North Carolina Real Estate Courses
Everything you need to know about being a real estate broker in North Carolina.
Whether you’re looking to start your career in North Carolina real estate or you’ve been in the industry for decades, it can feel complicated, we know. So, we’ve designed a guide that covers everything you should know about starting the career, securing your Post-Licensing education, and maintaining your license. You can also visit our Agent Essentials blog, which offers tons of resources and helpful information for every step of your real estate journey. No matter where you are in your career, we’re here to help!
Online, self-paced North Carolina Real Estate Courses
North Carolina
Pre-Licensing
North Carolina Exam Prep
North Carolina
Post-Licensing
North Carolina CE Courses
Your guide to being a real estate broker (aka agent) in North Carolina.
Why should you become a real estate broker in North Carolina?
- High Salary Potential. You can make an average of around $98,034 a year* as a real estate broker in North Carolina. Or you can just sell one house a month and have a little extra play money.
October 2023 Salary Data* - It's a People-Focused Industry. Do you enjoy networking, negotiating, and working with people? You’ll have the opportunity to help others find the homes of their dreams.
- Manage Your Own Schedule. Are you tired of the 9-5? Work as often or as little as you want!
Do you have more questions about the licensing process and additional requirements? Visit the FAQ section of our North Carolina Real Estate Commission page to find out more.
How do you obtain a real estate license in North Carolina?
- Complete Your Pre-Licensing Education. You must complete 75 hours of Pre-Licensing education with an approved real estate education provider in North Carolina.
- Pass the Course Exam. After you complete your course, there is a final exam. You must take your exam in the presence of a proctor, so you’ll have to schedule your exam in advance. You can learn more about the proctoring process here.
- Complete Your Application. Before you attempt to schedule the license exam, you must submit an application to the Commission. You can apply for your North Carolina Broker license on the North Carolina Real Estate Commission website. You’ll need to create a log-in profile to begin the process.
- Complete Your Background Check. You can submit your background check online via the North Carolina Real Estate Commission website.
- Pass the NC Real Estate License Exam. Your test must be administered at a Pearson VUE testing center. Visit the Pearson VUE website to schedule your exam. The exam lasts 4.5 hours and consists of 140 questions with both state and national portions. You’ll need at least 75% score to pass. The 75% score is based on a weighted scale which considers question difficulty rather than a simple number of questions answered correctly.
- Choose a Sponsoring Broker. After passing your exam, you’ll be issued an inactive broker license on provisional status; to be on active status (i.e., legally provide brokerage services), you’ll need to be under the supervision of a broker-in-charge. That means you must be employed or associated with a current and active North Carolina real estate brokerage firm or sole proprietor. It’s important to choose the right sponsoring broker, because they will serve as your career mentor.
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What to do after your real estate license.
After successfully completing the steps above, you’ll officially receive your Provisional Broker license in North Carolina - which calls for celebration!
Eventually, you’ll need to fulfill your post-licensing, continuing education, and renewal requirements. Here's everything you need to know about maintaining your license.
North Carolina real estate post-licensing.
After completing your pre-licensing coursework and passing your license exam, you are officially recognized as a provisional broker in North Carolina (meaning that you must operate under the supervision of a broker-in-charge). To become a full broker, you need to complete 90 hours of Post-Licensing education within 18 months of receiving your provisional license.
It’s also important to note that NREC requires students to complete their courses within 180 days of their purchase date. Extensions are not permitted, and the state is very strict with this rule.
North Carolina continuing education requirements.
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission requires brokers to complete 8 hours of continuing education every year to maintain an active license status. The deadline for completing your continuing education each year is June 10th. Keep in mind that no continuing education courses are offered June 11th through the 30th, so it’s important to complete your CE on time each year.
If you’d like to learn more about North Carolina CE requirements, visit the FAQ section of our North Carolina Real Estate Commissions page.
Upgrade from broker to broker-in-charge in North Carolina.
Interested in upgrading your real estate career? The top tier of brokers in North Carolina is the broker-in-charge, otherwise known as a BIC. As the name suggests, a broker-in-charge is the head broker at a real estate brokerage who supervises provisional brokers, among a myriad of other duties. See page 4 of the Commission’s Real Estate Licensing Guide to learn more about what a BIC does.
To become a BIC, you must:
- Satisfy the BIC eligible qualification requirements
- Submit a request for BIC eligible status and/or the BIC designation form
- Complete the Commission’s 12-hour Broker-in-Charge Course within one year prior to or within 120 days after submitting the BIC designation form
If you’d like to learn more about North Carolina broker-in-charge requirements, visit the FAQ section of our North Carolina Real Estate Commission page.