The Real Estate License Professor

HOW TO OBTAIN A GEORGIA REAL ESTATE LICENSE

In Georgia, exams, licensing, and continuing education for real estate agents are governed by the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

There are four real estate licenses in Georgia:

Salesperson - if acting on behalf of a broker, a salesperson may perform any real estate brokerage act that requires a real estate license in Georgia. In order to be active in real estate brokerage, a salesperson must be affiliated with a sole proprietorship, a corporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company that is also licensed as a broker.

Broker - a broker may perform any real estate brokerage act that requires a real estate license in Georgia. In order to be active in real estate brokerage, an individual broker must be affiliated with a sole proprietorship, a corporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company that is also licensed as a broker.

Associate Broker - if acting on behalf of a broker, an associate broker may perform any real estate brokerage act that requires a real estate license in Georgia. In order to be active in real estate brokerage, an associate broker must be affiliated with a sole proprietorship, a corporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company that is licensed as a broker.

Community Association Manager - if acting on behalf of a broker, a community association may only manage one or more community associations. Community associations include such organizations as condominium associations and homeowner associations. In order to be active in community association management, a community association manager must be affiliated with a sole proprietorship, a corporation, a partnership, or a limited liability company that is also licensed as a broker.

Fees for Licenses

An individual applying for a community association manager's or salesperson's license within three months from the date of taking the licensing examination must pay a total fee of $170.00. Any person making application for a community association manager's or salesperson's license more than three months but less than twelve months from the date of taking the examination must pay a total fee of $340.00. Any person making application for a broker's license must pay a total fee of $170.00. These fees cover all fees due for the first four years of licensure.

GCIC Requirement for all Applicants
All applicants MUST obtain and bring to the test center (not to the Commission), prior to receiving a real estate license, a copy of the Applicant's Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) report, also known as a criminal history.

Such reports must not be more than 60 days old. The applicant can obtain a GCIC Report from any local sheriff’s office or police department. (Depending on the law enforcement agency’s policy, there may be a waiting period to obtain the report.) If the applicant is aware of any conviction, nolo contendere plea, or first offender sentence that is not on the GCIC report, the applicant must disclose such conviction(s). The license will not be issued to the applicant without a GCIC report.

Criminal Convictions or Disciplinary Actions
Any applicant who has been convicted of a crime or sanctioned by any licensing or regulatory agency of any kind must reveal that fact on his or her application. The Commission will then conduct an investigation and review the application thoroughly before deciding whether to issue the license.

Preliminary Decision Applications
Applicants having prior criminal convictions and/or disciplinary actions may wish to apply for a preliminary decision from the Commission. Upon receiving a preliminary decision application, the Commission will conduct an investigation and then decide whether it would issue a license if the applicant fulfilled all the requirements for licensure. Thus a potential licensee can receive an indication of whether a license would be issued before incurring the time and expense of meeting the licensing requirements. There is no fee for this application.

Licensing Requirements For Georgia Residents Age Requirements
An individual must be at least 18 to be licensed as a community association manager or salesperson and 21 to be licensed as a broker or associate broker. Applicants may take the community association manager's or salesperson's examination at age 17, but cannot activate the license until they are 18. Similarly, applicants may take the broker's examination at age 20, but cannot activate the license until they are 21.
Education Requirements

General Education
In order to become licensed, an individual must be a high school graduate or the holder of a certificate of equivalency.

Real Estate Education

1. Each applicant for the COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MANAGER'S EXAMINATION must:
   1. complete the 25 hour prelicensing community association manager's course approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission; OR
   2. Complete 4 quarter hours or 2 semester hours in real estate courses at an accredited college or university (usually only real estate department or law school courses will meet this qualification). College credits to meet this education requirement must meet normal degree requirements, and the courses must have a concentration in community associations and community association management. Special short courses or adult education courses will not meet the education requirement unless the college or university gives full academic credit for the course or the course is a Commission approved course.
2. Each applicant for the SALESPERSON'S EXAMINATION must:
   1. complete the 75 hour prelicensing salesperson's course approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission; OR
   2. Complete 10 quarter hours or 6 semester hours in real estate courses at an accredited college or university (usually only real estate department or law school courses will meet this qualification). College credits to meet this education requirement must meet normal degree requirements. Special short courses or adult education courses will not meet the education requirement unless the college or university gives full academic credit for the course or the course is a Commission approved course.
3. Each applicant for the BROKER'S EXAMINATION must:
   1. complete a 60 hour prelicensing broker's course approved by the Georgia Real Estate Commission; OR
   2. Complete 15 quarter hours or 9 semester hours in real estate courses at an accredited college or university (usually only real estate department or law school courses will meet this qualification). College credits to meet this education requirement must meet normal degree requirements. Special short courses or adult education courses will not meet the education requirement unless the college or university gives full academic credit for the course or the course is a Commission approved course.; and
   3. if licensed as a community association manager, complete an additional 75 hours in a course or courses approved by the commission.

Postlicense Education Requirements
Salespersons must take a 25 hour Salespersons postlicense course in their first year of licensure. The course taken must be one specifically approved by the Commission. Failure to complete a postlicense course during the first year of being licensed will cause the license to lapse.

Continuing Education Requirements
All active licensees licensed after January 1, 1980, must complete at least twenty-four (24) hours of approved continuing education course work during each four year renewal period.

Inactive Status
Any individual who successfully passes the licensing examination may apply to place his or her license on inactive status rather than activating it with a broker. In any case, the applicant must pay the appropriate licensing fee. The salesperson postlicense educational requirements apply to a salesperson who goes on inactive status. Any licensee who places a license on inactive status must also pay renewal fees as they come due.

Experience Requirements
There are no experience requirements for a community association manager's or salesperson's license. The law requires three years of active licensure in Georgia or in another state before an applicant may qualify for a broker's license. To obtain approval of out-of-state experience, the applicant must secure a certified copy of his or her license history and education in other states from those states' licensing agencies and submit this with his or her application for licensure before taking the examination. The certified copy or copies of the license history must not be more than one year old at the time of application.

Examination Requirements
The Georgia Real Estate Salesperson, Broker, and Community Association Manager examinations are administered via computer by Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) at four test centers throughout the state of Georgia. The examinations are offered five days a week in Marietta and Lilburn, and Thursday through Saturday in Macon and Savannah.

Persons currently enrolled in a Commission approved pre-license real estate course apply for the Georgia Real Estate License Examinations using the REAL computer application system. Persons not currently enrolled in a Commission approved prelicense real estate course should contact AMP for a Candidate Handbook. The handbook which contains information on fees and locations of test sites can be obtained by writing to Applied Measurement Professionals, Georgia Real Estate Examinations, 8310 Nieman Road, Lenexa, KS, 66214, by calling 1-800-345-6559.

Persons applying for a community association manager's or salesperson's license must apply within twelve months of the date they took the examination; or after twelve months have passed, they must retake the examination.

Requirements for Persons Licensed in Other States Who Have Become Georgia Residents
An individual licensed in another state who becomes a Georgia resident may obtain an equivalent Georgia license without further examination or education. The applicant must submit a certification of license history (no more than one year old) from the state in which the applicant is currently licensed. The certification of license history must show that the applicant:

1. is currently in good standing; (The license cannot be lapsed or expired.)
2. has passed an examination for the type of license sought in Georgia; and
3. has met all prelicense and continuing education requirements required for that license by that state.
   Any applicant who has had a disciplinary action taken against his or her license in any state must submit certified copies of all such disciplinary actions.

Licensing Requirements for Non-Residents
An individual licensed in another state, other than the state of Florida, may obtain an equivalent Georgia license without further examination or education. The applicant must submit a certification of license history no more than one year old from the state in which the applicant is currently licensed. The certification of license history must show that the applicant:

1. is currently in good standing; (The license cannot be lapsed or expired.)
2. has passed an examination for the type of license sought in Georgia; and
3. has met all prelicense and continuing education requirements required for that license by that state.
   Any applicant who has had a criminal conviction or disciplinary taken against his or her license in any state must submit certified copies of all such disciplinary actions.

An Individual Licensed in Florida
An individual licensed in the state of Florida must take and pass the state portion of Georgia's licensing examination for the license which the applicant seeks. The applicant must submit with the application for examination and with the application for a license an original certification of license history, not more than one year old, from the Florida Real Estate Commission.