Current North Carolina Real Estate Income, Sales, and Trends

Graphic of NC Residential Statistics showing various housing data for North Carolina including a homeownership rate of 66.7%, total housing units at 4,708,710, and a median gross rent of $1,131, along with a breakdown of housing value percentages in different price ranges.

While leading job recruiters disagree on an exact salary (which is standard in states nationwide), the figures are positive across the board.

According to one resource, the average broker in NC can pull between $35,744 and $175,296 a year. Most brokers make $79,157 on average.1

Gaining more experience can increase your paycheck. The above resource quotes broker salaries with one to two years of experience as $69,834 per year.

You can make around $88,803 a year with six to nine years of experience and $87,003 annually if you have over 10 years in the industry.

Another leading job outlet reports that real estate broker earnings in NC are $35,000 to $214,000 annually.1 That’s a lower base estimate than the above resource but a substantially higher upper end.

Your income as a real estate agent varies based on factors such as:

  • How many clients you have
  • How healthy the real estate market is in your neighborhood
  • How much experience you have
  • Whether you work alone or as part of a real estate agency
  • Your commission rate
  • If you have certifications

What’s clear is that you can easily bring in five to six figures per year as a full-time real estate broker in North Carolina.

For comparison’s sake, the average NC income is $53k to $70k a year,2 so you’d earn at least that much as a real estate broker if not more.

Reestablishing Your Real Estate License and Reciprocity in North Carolina

Your real estate license will expire annually by June 30th.3 Paying the licensing fee anytime between May 15th and June 30th and committing to continuing education will reestablish your license.

Here are the requirements. If you’ve held your real estate license for six months or fewer, you don’t need to take an exam or further education.

Pay the $90 to reinstate your license. However, you will not leave provisional status until you take CE credits if you have any deficiencies and apply for a full broker’s license.

Brokers with a license that lasted more than six months and up to two years must pass the license exam’s State and National sections or take a post-licensing course. Even then, you’re still not a full broker until submitting REC 2.08.4

If you’ve had a real estate broker’s license for more than two years and up to three years, you must complete 75 hours of pre-licensing training up to three years before you resubmit your license application and pass the real estate broker’s exam. Also, complete REC 2.08.

Brokers with a real estate license for more than three years only have to pass the State part of the licensing exam and don’t require 75 hours of pre-licensing training. Post-licensing education is required for 90 hours.

North Carolina License Reciprocity (Can My License Be Used in Other States?)

North Carolina allows real estate agents and brokers from other states to practice real estate and waive their pre-licensing course if they completed similar education in their state.

The education must be the equivalent number of hours, 75, and done within the last year before applying for an NC real estate license. The educational content of the pre-licensing course must be similar to what real estate brokers learn in NC.

Brokers and real estate agents coming from another state who have a real estate license in that state also have options.

If your license is the equivalent of NC’s provisional license and active for the last three years, you can receive a provisional brokerage license and take CE. Alternatively, you can take the State portion of the real estate exam.


References

1Indeed. (2023). Realtor® salary in North Carolina. Indeed. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from <https://www.indeed.com/career/realtor/salaries/NC>

2U.S. Dept. of Justice. (2022, April 1). U.S. Trustee Program/Dept. of Justice. U.S. Trustee Program/Dept. of Justice. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from <https://www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/20220401/bci_data/median_income_table.htm>

3North Carolina Real Estate Commission. (2017, July 1). Reinstatement. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from <https://www.ncrec.gov/Licensing/Reinstatement>

4North Carolina Real Estate Commission. (2023). License Activation/Affiliation. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from <https://www.ncrec.gov/licenseeactivation>