How To Become a Real Estate Agent in North Carolina

According to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC),¹ NC has 17,772 brokers-in-charge, 6,467 active provisional brokers, and 82,970 brokers in 2023. But, the wonderful thing about becoming a real estate agent in the state is that it provides an excellent opportunity to grow your professional skills.

Working as a real estate broker is a great career choice. You can make it a part-time or full-time job with a versatile, flexible schedule, and you don’t need an advanced degree to be a broker in North Carolina.

Best of all is the freedom and control over your income by determining how many clients you work with and which projects you accept.

This comprehensive guide outlines the steps required to become a real estate broker in North Carolina, including how to pass the licensing exam, the topics that are covered, and the regulations and contacts you’ll need to get started.

Getting Your Real Estate Broker License in North Carolina

North Carolina only issues broker’s licenses. Brokers work with clients to help them buy or sell their perfect properties, negotiating on behalf of the clients and making offers.

The responsibilities of a broker don’t change, but brokers can work independently and make a bit more money from the transaction. But, there are graduating levels of the type of broker you can become in the state.

Provisional brokers are entry-level individuals who team with a broker-in-charge after passing the state licensing exam and enroll in a post-licensing education program for 90 hours up to 18 months after becoming a provisional broker.

The required steps to obtaining your real estate brokerage license begin with:

1. Meet the licensing criteria
2. Take a state-approved pre-licensing course for 75 hours
3. Send in your application
4. Pass the North Carolina Real Estate Broker License Exam
5. Select a sponsoring broker

Basic Criteria To Qualify for Real Estate Professional License

First, you must qualify to become a real estate agent or broker under NCREC.²

The agency has these requirements:

• Have a “requisite character” to receive a license
• Be a United States citizen or legally allowed to work in the country
• Receive pre-licensing education
• Send in a license application
• Pay the application fee
• Earn a passing grade on the NC real estate license exam

The character qualification is designed to ensure that real estate professionals in the state are trustworthy. This generally involves a fingerprint background check to search for criminal history records.

The NCREC will not necessarily take away your dreams of becoming a real estate agent or broker if you have legal issues on your record. However, you should include paperwork detailing unpaid judgments, liens, licensure disciplinary actions, and criminal offenses, even major traffic offenses.

Age and Fundamental Academic Criteria

You can’t apply for a real estate broker or agent license in North Carolina unless you’re at least 18, but no higher education (i.e., college degree) is required. You can go right from high school to working as a real estate agent (after you pass your licensing exams, of course) or explore other careers before settling on this one.

Obligatory Course Hours for Real Estate Licensing

What education is required to be a real estate agent? Typically most states begin with the requirement of having a high school diploma or equivalent.

Applicants should also enroll in the North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course, which thanks to modern upgrades, is now offered online.

You can plan the 75 hours of required coursework around your time and schedule. That’s handy if you already have a full-time job but are eager to switch careers.

The pre-licensing course will provide all the information needed to pass the NC real estate licensing exam.

Before you finish your pre-licensing education, you must take a test and pass. This test can only be administered by an Education Provider certified by NCREC.

Expenditure on Pre-Licensing Education for Real Estate

How much will you spend on your real estate pre-licensing education in North Carolina? The cost varies depending on the school you enroll in, costing anywhere from $100 to $300.

Essential Background Investigation for Real Estate Professionals (Fingerprint Facility Details)

Aspiring real estate professionals in NC must get fingerprinted for a background examination.

Here are the facilities that offer this service throughout the state:

Fingerprinting Facility in NC	Address
Wake County City-County Bureau of Investigation (CCBI)3	3301 Hammond Road Raleigh, NC 27603
Orange County Sheriff’s Office	106 East Margaret Lane Hillsborough, NC 27278
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office	700 East 4th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Johnston County Sheriff’s Office	120 South 3rd Street Smithfield, NC 27577
Harnett County Sheriff’s Office	175 Bain Street Lillington, NC 27546
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office	285 T Kemp Road Louisburg, NC 27549
Durham County Sheriff’s Office	510 South Dillard Street Durham, NC 27701
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office	131 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC 28301
Wake Forest PD	225 South Taylor Street Wake Forest, NC 27587

You might have to pay a fee for fingerprinting. For example, the Wake County CCBI charges $30 and $5 for additional fingerprinting cards.