In this guide you’ll learn all the details you need to know to get your license and become a real estate agent in Michigan.
You’ll learn the basic real estate licensing requirements in Michigan, information about the exam including pass rates and test prep, reciprocity rules, county by county breakdowns of the most expensive real estate in Michigan, and more.
Okay, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s start at the beginning.
Basic Michigan Real Estate Licensing Requirements
Getting a real estate license in Michigan is rather easy compared to other states. You only need a total of 40 classroom hours of commission-approved pre-licensing courses. In comparison, to get a license in Texas, real estate licenses require applicants to complete 180 hours of courses. Here’s a quick breakdown of the real estate licensing requirements in Michigan:
Pre-licensing Courses Required in Michigan
In order to get a real estate license in Michigan, you will need to complete 40 hours of real estate pre-licensing courses that will cover:
- Michigan License Law & Rules
- Contracts, Liens & Community Ownership
- Taxation, Pricing Property
- Introduction to Finance & Real Estate
- Math Property Descriptions & Title and Property Ownership
- Leasing Land Use
Michigan Real Estate Exam Information
If you work hard and take the courses seriously you should have no problem passing the exam. If you’re looking for help studying for the test, we recommend Real Estate Exam Scholar’s Exam prep course. They offer top-notch exam prep for an affordable price. Even better, they also offer a money back guarantee if you don’t pass on the first try.
Visit Real Estate Exam Scholar
Michigan Pre-Licensing Exam Questions
- Total of 110 multiple-choice questions
What to Bring to the Exam
- 2 valid forms of identification with signatures. One ID must be a government-issued Photo ID
- Confirmation number when the test reservation was made.
Passing Score
You must earn a score of 77 to pass the Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Exam
Pass Rate
N/A
Michigan Real Estate License Fee
$88
Exam Fee in Michigan
$48
Education Requirements
You need to have at least a high school diploma or GED in order to apply for a license in Michigan.
Age
Applicants must be at least 18 of age or older
Residency
Any U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted alien can apply.
Exemptions
Any active member of the Michigan Bar who is in good standing and qualified under the real estate license law is exempt from taking the real estate sales associate prerequisite course.
Criminal Background
Applicants should have a clean criminal record in order to acquire a real estate salesperson license in Michigan. However, the state may consider the nature of the applicant’s crime provided that it is not related to a realtor’s duty such as fraud.
Online Real Estate Schools in Michigan
While taking your real estate pre-licensing course in person can be helpful, online courses are much cheaper and offer the exact same courses. Career WebSchool is a solid choice.
Michigan Real Estate License Reciprocity and Portability
If you plan on working in states besides Michigan, then you need to know the real estate license reciprocity and portability laws for Michigan.
- Reciprocity: Michigan has mutual recognition agreements with the following 13 states:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Washington
- Portability: Cooperative
To learn more about real estate license portability in Michigan, check out our guide on real estate license reciprocity and portability here.
How to Choose the Right Real Estate Company to Work For in Michigan
Let’s face it. Choosing the right brokerage to work for in any state isn’t easy. In order to make your choice a little bit easier, check out our in-depth guide on choosing the right real estate company to work for.
Once you’ve finished reading the guide, check out our buyer’s guide comparing Keller Williams, RE/MAX, and Century 21 here.
If you’re curious about which Michigan brokerages are the most successful, check out Real Trends list of the top real estate brokerages in Michigan for 2016 below.
Detroit
| Real Estate Brokerage | Sales Volume (2015) |
|---|---|
| Real Estate One | $3,165,918,940 |
| Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel | $1,120,529,736 |
| RE/MAX Classic | $709,424,163 |
| RE/MAX Platinum | $685,906,302 |
| CENTURY 21 Town & Country | $543,479,554 |
Ann Arbor
| Real Estate Brokerage | Sales Volume (2015) |
|---|---|
| Real Estate One | $1,289,859,993 |
| Hanna Holdings, Inc. | $598,489,897 |
*Data from Real Trends Market Leaders 2016
Michigan Counties with Highest Average Listing Price and Highest Median Sales Price 2016
Let’s face it, higher listing prices mean higher commission checks! To get a sense of which counties offer the best opportunities for big bucks in Michigan check out this sales data from Trulia’s Michigan home price page below:
| County | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oakland | ||
| Washtenaw | ||
| Ottawa | ||
| Grand Traverse | ||
| Leelanau | ||
| Benzie | ||
| Allegan | ||
| Charlevoix | ||
| Livingston | ||
| Emmet |
Liliian Docile
As working in a real estate company, I see many of real estate companies with younger people being more successful because of their use of technologies and how they communicate with the upcoming generation. As watching some of the older people, they really struggle because they are “needing a software update”. As in, they aren’t open to the new technology, new terms, new things; however this does NOT mean you won’t be successful. There are plenty of older men and women in the industry who are very successful. If you personally are very self-motivated and up to new things, then jump right in!
Emile L'Eplattenier
Hey Lillian,
I agree completely. Cold calling and working your past clients is still an excellent way to get clients.
Patsy Smith
Im a 58yr old Black woman. I have forty years of retail sales experience along wirh six years as a pbx operator.I have deep passion for sales and customer service. Please give me some feedback rather or not it would be beneficial at my age to pursue this as a career.Im self driven, Independant and needing to ecplore other options suitable for my passion for serving others.
Laura Handrick
Patsy,
Thank you for your post.
As an HR person about the same age as you, I have to chime in.
Yes, yes, yes. You’re still young! Many people re-invent themselves and it sounds like being a real estate agent would be a great career change for you. Take that passion for customer service and sales and let it lead you to your new career. Read all you can, learn all you can. Some brokers will even help pay for your training. Best of luck to you!
Laura, HR