How to Get Your Nevada 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.
With median home prices reaching $869,900, the Silver State has a lot to offer in real estate. To start your real estate career in Nevada, you’ll be required to complete Nevada Real Estate Division-approved (NRED) education, a background check, application, and passing score on the real estate exam. Let us help navigate you through the process of getting your Nevada real estate license with this step-by-step guide.
The state has recently changed its prelicensing education requirements. Previously, you needed to complete 90 hours of coursework before you could take your exam.
If you are planning to get your real estate license after October 1, 2021, Nevada will require 120 hours of prelicensing education.
1. Meet the Legal Requirements for Your Nevada Real Estate License
Legally, you must be 18 years of age to qualify for a real estate license in Nevada. If you possess a criminal record, you may not be eligible to receive your real estate license. Certain offenses will automatically disqualify you from attaining your license, especially certain convictions that were committed within the last three years.
You will be required to disclose any criminal activity on your application with a full explanation and court documents. Carefully review the FAQs about criminal records before moving forward with your license.
Did you know? Nevada offers reciprocity with the following 16 states: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia. Agents already licensed in other states do not have to take all of NRED’s prelicensing courses. They are required to take 18 hours of Nevada law, get a background check, pass the real estate exam, and complete the Form 656 to earn their license.
Also, Nevada is a cooperative state in terms of portability. It allows out-of-state real estate agents or brokers to 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 of that state. To learn more about real estate license portability in Nevada, check out our guide on real estate license reciprocity and portability.
2. Complete Required Prelicensing Courses
If you meet the state’s legal requirements, your next step is to complete the 120 hours of prelicensing education. There are many accredited real estate school options, where you can complete education either in-person or online, with pricing from $149 to $395 depending on your learning provider.
Regardless of school, all courses need to cover the following topics:
- Duties and power of the commission
- Licensing requirements
- Agency
- License practice
- Disclosures
- Contracts
- Record keeping
- Special topics
- Definitions and terminology
- Timeshare purchase and sale and agreements
- Fair housing laws
- Handling deposits and other trust monies
- Financing
- Advertising, marketing, and promotional meetings
Did you know? In place of taking 120 hours of education, you may substitute college credits if you’ve taken real estate principles, real estate law, contracts in real estate transactions, and agency. Also, if you are a licensed attorney who has taken courses in Nevada law, you may qualify to waive the educational requirements. Take a look at Form 501 to see if you qualify for a waiver.
Many online real estate schools in Nevada can satisfy your licensing requirements. With the lowest prices compared to competitors and high-quality education options of livestream or self-paced learning environments, check out Key Realty School to embark on your real estate career journey.
3. Get Fingerprints & Background Check
The NRED requires that all candidates submit fingerprints for a background check. Fingerprints expire after six months, so make sure to get your fingerprints promptly after completing your prelicensing education. There are many approved vendors throughout the state, so you can choose a location that is convenient for you. Take a look at Form 691 for authorized vendors; prices vary depending on your vendor.
You may submit a fingerprint card directly to NRED or a verification form issued by an approved vendor to complete this process. If submitting a fingerprint card directly to the NRED, you will also need to include a cashier’s check or money order for $40.25 made payable to the “Department of Public Safety.”
4. Take the Nevada Real Estate Exam
Once you’ve completed your prelicensing education and background check, it’s time to pass your real estate exam. Exams are administered on the computer and will produce your results immediately after completion with a “pass” or “fail” score. Individuals who pass will receive information on how to apply for their license. However, if you fail, you will receive a numeric score report with a diagnostic breakdown of strengths and weaknesses.
Since the exam is divided into national and state portions, you will be required to pass both portions. Hopefully, you will pass both sections, but if not, you will only be required to retake the part that you failed. You must pass both parts within one year or you’ll be required to retake the entire exam. If you do fail any or both portions, you can retake the exam as many times as needed within one year, although you must wait 24 hours before rescheduling.
Nevada Real Estate Exam Details
Test Format | Multiple choice |
Test Length | 120 questions 80 national-focused questions 40 state-specific questions |
Time Limit | 240 minutes |
Items to Bring to Exam | Two valid forms of identification with signatures.
|
Passing Score | 75% to pass the Nevada Real Estate Salesperson Exam |
Pass Rate | Unfortunately, unlike other states, Nevada does not publish its average passing rate |
Schedule Your Exam
The Nevada real estate exam is administered by Pearson Vue, a computer-based testing provider. To begin scheduling, you’ll be required to create an account on the Pearson Vue website, giving you access to the scheduling portal. You will receive a copy of the Candidate Handbook for additional testing information. The fee to take the exam is $100 and can be paid directly on the website using a credit or debit card.
Unfortunately, Nevada does not post the average passing rate, but you still want to be prepared to ace your exam. We recommend Real Estate Exam Scholar for a comprehensive exam prep course at an affordable price. Even better, it also offers a money-back guarantee if you don’t pass on the first try.
Visit Real Estate Exam Scholar
5. Pick a Company to Work For
To hold an active license in Nevada, you must find a sponsoring brokerage to affiliate your license. To make your choice a little bit easier, check out our in-depth guide on choosing the right real estate company to work for. Although there are many successful brokerages in the Silver State, below you’ll find the top five brokerages reported for 2021.
Rank | Team Name | Company | City | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brenkus Team | Keller Williams Realty | Henderson | $100,957,777.50 |
2 | The Napoli Group | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties | Las Vegas | $84,559,908.00 |
3 | The Blankfeld Group | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties | Las Vegas | $56,885,541.67 |
4 | Craig Team Realty | Craig Team Realty | Reno | $54,401,482.00 |
5 | Team Driven Real Estate | Keller Williams Realty | Las Vegas | $51,087,936.26 |
(Source: Real Trends 2021)
Nevada Cities With the Highest Median Sales Price 2021
Your commission depends on the sale price of the home. To get a sense of which cities are bringing in the bucks in Nevada check out this sales data from Towncharts.com below:
Rank | City | Median Home Value |
|---|---|---|
1 | $869,900 | |
2 | $456,200 | |
3 | $426,400 | |
4 | $378,100 | |
5 | $344,700 | |
6 | $335,000 | |
7 | $327,600 | |
8 | $318,800 | |
9 | $315,300 | |
10 | $310,300 |
6. Apply for Your Nevada Real Estate License
With your passing exam score in hand, it’s time to apply for your Nevada real estate license. You will receive the application from Pearson Vue after a passing score on your exam, or you can download the application form (Form 549) from the NRED website.
You will be required to submit the Certificate of Completion from your 120 hours of education, proof of passing exam score, fingerprint card, and $125 fee along with the application.
Also, applicants need to obtain their affiliate broker’s notarized signature on the application. The non-refundable fee can be paid via check, cashier’s check, or money order payable to the Nevada Real Estate Division. Credit cards are accepted for in-person transactions with a 2% convenience fee and cash is accepted in the exact amount.
7. Start Your Real Estate Career
Now that you’ve learned how to become a real estate agent in Nevada, you’re ready to start your 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
