Getting your Alabama real estate license might seem daunting, but we’re here to guide you through the process.
Read on to learn about the 6 steps you’ll need to complete before starting your career in Alabama real estate. To learn about how much it costs to get your real estate license, visit our Alabama Pre-Licensing pricing page.
You must first be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien, or legally present in the U.S.
You must be at least 19 years of age.
You must show proof of bona fide residency in any state in the U.S.
You must have proof of high school graduation or the equivalent.
You must not have been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude.
You must not have had a real estate application or license rejected or revoked in any state within the past two years.
To start, you must successfully complete an approved 60 clock-hour Pre-Licensing course. Learn more about your package options here.
Registration with the Alabama Real Estate Commission prior to your pre-licensing course exam is required to allow scheduling of the state license exam and issuing of a license.
This information is required to expedite the exchange of information among your instructor, the exam provider and the state of Alabama. You can register for your temporary ID here. You will be required to provide this number at the end of your pre-licensing course.
After you complete all the course materials, meet the minimum time requirement, and pass the practice exam, there is a course final exam. The minimum passing score is 70%. Licensees will have 6 months from the time they pass their course exam to pass their Alabama Real Estate Salesperson exam.
You must take the final exam in the presence of a proctor, and you’ll need to schedule an appointment with a proctor in advance. Find out more about our online proctoring here.
After passing the course final exam, you will take your Alabama licensing exam. The State portion of this exam consists of 40 questions with a 60-minute time allowance and the National portion consists of 80 questions with a 150-minute time allowance. For more information, see the Pearson VUE Candidate Information Bulletin.
Do you need help passing your Alabama real estate exam? The CE Shop also offers exam prep tailored to Alabama. If you have any additional questions, visit our Alabama real estate exam frequently asked questions page.
After passing your licensing exam, you must become associated with a current and active sponsoring broker. This broker will be a career and education mentor providing you with an inside view into the day-to-day operations of a real estate agent.
Here are some questions to consider when searching for the right broker:
What is their reputation, both locally and nationally?
What kind of real estate agents are they looking for?
Are they technologically advanced and up-to-date with the latest systems?
How do they support their agents with education and training?
What kind of commission structure do they offer?
Do they offer benefits?
Do they provide their agents with leads and marketing material?
Is there room to grow with the brokerage?
Within 90 days of passing your licensing exam, you must submit your official application and any applicable fees, as well as a fingerprint-based federal and state criminal background check. Once the application has been accepted, you'll be issued a temporary license. Information on the background check can be found here.
Within the first 12 months of licensure, you must complete a 30-hour Post-Licensing course in order to be issued a permanent license. The Post-Licensing course must be completed along with the permanent license issued within the first 6 months in order to maintain an active license.
Registration with the Alabama Real Estate Commission is required prior to starting your post-licensing course. This information is required to expedite the exchange of information among your instructor, the exam provider and the state of Alabama.
You should already have a temporary ID number. You can also look up your temporary ID here. You will be required to provide this number at the start of your post-licensing course.
