How Long Does It Take to Get a Florida Real Estate License

The fastest you can realistically become a Florida real estate agent is 12 weeks, but the timeframe ultimately depends on whether you study full-time or part-time and you’re willingness to multitask with all of the steps involved.

Let’s get into the details.

Four Steps to a Florida Real Estate License

Here are the four steps to getting your Florida real estate license:

1. Complete your 63 hours of pre-licensing education and pass the course final exam.

2. Submit your application to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

3. Submit your fingerprints for the background check.

4. Schedule and pass your state exam.

Pre-licensing Education - 2 weeks to 4+ weeks

Florida requires 63 hours of pre-licensing real estate coursework, which must be completed through one of several state-approved education providers you have to choose from. Most schools will be one of two types:

1. Traditional brick-and-mortar schools that offer a classroom environment and rigid class schedules

2. Online course providers that allow you to determine your own schedule and pacing

Aceable falls into the second category, giving you an added bonus of being able to continue your progress through the course without losing your place, even when jumping from one personal device to another.

Fulltime vs. Parttime

Fulltime study: As little as two weeks

A student who can afford to dedicate themselves fulltime (40+ hours a week) to this effort could potentially get through the course in a matter of two weeks, including a day or two set aside for prepping for the course final.

Parttime study: 4 weeks or more

A student with additional obligations, however — perhaps, a family to care for or the proverbial day job — might be hard-pressed to put in as much as 20 hours a week of study. For them, a time frame of 3.5 to 4 weeks to complete the course would probably be a more realistic goal — and that’s okay.

Don’t Rush the Education

There are two reasons not to rush the education piece.

1. You really want to pass the course final exam on your first attempt. If you fail on the first try, you can retake the final exam again one more time within a year of the original test. But after two failed attempts, the state requires you to retake the prelicensing course from the beginning before attempting the final exam a third time.

1. You have the time. The process of applying for a license, can take up to 12 weeks. That’s four times as long as it would take you to complete the prelicensing course, even if you worked on it on a parttime basis. So, why not take your time and make sure you really absorb the course material before taking the course final? In the end, that’ll be your quickest, most direct route to fulfilling your educational requirement.

Applying for a Florida Real Estate License - 120 days or less

In Florida, the most streamlined application process looks like this:

1. Submit your real estate license application: You can submit your application to the Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) anytime BEFORE completion of your 63-hour prelicense education, but you will not be able to take the state licensing exam until AFTER your educational requirements are met.
   
   

2. Submit your fingerprints: You should do this immediately AFTER you’ve submitted your application for licensure. That will allow you to give the fingerprinting service provider your Originating Agency Identification (ORI) number, which is how they will know to send your fingerprint results to the DBPR.
   
   

3. Take the state licensing exam: As mentioned above, you can only do this AFTER providing proof of completion your 63-hour prelicense education.

Application Processing

When you send in your application for a Florida real estate license to the DBPR, that starts their response-time clock ticking. They have 30 days to notify you if there are any errors in your application. Then, if you clear that hurdle, the DBPR has an additional 90 days to approve or deny the application.

You can Multitask

As you can see, the license application process entails a whole lot of waiting around, punctuated by a couple of critical action items and deadlines. But being the industrious and highly efficient person that you are, you can take advantage of those massive downtimes to work toward fulfilling your educational requirements in the approximate 12 weeks it takes for the DBPR to approve your application.

Application Approval & Exam Scheduling - Varies

Once your application is approved and your educational requirements have been met, you can schedule your licensing exam through Pearson VUE, the state’s official test provider. The exam must be taken in-person at one of their many physical test centers in the state.

Find a Supervising Broker - Varies

Florida requires all real estate sales agents to operate under a supervising broker. So the license you earn isn’t going to do you any good until you establish who that lucky broker is going to be. This is yet another decision you can make well before the day you pass the state exam and get your license.

If you have that relationship in place ahead of time, your broker can complete the RE11 Sales Associate Form to activate your Florida real estate license immediately after you receive it.

And there you have it. In 12 weeks or less, you can have an active real estate license to call your own!