Becoming a Realtor® is a big step.  It’s one that can drastically change the course of your life.  Many people have gone from rags to riches on the back of a real estate license.  Why shouldn’t you be one of them, after all, what do they have they you don’t?  Besides, getting your license in North Carolina is easier than it is many other states.   We’ll be going over the qualifications, courses needed and application process here in this post.

WHO IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A REAL ESTATE LICENSE IN NORTH CAROLINA?

In general, any person or business entity who transacts real estate brokerage business (including time share transactions) for compensation as an agent for another must first obtain a real estate license issued by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. The Real Estate Commission, an independent government agency of the State of North Carolina, is responsible for licensing and regulating all real estate brokers in this state. Operating as a real estate broker in North Carolina without the proper license is a criminal offense. The types of real estate licenses issued in North Carolina are discussed below. For more information concerning North Carolina real estate licenses and the laws and rules governing real estate brokerage practice in North Carolina, visit the Commission’s website at www.ncrec.gov.

LICENSE CATEGORIES / STATUS LEVELS
North Carolina is a “broker license only” state, meaning that there is only one basic type of license – a broker license. However, there are several categories or status levels of a broker license as described below:

PROVISIONAL BROKER:
This is the entry-level license status. Upon satisfying all the license qualification requirements (including
passing the license examination) most license applicants are initially issued a provisional broker license, which is technically a broker license on provisional status.
A provisional broker must be under the supervision of a broker-in-charge to be on active status and legally provide brokerage services.  To remove provisional status, a provisional broker must complete the 90-hour Postlicensing education program.
BROKER:
This is the primary individual license status.
One generally becomes a broker by first becoming a provisional broker and satisfying the Postlicensing
education requirements to terminate the provisional status of the license.
A “full” broker can engage in brokerage EITHER as an affiliated agent of a real estate brokerage company (firm or sole proprietorship) under a broker-in-charge (BIC) OR independently as a sole proprietor or an entity.
An independent broker-sole proprietor must be a broker-in-charge to lawfully engage in most brokerage activities.

LICENSE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for an individual real estate broker license, an applicant must:
1) Be at least 18 years of age;
2) Be a United States citizen, a non-citizen national or a qualified alien under federal law, or have a lawful presence in the U.S. and be authorized to work in the U.S. in the real estate brokerage field.

[Note: A holder of a U.S. Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) is a “qualified alien.” Work authorization in the U.S. for most other aliens requires a U.S. immigration visa (rather than a visitor visa) and/or an Employment Authorization Document from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service that permits work in the real estate brokerage field.];

3) Have a Social Security Number;
4) Satisfy one of the Education Qualification Options listed below;
5) File a complete application and fee;
6) Pass the two-part real estate license examination (Exceptions: Persons eligible to bypass the license
examination or to take only the State section of the examination under qualification option #4 below and
some license reinstatement applicants); and
7) Satisfy the Commission that the applicant possesses the requisite character for licensure/

Education Requirement
License applicants must complete the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course at a North Carolina school approved by the Commission or possess the education and/or real estate experience the Commission finds equivalent to such course.
Education Qualification Options
Shown below are four (4) options for satisfying the education requirement. Option 1 is the base requirement to complete the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course, which will be the required qualification method for a vast majority of license applicants. Options 2-4 are options for demonstrating “equivalent real estate education and/or experience.”

OPTION #1:  COMPLETION OF THE 75-HOUR NORTH CAROLINA BROKER PRELICENSING COURSE

An applicant (resident or nonresident) may qualify to take the North Carolina real estate license examination by successfully completing, within three (3) years prior to license application, the Commission-approved 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course. This course is only available at Commission-approved schools located in North Carolina.
Required Documentation
North Carolina real estate schools will electronically report all successful completion of the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course automatically to the Commission to be paired with online license applications. An applicant who submits a paper application must attach the Official Certificate of Course  Completion signed by the school director. No other proof of course completion will be accepted.
6 Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina

OPTION #2:  COMPLETION IN ANOTHER STATE OF AN EQUIVALENT REAL ESTATE
SALESPERSON PRELICENSING COURSE

An applicant may seek a waiver of the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course based on completion of equivalent salesperson prelicensing education in another state.
Per Commission Rule 58A .0304, to qualify for such waiver, the completed prelicensing education in the other state MUST:
1) have consisted of at least 75 hours of instruction [no partial credit granted];
2) have been completed within one (1) year prior to North Carolina license application and while the applicant was a resident of the other state; and
3) be parallel to the topics and timings described in the Commission’s Prelicensing course syllabus.
Required Documentation
A course completion certificate or transcript evidencing the successful completion of a prelicensing education program that meets the requirements stated in Rule 58A .0304.

OPTION #3:  EQUIVALENT REAL ESTATE EDUCATION
An applicant may seek a waiver of the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course based on completion of substantial real estate education other than prelicensing courses.
Per Commission Rule 58A .0304, to qualify for such waiver, the applicant must have a baccalaureate or
higher degree in the field of real estate, real estate brokerage, real estate finance, real estate development, or a law degree conferred on the applicant from any college or university accredited by a college accrediting body recognized by the U. S. Department of Education.

Required Documentation
A transcript evidencing the successful completion of a baccalaureate or higher degree that meets the
requirements stated in 58A .0304.

OPTION #4:  CURRENT LICENSURE AS A REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON OR BROKER IN
ANOTHER STATE
An applicant who holds a current real estate license in another state (or U.S. territory or Canadian
jurisdiction) that is equivalent to NC’s provisional broker license and that has been on active status
within the previous three (3) years may
EITHER
1) submit an application, including criminal record report, certification(s) of licensure, and application fee,
2) pass the State portion of the license examination, and
3) be issued a provisional broker license (assuming requisite character requirements are met) and be subject
to the Postlicensing education requirement;
OR
1) submit an application, including criminal record report, certification(s) of licensure, and application fee, and
2) be issued a provisional broker license (assuming requisite character requirements are met) and be subject
to the Postlicensing education* requirement.
*Please note that provisional brokers who applied for an NC license based on licensure in another jurisdiction
and who opted not to take the State section of the license examination are NOT eligible for any waiver of
Postlicensing education under Rule 58A .1905.
Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina 7
An applicant who holds a current real estate license in another state (or U.S. territory or Canadian
jurisdiction) that is equivalent to NC’s “full” broker license and that has been on active status within the
previous three (3) years may
EITHER
1) submit an application, including criminal record report, certification(s) of licensure, and application fee,
2) pass the State portion of the license examination, and
3) be issued a “full” broker license (assuming requisite character requirements are met);
OR
1) submit an application, including criminal record report, certification(s) of licensure, and application fee, and
2) be issued a provisional broker license (assuming requisite character requirements are met) and be
subject to the Postlicensing education* requirement.
*Please note that provisional brokers who applied for an NC license based on licensure in another jurisdiction and who opted not to take the State section of the license examination are NOT eligible for any waiver of Postlicensing education under Rule 58A .1905.
Required Documentation
Official Certification of Licensure from the licensing agency in the state or jurisdiction in which the
applicant is currently licensed. The certification must have been issued within the six (6) months preceding the application and must indicate the license (and status) history and any disciplinary action taken or complaints pending against the applicant. A copy of the applicant’s real estate license certificate or pocket identification card is not acceptable. Proof of education is not required.
Note: In order to qualify for licensure based on option #4, the certification of licensure must show that the license is current and that it has been on active status within three years. See Commission rule 58A .0511.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Now that you’ve completed your courses, you can move on to getting your license by taking the required exams.  Here are the requirements and process to get to complete the process.

Overview
1. Successfully complete the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course or one of the other
Education Qualification Options.
2. Submit a complete license application, including appropriate fee and all required documentation.
3. Your application is processed by Commission staff.
• If you do not qualify for licensure based on one of the four (4) education qualification options
previously discussed, your application will be canceled and returned to you.
• If your application is incomplete, the application will be returned to you for proper completion.
• Note that the application fee is nonrefundable. Commission rules provide that once an application
has been processed by the Commission, the application fee may not be refunded.
4. Unless you are exempt from the license examination requirement based on Education Qualification
Option #4, you are sent a Notice of Exam Eligibility within 2-3 days after application receipt and
acceptance.
• If you applied online, the Notice will be sent by email. [Add “LICAPPdonotreply@ncrec.gov” as
a safe email address in your anti-spam filter in order to receive the Notice by email.]
• If you submitted a paper application, the Notice will be sent by regular mail and thus may not
arrive until several days after it is sent.
5. You contact the testing service to pay the examination fee and to schedule and take the license examination.
8 Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina
6. If you PASS the license examination (or if you are exempt from the license examination requirement
based on Education Qualification Option #4):
• If there are no issues relating to character, your license will be promptly issued and should be
received in the mail within 7-10 days of the examination date.
• If there is an issue relating to character, your application will be reviewed by Commission staff
and may be referred to the Commission for further consideration. This process may become quite
lengthy. (See Consideration of Applicant’s Character.)
OR
If you FAIL the license examination, you may reschedule and retake the examination (as described under The License Examination). Please note that the $100 application fee PLUS the $64 examination
fee will be collected each time an applicant takes one or both sections of the license examination.
Timeframe for Obtaining a License.
If a qualified applicant files a complete online application, schedules and takes the examination promptly after receiving Notice of Exam Eligibility, passes the examination on the first attempt, and has no character issues, the entire application-examination-licensing process may be completed in as little as ten (10) days. The process may be slowed by many factors, such as an applicant filing a paper application, filing an incomplete application (paper or online), or not passing the examination on the first attempt. However, the main factor that slows the process is the character review process.

Questions?

This is tons of info and I’m sure you have questions you want to ask.  Let’s go over those and you can also request a copy of the booklet. “Real Estate Licensing in North Caroline” where I got all of my information from.  Just fill out the form here and let’s get things rolling for you!

---

References:
https://www.ncrec.gov/Brochures/general.pdf