CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR REALTORS: ONLINE COURSES AND REAL ESTATE SCHOOLS

You’ve finished your real estate education and passed the test. This means your education as a Realtor is over, right?

Wrong! In the State of Arizona, and many other locations, real estate agents are required to complete a certain number of continuing education credit hours every one to two years in order to renew their licenses.

These courses can be completed in a classroom or online, and in most cases, they can be taken at any point in your license renewal period.

Read on to learn more about what real estate continuing education courses are, where you can take them, and why they’re necessary for Realtors in Arizona.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

What is Real Estate Continuing Education?

Real estate continuing education consists of classes that real estate professionals must take every one to two years in order to maintain their licenses.

These classes are designed to educate Realtors about changes to the real estate industry, changes to the law, and other topics relevant to running a real estate business. Requirements for the amount of coursework, the frequency in which the classes must be taken, and the content of the CE classes for real estate agents vary from state to state.

Why do Realtors Need Ongoing Education?

Rules, regulations, and best practices change frequently, and it can be difficult to keep up with everything that’s new while you’re trying to excel in your real estate career.

To help keep Realtors connected with the changes in the real estate industry, and to ensure that the laws are being followed, states have created continuing education requirements

What Education and Training are Required to be a Real Estate Agent?

There are three parts to a real estate education: classes, testing, and continuing education.

Classes

In Arizona, all real estate agents must complete at least 90 hours of online or classroom pre-licensing education in real estate practices and procedures. These classes must be taken at an institution approved by the Arizona Department of Real Estate.

Testing

All aspiring real estate agents must pass both parts of a two-part test before they can become licensed.

One part of the test is a national real estate exam that covers general real estate practices. The other part is state-specific and covers the real estate laws in your state. In Arizona, you must pass this test with a score of 75% or higher in order to be eligible to apply for your real estate license.

Continuing Education

An Arizona real estate license must be renewed every two years by submitting at least 24 hours of CEs at an ADRE-approved school.

These CE courses must be taken every two years as long as the Realtor wishes to maintain an active license.

Do Real Estate Agents Need to Renew Their Licenses?

Yes, real estate agents in Arizona are required to renew their licenses every two years. You must complete 24 hours of CE courses to renew your license with the ADRE.

Continuing Education Requirements for Real Estate Licenses

Whether you’ve only been an agent in Arizona for two years or you’re a seasoned veteran, you’ll need to renew your real estate license every two years by completing 24 hours of real estate continuing education in Arizona. These CE courses must be taken at a school approved by the Arizona Department of Real Estate.

You may take more than one course in a day, but no more than nine hours of CE can be registered on the same day.

How many hours of continuing education do Realtors need? 24 hours for agents and 30 hours for brokers.

Real Estate Course for Agents

The following real estate agent CE courses must be taken every two years:

Agency – 3 hours
Commissioner’s Standards – 3 hours
Contract Law – 3 hours
Disclosure – 3 hours
Fair Housing, 3 hours
Real Estate Legal Issues – 3 hours
General – 6 hours

Agents may count courses in any of the categories toward their General requirements or take courses in general real estate practices and principles, as long as the agent does not repeat the same course twice.

Real Estate Course for Brokers

Real estate brokers (which are one level up from agents) must complete 30 hours of CE every two years.

Brokers must take the following courses:

Agency, three hours
Contract Law, three hours
Disclosure, three hours
Fair Housing, three hours
Real Estate Legal Issues, three hours
General, six hours
Broker Management Clinic, nine hours

All CE hours must be registered with ADRE after completion to count toward the total.

Can I Take Classes for My Arizona Real Estate CE Online?

Yes, you can take online realtor continuing education courses online.

As long as the courses are offered through an Arizona Department of Real Estate-approved institution and meet all the requirements for courses you need to complete, you can take classes for your Arizona real estate CE online.

The CE Shop is a fully accredited online real estate education school that offers pre-licensing courses, post-licensing courses, exam prep, and continuing education. Prices range from $19 per 3-hour course to $109 for the entire 24-hour program.

AZ Real Estate CE – FAQs

Still have questions about what real estate continuing education is or why you need it?

Here are some frequently asked questions about classes for Arizona real estate CE online and in-classroom:

Can I take all my CE courses in one day?

No, you cannot load all of your continuing education courses for your real estate license renewal into one day, or even one weekend. The Arizona Department of Real Estate only counts nine CE hours per day toward license renewal.

I only deal with commercial properties. Do I really have to take a Fair Housing CE?

The ADRE does allow substitutions for the Fair Housing course requirement, but the real estate agent must contact the department well in advance of renewing their license to make arrangements.

How do I report my continuing education courses to the ADRE?

Login to the ADRE’s website and select the option to record CE credits.
Enter the ADRE course numbers and dates of the courses taken during the CE period.
If you are applying for license renewal within one year after your license expires, enter only CE credits earned during the prior 24 months.

Can a “segmented” course count for more than one CE if it covers more than one category?

Only enter the CE course number from your certificate once. The system should recognize and give credit for every category covered by the class.

Can I use my broker pre-license education for renewal CEs?

Broker pre-license courses may be used for a real estate agent’s license renewal if:

You complete the course within one CE period
You complete the course before your license renewal date
You provide a letter from the school stating that the hours taken have completed the mandatory renewal requirement, with an attachment showing the breakdown of the 24 course hours
You are eligible to renew online after the ADRE records the education course information

Please note: If you wish to count your broker pre-license education toward your renewal CEs, you cannot automatically renew your license online. You must submit to the ADRE a packet that includes either the course completion certificate or a letter with attachments from your school.

What do I need to enter my CE credits online?

You will need the course completion certificates of the courses you took. These certificates will have the course numbers and dates of the class, which are required for entering the courses for online renewal.

Can I renew my license without completing all the required CE hours?

No, you will not be able to renew your real estate agent license without completing all the required continuing education hours for the license renewal period.

Can I have any of my continuing education credits waived for other education I attended?

All CEs to be put toward a real estate license renewal must be pre-approved by the ADRE.

What if I’m unable to complete all my continuing education courses on time but still want to renew my license?

The Arizona Department of Real Estate Commissioner may, for good cause, grant additional time for an individual to complete continuing education courses. In some rare cases, the Commissioner may waive some or all of the CE requirements for an agent.

Those who wish to receive an extension must submit requests in writing with any necessary corroborating documents to the ADRE Education Division for review 60 days prior to your license renewal date.

If your extension or waiver is approved, you must attach the approval letter to your eventual license renewal application.

Extensions and waivers are granted at the Commissioner’s discretion, so just because you ask for an extension or waiver doesn’t mean you will be granted one.

I have my real estate agent’s license in another state. Can any of my out-of-state education be applied to renewing or obtaining my license in Arizona?

All pre-licensing and/or continuing education credits must be pre-approved by the ADRE to be accepted.

Online Realtor Continuing Education Overview

Taking continuing education is an essential part of staying up-to-date with your real estate license. While the 24 hours of required classes may seem like a chore, signing up for and taking classes is made easier by all of the online programs available.

For as little as $109, you can take all 24 hours of your required classes online, at your convenience. Once completed, you’ll only have to renew your license every two years.

Keep your strategy sharp and your selling skills up to snuff by staying on top of your realtor continuing education.

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