How Long Is the North Carolina Real Estate Course?
The North Carolina real estate pre-licensing course is 75 hours long. That’s easy to remember if you call it by its formal name, the 75-Hour North Carolina Broker Pre-licensing Course. (In North Carolina, licensees are called “brokers.”)
That may sound long, but there’s a lot of important information you have to learn before you’re ready to take the state exam, so it’s an action-packed 75 hours.
What Topics Are Covered in the North Carolina Real Estate Course?
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) has created a pre-licensing syllabus that every pre-licensing education provider must strictly follow. NCREC will only approve pre-licensing educators whose courses live up to the standards outlined in the syllabus.
It covers the following topics:
Basic real estate concepts
Property insurance basics
Basic construction
Basic real estate investment
Property ownership and interests
Property taxation and assessment
Transfer of title to real property
Federal income taxation of home ownership/sale
Land use controls
Environmental issues in real estate
Brokerage relationships: law and practice
Agency contracts (sales) and related practices
Basic contract law
Sales contracts and related procedures
Real estate financing
Closing a sales transaction
Real property valuation
Landlord and tenant
Property management
Fair housing
Real estate license law and commission rules
Agent safety
Real estate mathematics
What Formats Can You Take the North Carolina Real Estate Course in?
NCREC allows applicants to complete their pre-licensing education through an online provider or an in-person class. There are also a few ways that an applicant can get out of taking the pre-licensing course altogether.
The following people can skip their 75-hour course:
Someone with an active, equivalent license in another state or Canadian jurisdiction
Someone who has earned a B.A. or higher degree in real estate, real estate brokerage, real estate finance, real estate development, or a law degree from an accredited university or college
Someone who completed equivalent pre-licensing education in another state, even if they didn’t take the licensing exam yet
North Carolina Pre-Licensing Course Structure
Though every course will be different depending on the instructor (if it’s in-person) or the features and interactivities offered (with online education), all courses must follow the same basic 22-unit structure outlined in the NCREC syllabus.
Every course will include in-course review and quizzing, as well as a course final exam that you must pass before you can qualify to take the state exam.
When you’re weighing your options for which course to choose, make sure you take into account things like how you learn best and what kinds of review and practice opportunities the course offers. The North Carolina real estate exam is a tough one!
Make Sure That You Qualify
Before you get started with your North Carolina pre-licensing education, make sure you qualify to be a real estate agent. You must:
Be at least 18 years old
Be a legal resident of the United States
Have a social security number
Meet the North Carolina Real Estate Commission’s character requirements
What Is the North Carolina Real Estate Licensing Exam Like?
After you finish your pre-licensing education, you still have to pass the state licensing exam before you can start raking in the commissions. The test is divided into two sections, the state and national section:
The state section is 40 questions, and you must answer 29 questions correctly to pass
The national section is 80 questions, and you must answer 57 questions correctly to pass
It covers the same topics taught in the course, and applicants have four hours to complete it.
Want to learn more about North Carolina real estate? Check out our blog!