How to Get Your New York Real Estate License

So you’re thinking about becoming a real estate agent? That’s exciting! There are so many reasons why becoming a real estate agent is a great career move.

One big reason to give real estate a try? The upfront costs to get a New York real estate license are relatively low, especially when you consider there is literally no limit to what you can earn as a real estate agent.

No limit? That’s right, no limit!

Now that I have your attention, let’s take a look at how to get a real estate license in New York.

Step 1: Choose Your 77-Hour Pre-License Course

To ensure you’ll have the knowledge you need to serve your clients well, the state of New York requires the completion of 77 hours of coursework from a course that’s been approved by the Secretary of State before applying for your license.

What the Pre-Licensing Course Covers

You’ll need to take a course that teaches you everything you need to know to be a successful agent. All of your real estate deals need to follow the state and federal real estate laws. Your pre-license course will cover those real estate laws – just to make sure you’re operating on the up and up and not accidentally breaking the law. That would be awkward.

You’ll also need to know how to do some basic calculations so you can help your clients get the best deal possible for them.

Your clients will likely ask you questions about: - Price per square foot - Which mortgage will cost them the most in the long run - How interest rates work - How to price a home to sell quickly

You’ll need to know how to answer those questions (and more) to guide your clients through the process of buying and selling real estate.

What to Look for in a Real Estate School

Seventy-five hours is a lot of hours, so make sure you pick a pre-license course that’s convenient, works for your schedule, is affordable and presents the material in an easy-to-understand way. Aceable’s online course is a great option for people who want to complete their pre-license course at their own pace, when they have time. It also presents the material in an interactive way that makes learning fun. Our learning experts are pretty good at that stuff.

Or you could also go with a more traditional classroom model. Up to you!

The State has a list of approved pre-license course providers on their website. Any of those providers will get the job done.

Check Your Eligibility

As long as you’re 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, have a high school degree (or GED), and don’t have a felony on your record you’re good to sign up for a course and get your license! You can still possibly get a New York real estate license with a criminal record, you just have to take an additional step of getting a Certificate of Relief From Disabilities or a Certificate of Good Conduct. Phew!

If you’ve already been licensed as a real estate agent in another state, you may be able to transfer your license to New York. It depends on whether the state you’re licensed in has reciprocity with New York or not. If the state doesn’t have reciprocity, you’ll need to take the 77-hour course in New York.

Step 2: Complete the Pre-License Course

Again, you can complete your pre-license course at a traditional school in a classroom or through an online course like Aceable. How long it takes to complete the course will depend on the type of course you sign up for. An in-person course will have a fixed course schedule, and an online course will allow you to move at a faster pace if you’re in a hurry to become an agent (who isn’t?).

Step 3: Pass Your Real Estate School’s Exam

Next, you’ll need to pass a proctored exam given by your course provider. Anything over 70% is a passing grade. Just like in high school!

Aceable offers this exam online as part of the pre-license course. If you’re worried about passing the test, you’ll be happy to know that Aceable provides you with lots of practice questions to get you prepped for the exam. We want you to succeed, so we give you lots of chances to practice and learn.

With Aceable’s course you’ll also get access to: - One hour of private tutoring with a real estate expert - Live webinars 5x/Week - A webinar archive - Hundreds of hours of educational videos - Live Q&A

Step 4: Take and Pass the New York Real Estate Licensing Exam

After you pass the exam administered by your real estate school, you’re able to schedule a time to take the New York real estate licensing exam. To do so, you’ll have to set up an account on eAccessNY, the state Occupational Licensing Management System. Easy!

Then, it’s just a matter of showing up on your scheduled exam date with a current government-issued ID that has your picture. You’ll also need to bring a printout of the “Summary of Your Submission” page that was generated in the eAccessNY system when you scheduled the exam.

You’ll have 90 minutes to complete the multiple-choice exam. It’s pass/fail, but you won’t get your results immediately. You’ll receive an update in your eAccessNY account letting you know if you passed or failed once the exam has been graded. Eek!

Step 5: Find a Sponsoring Broker

While you wait to receive your test results, start looking for a New York sponsoring broker if you don’t have one yet. You can’t get an active license to work as a real estate salesperson in New York without one. If you need a little guidance, check out this article on choosing your first real estate brokerage in NY.

Step 6: Get a New York Real Estate License

Now you’re ready to get a New York real estate license!

You can submit the application form online through your eAccessNY account. Along with the application form, you’ll need to complete a Child Support Statement (even if you don’t have kids). You’ll also have to pay a non-refundable fee for your application to be processed.

Once you complete the application form, it will be sent to your sponsoring broker for approval. After it’s approved and passed along to the Licensing office your shiny new real estate license will be generated and sent to your broker within a week!