In this guide you’ll learn all the details you need to know to get your license and become a real estate agent in South Carolina.
You’ll learn the basic real estate licensing requirements in South Carolina, information about the exam including pass rates and test prep, reciprocity rules, county by county breakdowns of the most expensive real estate in South Carolina, and more.
Okay, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s start at the beginning.
Basic South Carolina Real Estate Licensing Requirements
Getting a real estate license in South Carolina is rather easy compared to other states. You only need a total of 60 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 South Carolina.
Pre-licensing Courses Required in South Carolina
In order to get a real estate license in South Carolina, you will need to complete 60 hours of real estate pre-licensing courses that will cover:
- The Real Estate Business
- License Law and Qualifications for Licensure
- License Law and Commission Rules
- Authorized Relationships, Duties, and Disclosure
- Real Estate Brokerage Activities and Procedures
- Violations of License Law, Penalties, and Procedures
- Federal and State Laws Pertaining to Real Estate
- Property Rights: Estates and Tenancies, Condominiums, Cooperatives, and Time Sharing
- Title, Deeds, and Ownership Restrictions
- Legal Descriptions
- Real Estate Contracts
- Residential Mortgages
- Types of Mortgages and Sources of Financing
- Computations and Closing of Transactions
- The Real Estate Market and Analysis
- Real Estate Appraisal
- Real Estate Investments and Business Opportunity Brokerage
- Taxes Affecting Real Estate
- Planning, Zoning, and Environmental Hazard
South Carolina 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, check out the Exam Prep Master program from Real Estate Express. You get practice and final real estate exams, real estate math questions, and hundreds of real estate definitions to help you successfully pass your exam. In fact, if you don’t pass your exam on the first try, you get your money back.
South Carolina Pre-licensing Exam Questions
- Total of 110 multiple-choice questions (to be completed within 3 hours)
- 80 questions on the national portion (56 correct required to pass)
- 30 questions on the state portion (21 correct required to pass)
What to Bring to the Exam
- 2 valid forms of identification with signatures. One ID must be a government-issued Photo ID; maybe a calculator
Passing Score
You must earn a score of 70% to pass the South Carolina Real Estate Exam
Pass Rate
N/A
South Carolina Real Estate License Fee
$50
Education Requirements
You need to have at least a high school diploma or GED in order to apply for a license in South Carolina.
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 South Carolina Bar who is in good standing and qualified under the real estate license law is exempt from taking the real estate course.
Criminal Background
Applicants who have an existing criminal record may still apply for a real estate license. It would be best if applicants were to include their criminal history along with the necessary documents related to the conviction, if any, on their application. After submitting your fingerprints, your application will be forwarded to the Division of Criminal Justice Information Systems and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Upon investigation, each applicant will be considered on their own merits.
Processing Time
On average, it will take 3-4 weeks for your application to be processed and approved.
Online Real Estate Schools in South Carolina
While taking your real estate pre-licensing course in person can be helpful, online courses are much cheaper and offer the exact same education. Real Estate Express offers exam preparation programs and pre-licensing courses to help agents launch their careers.
South Carolina Real Estate License Reciprocity and Portability
If you plan on working in states besides South Carolina, then you need to know the real estate license reciprocity and portability laws for South Carolina.
- Reciprocity: South Carolina has mutual recognition agreements with 3 states:
- North Carolina, Georgia, and West Virginia.
- Portability: Cooperative
To learn more about real estate license portability in North Carolina, check out our guide on real estate license reciprocity and portability here.
How to Choose the Right Real Estate Company to Work For in South Carolina
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 South Carolina brokerages are the most successful, check out Real Trends list of the top real estate brokerages in South Carolina for 2017 below.
Charleston
| Real Estate Brokerage | |
|---|---|
| Carolina One Real Estate | |
| Keller Williams Realty | |
| The AgentOwned Realty Co. |
Columbia
| Real Estate Brokerage | |
|---|---|
| Coldwell Banker United / NRT | |
| ERA Wilder Realty | |
| Keller Williams Realty Asheville, NC, Columbia & Columbia NE, SC |
*Data from Real Trends Market Leaders 2017
South Carolina Counties with Highest Average Listing Price and Highest Median Sales Price 2017
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 South Carolina check out this sales data from Trulia’s South Carolina home price page below.
| County | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | ||
| Beaufort | ||
| Allendale | ||
| Georgetown | ||
| Greenville | ||
| York | ||
| McCormick | ||
| Oconee | ||
| Berkeley | ||
| Lancaster |
Lynette Johnson
I’ve been a licensed realtor in the State of TN for 4 years now and am looking to get licensed in SC as we will be living there part time. Will I need to enroll for classes there to make this happen?
Emile L'Eplattenier
Hi Lynette,
Since South Carolina does not have reciprocity with Tennessee, you will need to take the real estate licensing course there in order to become licensed. Best of luck!
Shari
I am a broker in ny looking to get my license in sc. Do I need to become an agent in sc first? Or can I just study and take a broker’s test?
Emile L'Eplattenier
Hey Shari,
I am fairly positive you should be able to take your broker’s course and pass the exam in order to become a broker in South Carolina. To make sure, reach out to the South Carolina Real Estate Commission. Best of luck!
Melissa Barney
I just moved here from Las Vegas, Nevada where I have been a licensed Real Estate agent for 14 years– will I still need all the requirements listed above to get my license here in South Carolina, or will I only need to test for the State part of the exam?
Emile L'Eplattenier
Hey Melissa,
Since there is no reciprocity in South Carolina for Nevada, you will need to retake the courses and exam in order to get licensed in South Carolina. On the positive side, if you’ve been working as an agent in Nevada for 14 years the exam should be a breeze!
DEBRA
WHY DOES THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA NOT OFFER REAL ESTATE LICENSE CLASSES ONLINE ?
Emile L'Eplattenier
I have no idea… If you live there you might want to call your governor’s office or state legislature and ask them. Best of luck!
Madalene
North and South are no longer reciprocal
Yvette Menard
I have been an Acquisition Agent for utility companies in the U.S. for 12 years. My work is expanding to States that are now requiring Real Estate Licenses to negotiate & acquire right of way lands in S.C. Do you know if S.C. Real Estate License has portability? Does S.C. Share reciprocity with neighboring states? North Caroline? Also, I rarely am assigned states requiring this RE license. Would I be required to take a national real estate test as well as S.C.?
I would appreciate any information you may have regarding what I am required to possess in order to purchase Right of Way & Easements in S.C. & possibly N.C., or Georgia. Thank You, Y Menard.
Emile L'Eplattenier
Hi Yvette,
We actually have an entire article on real estate license reciprocity here: https://fitsmallbusiness.com/real-estate-license-reciprocity/
The short answer is that South Carolina has reciprocity with North Carolina, Georgia, and West Virginia. That said, the reciprocity only means you will not have to take the real estate course in South Carolina IF you already have a real estate license in North Carolina, Georgia, or West Virginia.
As far as portability goes, South Carolina is what is known as a Cooperative state. That means you can enter the state to do a transaction as long as you are co broking with a licensed broker in the state.
Hope that helps!
Emile L'Eplattenier
Hey Madalene,
Thanks for the update. Will edit the article to reflect the changes.