If you’re a North Carolinian who wants to get a real estate license and become a provisional broker, you’ll need to complete 75 hours of prelicensing courses. You must also meet the legal requirements outlined by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC), submit a license application, get a background check, and pass the real estate exam. In just eight steps, you’ll be able to go through the process of getting your North Carolina (NC) real estate license. Download our free license cheat sheet to help you get started.
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Step 1. Meet the North Carolina State Requirements
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You must possess a high school diploma or GED
- You must be a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted resident
Step 2. Complete Prelicensing Courses
If you meet all North Carolina real estate license requirements, it’s time to start your 75 hours of prelicensing education. The courses can be taken in person or at an accredited online real estate school for between $75 and $1,079, depending on the provider. The courses will cover topics needed to pass the exam and state-specific information, like North Carolina real estate license law, property taxation, real estate contracts, and fair housing laws.
Colibri Real Estate offers online NC real estate courses for every stage of your career in partnership with the Superior School of Real Estate. Various course formats are available for agents to customize their learning and meet their needs, including self-paced, on-demand video, livestream, and in-person. The school also offers free career services, which include access to academic advisers, coaching, career night, and exam prep.
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Want to Skip North Carolina Education?
North Carolina no longer has mutual reciprocity agreements with any other state. Instead, anyone with equivalent experience who has held an active real estate license (in the U.S. or Canada) in the last three years can obtain a North Carolina real estate license by applying and passing only the state section of the exam. This new approach has been referenced as a “limited license recognition” by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.
In terms of portability, North Carolina is a cooperative state. That means it allows out-of-state agents and brokers to conduct business in the state.
Step 3. Get Fingerprints & Background Check
All applicants are required to submit fingerprints as part of a background check for eligibility to get a North Carolina real estate license. Here are the details:
- Submit a background check along with your license application.
- You can order the background check online via NCREC Criminal Record Checks or mail in a form.
- If you’ve lived in North Carolina for the past seven years, the background check will cost less than $50.
Step 4. Apply for Your North Carolina Real Estate License
Once you’ve completed your prelicensing course and get fingerprints and background checks, you must submit your application. Ensure your background check is submitted within six months of your North Carolina real estate license application. If your application is approved, you’ll receive a Notice of Exam Eligibility via email within two to three days of submitting your application, allowing you to schedule your exam. This Notice is valid for 180 calendar days. In addition to the application, you will be required to submit an application fee and additional documentation to complete your application. See the details below:
Application Form | |
Where to Submit Application | |
Documentation Required |
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Application Fee | $100 |
Step 5. Schedule & Take the North Carolina Real Estate Exam
After you finish applying for your license, you must pass the North Carolina real estate exam. The exam is given on the computer (unless otherwise requested) and split into national and state-specific portions. You must pass both portions in order to move forward with your licensure. The exam is conducted by PSI, the national provider of state licensing exams. To begin scheduling, you must take note of the following:
- Once you receive your Notice of Exam Eligibility, you must wait one business day before registering for the exam on the PSI website.
- You must pay an examination fee of $56 to PSI during registration, and you can choose an exam date and location that is most convenient for you.
- In most cases, you can take the exam within seven days of your registration.
Here is a summary of the main exam details:
Test Format | Multiple choice |
Number of Questions | 120 questions
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Time Limit | 240 minutes |
Items to Bring to Exam |
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Score to Pass Exam | 70% to pass the North Carolina Real Estate Salesperson Exam |
Reported Pass Rate |
If you pass the exam, move on to the next step. If you fail one or both sections, you must wait at least 10 days to reattempt it. If you have not passed both sections of the exam within 180 days, you’ll have to reapply and pay the $100 application fee, as well as the $56 exam fee again. Also, if you do fail, you will be provided a diagnostic report of your strengths and weaknesses so that you can study for the appropriate portion, national or state, that you need to review and retake.
If you’re looking for help studying for the test, we recommend PrepAgent for a comprehensive exam prep course. PrepAgent is designed to provide aspiring real estate professionals with tools to pass their state’s real estate exams on the first try.
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Step 6. Pick a Sponsoring Brokerage
To hold an active North Carolina real estate license, you must find a sponsoring brokerage to affiliate your license. A sponsoring brokerage is a real estate company, like Keller Williams or Coldwell Banker, where your license will “hang” and you can conduct business as a real estate agent. Here are some things to think about when deciding on which brokerage you’ll work with:
- Do you want to work at a national franchise, boutique, or virtual brokerage?
- What kind of training will be provided to you?
- What are the commission splits?
- Will you go solo or join a team?
- What is the reputation of the brokerage?
- Are there technological tools like client relationship management (CRM) systems, lead generation, and marketing?
Step 7. Finalize Your North Carolina Real Estate License Application
Although you’ve already submitted your license application, you must finalize your application after passing your North Carolina real estate license exam. The NCREC will consider your character and approve your license.
In most cases, you will receive your license certificate within approximately 10 days of your real estate exam. The final step is to affiliate your license with a brokerage and activate it on the NCREC website. This will take up to 30 days to process.
Step 8. Start Your Real Estate Career
Once you’ve completed all the above steps on how to become a real estate agent in North Carolina, you are ready to start your career as a real estate agent!
Retain & Renew Your North Carolina License With Continuing Education
All real estate agents are required to do continuing education every few years to renew their license. This will guarantee you stay up to date with new laws and regulations and have the latest education on best real estate practices. Each state requires a different number of hours, and some states also require post-licensing education. Here is what is required in the state of North Carolina:
- Broker continuing education hours required: 8 hours
- Broker in Charge continuing education hours required: 8 hours
- Renewal cycle: Every year
- Renew your license using the North Carolina Real Estate Commission
Reasons to Get a North Carolina Real Estate License
Being a real estate agent in North Carolina is a lucrative career for active agents. It’s important to have a solid knowledge of the real estate market in all of North Carolina, especially in the immediate location where you will be conducting your real estate business.
- As of December 27, 2023, the average salary of a real estate sales agent in North Carolina is $44,088.
- North Carolina home prices increased 3.7% in November 2023 over the same month the previous year, with a median sale price of $362,400.
- Thirty-nine days was the median number of days on the North Carolina housing market.
- There were 10,778 homes sold in November 2023, an 8.0% decrease from the same month last year.
- Elizabeth City (34.6%) is the top metro in North Carolina with the fastest-growing sales price.
- In November 2023, there were only 42,442 homes for sale in North Carolina, a 5.6% decrease year over year.
- There were 11,179 newly listed properties in November 2023, up 2.9% year-over-year.
- The average months of supply is three months.
- River Bend is the most competitive city in North Carolina.
- In November 2023, 23.6% of homes in North Carolina sold above list price, down 2.5 points year-over-year.
Not Your State? Find Yours Here
Did you stumble here by mistake, or are you looking to get your license in another state? Click on the link for your state below to be directed to instructions on how to get your license in any one of the 50 states:
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- Alabama
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- Arkansas
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- Colorado
- Connecticut
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- New York
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- Ohio
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- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
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- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To be eligible to become a licensed North Carolina real estate agent, you must:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You must possess a high school diploma or GED
- You must be a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted resident
- Complete a state-approved 75-hour prelicensing course
- Pass the North Carolina state licensing examination with a score of at least 70%
The examination consists of national and state sections. The national section was developed and provided by PSI. Some version of the national entry-level real estate license examination is administered in all states where PSI administers the real estate license examinations. The state section of the license examination is developed by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission and administered for the Commission by PSI to only North Carolina license applicants.
Once an applicant has passed one of the two examination sections, the applicant may apply to take only the remaining unpassed exam section. Suppose an applicant only passes one examination section before the 180-day examination eligibility period ends. In that case, the applicant loses the benefit of having passed one section, must reapply to take the comprehensive examination, and must pass both sections during the subsequent 180-day exam eligibility period to receive an NC real estate license.
Bottom Line
Figuring out how to become a real estate agent in North Carolina can be confusing, so use our guide to get a general idea of the licensing process. Following the steps in this article will make you more likely to become a successful real estate agent in North Carolina. The not-so-secret to passing your national and state-specific licensing examinations is your ability to work (and study) consistently and diligently.