How to Get Your Ohio Real Estate License
This article is part of a larger series onHow to Become a Real Estate Agent。
Becoming a real estate agent in Ohio is a little more challenging than in most other states. To earn your license you are required to complete 120 hours of education approved by Ohio Real Estate & Professional Licensing (REPL), complete a background check, find a sponsoring brokerage, and submit a license application—all before passing your licensing exam. Read through our step-by-step guide to help you navigate through the entire process of getting your Ohio real estate license.
Statistics courtesy ofWorld Population ReviewandLeads Deposit
1. Meet the Legal Requirements of Your Ohio Real Estate License
To qualify for your Ohio real estate license, you must be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or GED, obtain sponsorship from a broker licensed in Ohio, and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. You are also required to be honest, truthful, and of good reputation, which is determined through review of your criminal record.
If you hold a criminal record with a conviction of any felony or crime of moral turpitude, you are disqualified from becoming a real estate agent in Ohio. Additionally, if you’ve violated any civil rights laws regarding real estate within the past two years or violated any rules of the Ohio Division of Real Estate, you may also be disqualified.
It is possible to have a conviction or violation disregarded, but that determination is made only after completing your license application. You can review theDisqualified Offensesand contact theOhio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensingfor more information.
Did you know?Ohio offers full reciprocity with Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Wyoming. This means agents already licensed in other states do not have to take all of REPL’s prelicensing courses, but are still required to complete a background check, areciprocal application, aConsent to Service of Processform, and the Ohio Real Estate Law course to be approved for a reciprocal license.
一个lso, Ohio is a cooperative state in terms of portability, so out-of-state real estate agents or brokers are allowed to physically enter the state of Ohio to conduct real estate business. However, in order for out-of-state agents to work on a real estate transaction, they must have a co-brokerage agreement with a licensee in Ohio. To learn more about real estate license portability in Ohio, check out ourguide on real estate license reciprocity and portability。
2. Complete Required Prelicensing Courses
If you are legally qualified to get your Ohio real estate license, you can proceed with your REPL-approved prelicensing courses. The courses can be taken in-person or at an accreditedonline real estate school in Ohio。Prices range from $1,425 to $1,599 and consist of the following topics:
- Real Estate Principles and Practices: 40 hours
- Ohio Real Estate Law, including instruction in civil rights, housing discrimination and desegregation problems: 40 hours
- Real Estate Appraisal: 20 hours
- Real Estate Finance: 20 hours
Did you know?If you are an active, licensed attorney in the state of Ohio, you can bypass the Ohio Real Estate Law hours required toget your real estate license。
Picking anaccredited real estate schoolis the next step in the right direction for how to become a real estate agent in Ohio. The CE Shop offers initial licensing education for aspiring agents, but also can help you fulfill your licensing requirements throughout your real estate career. They offer high-quality education in a self-paced format that can easily fit into your schedule.
3. Pick a Sponsoring Brokerage to Work For
To hold an active Ohio real estate license, you must find a sponsoring brokerage with which to affiliate your license. To make your choice a little bit easier, check out ourin-depth guide on choosing the right real estate company to work for。一个lthough there are many successful brokerages in the Buckeye State, below you’ll find the top five brokerages reported for 2022.
Rank |
Team Name |
Company |
City |
Volume |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
The Raines Group |
HER Realtors |
New Albany |
$183,366,258.00 |
2 |
Young Team |
Keller Williams Realty |
Pepper Pike |
$125,450,650.00 |
3 |
Casey & Associates |
RE/MAX Connection |
Gahanna |
$88,340,568.70 |
4 |
Huck Team |
Keller Williams Realty |
Westlake |
$79,412,680.00 |
5 |
Tammy Grogan & Associates |
Cutler Real Estate |
North Canton |
$66,497,422.00 |
(Source:Real Trends)
4. Apply for Your Ohio Real Estate License
Once you have completed your prelicensing education and picked a sponsoring brokerage to work with, you must submit your Ohio real estate application. Unlike other states, you are required to submit a full application in order to sit for your examination. TheOhio salesperson applicationmust be submitted by mail to the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing along with a check or money order for $81, and a copy of the certificate of completion from your prelicensing education provider.
Once your application is processed, the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing will send the applicant’s information to the testing vendor and then you’ll be able to take the real estate exam. For more information, read theRequirements for an Ohio Real Estate Salesperson’s License。
5. Get Fingerprints & Background Check
一个ll applicants are required to get their fingerprints taken so REPL can review your background prior to licensure. Your fingerprints will be examined by the state of Ohio and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to determine if you have a criminal record. You are required to have your fingerprints taken within 10 days of filing an application, but not before filing your application with the Ohio Division of Real Estate.
Fingerprints are taken byWebCheck, which is a company that provides criminal record check services for businesses, government agencies, and private entities. Schedule your appointment at anOhio location near youand make sure you bring your government-issued ID to confirm your identity. Prices range depending on your location, but are around $50 to $80. The results will be provided to the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing within 30 days.
Keep in mind that you are required to have your fingerprints checked by both the FBI and the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI&I). Make a note that you must instruct WebCheck to use the following reason codes and to have BCI&I send the results (state and FBI criminal records check) to the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing:
- BCI&I Reason Code:4735 05 and/or 121 08
- FBI Reason Code:121 08
- 一个ddress to send to:Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing 77 S High St., 20th Fl. Columbus, OH 43215-6133
For additional information about fingerprinting, refer to Ohio’s一个dditional Instruction for Applications Worksheet。
6. Take the Ohio Real Estate Exam
一个lthough Ohio does not post its average pass rating for the real estate exam, in order tobecome an agent在俄亥俄州,你必须得分至少有70%通过。The exam is made up of national and state portions, which must both be passed to move forward with licensure. The exam is administered on the computer so you will know immediately after completion whether you passed.
If you fail one or both portions of the exam, you can submit a retake application and fee to reschedule your exam. Theretake applicationwill be provided to you at the exam site following a failing score report. Fortunately, you have a one-year period to pass the exam after receiving your scheduling information from the testing vendor.
Ohio Real Estate Exam Details
Test Format |
Multiple choice |
Test Length |
120 questions |
Time Limit |
80 nationally-focused questions40 state-specific questions
180 minutes
|
Items to Bring to the Exam |
2 valid forms of identification with signatures are required:
|
Passing Score |
70% to pass the Ohio Real Estate Salesperson Exam |
Pass Rate |
Unfortunately, unlike other states, Ohio does not publish its average pass rate |
Schedule Your Exam
Once your application is completed and processed, you will receive theOhio Candidate Information Bulletinwith instructions on how to schedule your exam. The Ohio real estate license exam is provided by PSI, a national provider for state licensing exams. In order to begin scheduling, you’ll be required to create an account on thePSI website, which then allows access to the scheduling portal.
The fee to take the exam is $58 and can be paid directly on the website using a credit or debit card. If you are retaking only one portion, the fee to take either the national or state exam is $39.
For extra help studying for your exam, consider trying PrepAgent. With their premium package, you will be provided with exam simulations, flashcards, vocabulary, and more, and you’ll get unlimited access to their platform. Even more, they have a Pass Guarantee that guarantees success on the first attempt or your money back.
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For extra guidance on passing your real estate exam, download our Exam Prep e-book. We include a pre-assessment to test your knowledge as well as helpful information about what’s included in the exam, the length and structure of the exam, study tips, and sample questions from PrepAgent.
7. Start Your Real Estate Career
Now that you’ve learned how to become a real estate agent in Ohio, you’re ready to start your real estate journey. For more information,here are some of our articles with content that is perfect for new real estate agents:
- Our article with14 Real Estate Agent Tipscovers the basics that every agent should know when they are starting out, includinghow to write a real estate business plan
- Learn how togenerate real estate buyer leads
- Get nine strategies to help withreal estate seller lead generation
- Jumpstart your career with the顶新房地产经纪人建议摇来摇去m the Pros
- Get the tools you need to build a strong real estate business out of the gate using thebest real estate software and tools