How to Get Your Arizona Real Estate License
Gina is a licensed real estate salesperson, experienced trainer, and former high school educator of 1,000+ learners. She writes for Fit Small Business with a focus on real estate content.
This article is part of a larger series on How to Become a Real Estate Agent.
Getting your Arizona real estate license can be a complicated process if you don’t know the correct steps to take. Before you start your real estate career, the Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE) requires 90 hours of prelicensing education, a fingerprint clearance card, a passing exam score, a contract writing course, and sponsorship from a brokerage. Follow our detailed step-by-step guide, including document links and resources, to learn how to become a real estate agent in Arizona.
Statistics courtesy of World Population Review and Leads Deposit
1. Meet the Legal Requirements for Your Arizona Real Estate License
While many states require you to have a high school diploma to become a licensed real estate agent, Arizona does not. The ADRE requirements to obtain licensure and become a real estate agent in AZ are that you are 18 years of age or older and must be a lawfully admitted resident of the U.S.
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Arizona does not offer license reciprocity but does have out-of-state recognition for those licensed in other states. You don’t have to complete the 90 hours of prelicensing education but still have to get your fingerprint clearance, take the six-hour writing contract course, pass the exam, and submit the license application and fee. For all requirements, check out the Out-of-State License Recognition form.
Also, Arizona is a cooperative state in terms of portability, so out-of-state real estate agents or brokers can physically enter the state to conduct real estate business. However, for out-of-state agents to work on a real estate transaction, they must have a co-brokerage agreement with a licensee in AZ. To learn more about real estate license portability in Arizona, check out our guide on real estate license reciprocity and portability.
All applicants are required to complete the Disciplinary Actions Disclosure Form. While it does ask about convictions, you still may be eligible to get your Arizona real estate license even if you have a criminal record.
Those who answer yes to any convictions must also submit a written disclosure of any offenses with associated documents from the Disclosure Document Checklist, which will be reviewed by the ADRE before deciding upon licensure. You may also submit the Licensing Predetermination Request Form to see if your record will qualify for an Arizona real estate license prior to moving forward in the licensing process.
2. Complete the Required Prelicensing Courses
Once you know you meet Arizona’s basic legal requirements, you need to complete 90 hours of prelicensing education from an accredited real estate school. In addition, before submitting your AZ real estate license application to the ADRE, you are also required to take a six-hour Contract Writing course and provide documentation of course attendance.
The required real estate prelicensing classes can be completed either in-person or online, with costs ranging from $395 to $799. All courses will cover the following topics:
- Real estate statutes
- Commissioner’s rules
- Agency relationships and managerial duties
- Contracts and contract law
- Property interests, estates, and tenancies
- Government rights in real property
- Income tax aspects of real estate
- Arizona water law
- Environmental law
- Land descriptions
- Land development
- Encumbrances
- Acquisitions/transfer of title
- Escrow and settlement
- Fair Housing and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Arizona residential landlord-tenant act
- Property management
- Property insurance and warranties
- Appraisal
- Primary and secondary markets/financing concepts
- Residential and commercial financing
- Financing
- Financing documents
- Deed of trust foreclosure
- Disclosure and consumer protection
- Math calculations
- Cooperative nature of real estate
The Forum Real Estate School is one of your best options for AZ real estate prelicensing classes. It’s an Arizona online real estate school offering live virtual courses with local industry experts. The school also holds training, workshops, and in-person events where you can network with other professionals in the real estate field to get your career up and running.
Visit The Forum Real Estate School
3. Get Your Fingerprint Clearance Card (FCC)
The next thing to do to become a real estate agent in Arizona is to get fingerprinted. Start the process of getting your Fingerprint Clearance Card as soon as possible after completing your prelicensing education as it takes anywhere from 10 to 30 days. FCCs are obtained from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (ADPS) and can be either in electronic or paper form.
To begin, create a login on the Public Service Portal and submit your application online or download the paper application and mail it in. Make sure you complete the Non-Identity Verified Print (Non-IVP) application for real estate salespeople.
Pay the $67 fee online via credit or debit card, or mail a cashier’s check, money, or business check with a preprinted business address made payable to the ADPS. After payment, you will be able to schedule your fingerprinting appointment with local authorities or designated fingerprinting sites. You can check your FCC status and communicate directly through the Public Service Portal.
4. Take the Arizona Real Estate Exam
The average pass rate for the Arizona real estate exam is between 60% and 66%, so while it is difficult, it is not impossible to pass. The Arizona real estate license exam is administered electronically on the computer and results are provided directly after testing in pass or fail format. If you pass, you’ll receive directions for submitting your license application. If you fail, you get a diagnostic report documenting your strengths and weaknesses so you can study for the next attempt.
If you don’t pass, you can reschedule the exam 24 hours after your first attempt. In addition, those who fail a second time can schedule an exam review appointment to review the questions they answered incorrectly. The appointment must be scheduled within 14 days of the second failed exam and before the third exam attempt.
Arizona Real Estate Exam Details
Test Format | Multiple choice |
Test Length | 195 questions (15 questions are unscored pretest questions) |
Time Limit | 300 minutes |
Items to Bring to Exam | 2 valid forms of identification (ID) with signatures:
|
Passing Score | 75% to pass the Arizona Real Estate Salesperson Exam |
Pass Rate | 60-66% |
Schedule Your Exam
The global testing company Pearson VUE is the official administrator of the AZ real estate license exam. You schedule your exam directly on the Pearson VUE website and will then receive a copy of the Candidate Fact Sheet with additional information. Pay the $75 exam fee directly through the Pearson website using a credit card, debit card, electronic check, or voucher.
To make sure you’re prepared for the Arizona real estate license exam, use an exam prep service like PrepAgent. PrepAgent has tools like e-books, flashcards, audio lessons, videos, and more to reinforce concepts and definitions learned during your prelicensing courses. This way, you’ll be able to pass your exam on the first try and start your successful real estate career. PrepAgent even offers a 20% discount to Fit Small Business readers.
Visit PrepAgent
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For extra guidance on passing your real estate exam, download our Exam Prep e-book. We include a pre-assessment to test your knowledge as well as helpful information about what’s included in the exam, the length and structure of the exam, study tips, and sample questions from PrepAgent.
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5. Pick a Sponsoring Brokerage to Work For
To hold an active Arizona real estate license, you must affiliate your license with a sponsoring brokerage. To make your choice a little bit easier, check out our in-depth guide on how to choose a real estate company to work for. Although there are many successful brokerages in the Copper State, below are the top five Arizona real estate brokerages reported for 2022.
Rank | Team Name | Company | City | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Rider Elite Team | Keller Williams Realty | Scottsdale | $331,146,300.60 |
2 | The Walt Danley Group | Walt Danley Christie's International Real Estate | Paradise Valley | $263,702,796.00 |
3 | The RTT Home Group | RE/MAX Fine Properties | Scottsdale | $220,085,632.13 |
4 | Private Client Group | Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty | Scottsdale | $168,440,342.75 |
5 | Klaus Team | Keller Williams Realty | Mesa | $151,417,128.50 |
Data from Real Trends
6. Apply for Your Arizona Real Estate License
Once you’ve passed the exam and chosen a brokerage to work for, you’re ready to submit your Arizona real estate license application. When you pass your exam, you receive a paper copy of the application form, but you can also apply directly through the ADRE website. The $60 application fee can be paid by check, money order, or credit or debit card.
To become a real estate agent in AZ, the following documents are required along with your application and fee:
- Original Arizona real estate exam Score Report
- 90-hour Salesperson prelicensing course certificate
- Six-hour Contract Writing course certificate
- Proof of Legal Presence (can be a driver’s license, utility bill, voter registration, mortgage statement, or other documents that have your legal Arizona address)
- Valid Fingerprint Clearance Card (copy front and back)
- Disciplinary Actions Disclosure Form
- Disclosure Document Checklist Form (only applicable if you answered yes to convictions on the Disciplinary Actions Disclosure Form)
All documentation must be submitted within one year of passing the real estate exam or you’ll be required to retake the examination. Check out the Arizona Original Licensing Brochure for additional information on how to become a licensed real estate agent in Arizona.
7. Start Your Real Estate Career
Now that you’ve learned how to become a real estate agent in Arizona, you’re ready to start your professional real estate journey. For more information, here are some of our articles with content that is perfect for new real estate agents:
- Our article with 14 Real Estate Agent Tips covers the basics that every agent should know when they are starting out, including how to write a real estate business plan
- Learn how to generate real estate buyer leads
- Get nine strategies to help with real estate seller lead generation
- Jumpstart your career with the top 25 New Real Estate Agent Tips From the Pros
- Get the tools you need to build a strong real estate business out of the gate using the best real estate software and tools
