is received stating that there is no criminal history, or disclosing criminal history information which then must be reviewed and evaluated.

Live scan applicants should take the Live Scan Service Request form to a participating live scan service provider. After the live scan service provider takes the fingerprints, the applicant must submit to DRE a copy of the RE 237 with Part 3 completed, along with the applicant's completed original license application and the appropriate fee. A list of live scan service providers will be made available at the time the license examination is taken, or can be obtained by calling DRE at (916) 227-0931, or by checking DOJ's Web site at:

http://caag.state.ca.us/fingerprints/publications/contact.pdf

Effective July 1, 2001, the fingerprint processing fee is $56. (A separate additional fee will still be charged by the live scan provider for the service of taking the electronic fingerprints. That fee may vary slightly depending on the live scan provider the applicant chooses.) Applicants effected by this change will be provided with a revised RE 237 Live Scan Request form. After July 1, 2001, both the fingerprint processing fee and the live scan service fee will be collected by the live scan provider and should not be remitted with the applicant’s license application.

After July 1, 2001, applicants who reside outside of California must submit two sets of fingerprint cards (FBI Applicant FD-258 Rev 5/99) which have been completed at a local law enforcement agency. The cards will be provided to all out of state applicants with their original license application. The $56 fingerprint fee must be submitted to DRE with the completed fingerprint cards, original license application, and license fee.

 

Professional Designations

The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® has nine affiliated Institutes, Societies, and Councils that provide a wide-ranging menu of programs and services that assist members in increasing skills, productivity and knowledge. Designations acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate sectors are awarded by each Affiliated group upon completion of required courses. In addition, NAR offers two certification programs to its members.

NAR Designations

e-PRO

e-PRO is a revolutionary new training program presented entirely online to certify real estate agents and brokers as Internet Professionals. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSŪ; is the first major trade group to offer certification for online professionalism. e-PRO is not about technology - it's about how you can leverage your most powerful asset, your people-skills, into doing more business on the Internet. A certificate in e-PRO gives you: - Exhaustive Internet Training - Unique Competitive Advantage - Professional Distinction For more information on the e-PRO certification, visit the e-PRO Web page.