How to get your Orlando real estate license

Orlando has always a hot market when the weather is…well hot. Typically the market slows down significantly during winter months, which was no different in 2021. Disney World and the surrounding parks draw in large crowds during spring, summer, and fall months, but park visitation drops off significantly around October. It’s no surprise that the housing market in Orlando follows suit.

However, there were some big highs brought on by the pandemic. More people were moving to the Sunshine state during quarantine, and during that time a total of 3,760 homes were sold which shrank the total inventory by 41.7% year-over-year. However, it was a slight decrease of 0.8% from 3,789 sales in September 2021. The number of days on market has fallen to an average of 27 days, which’s down 43.8% from the previous year.

Orlando is also known to be a very competitive market, and home prices are up 16%. According to Norada Real Estate Investments, hot homes can sell for about 2% above the list price and go pending in around 5 days. That’s a pretty appealing deal for many prospective real estate agents.

With the Orlando real estate market getting more attention, more people are looking to enter the industry. Getting into the industry requires a Florida Real Estate License earned through study, research, and exam hours. Steps to getting your Florida license and information needed to start your real estate career are broken down in a step by step process below.

Step 1: Meet the Florida licensing requirements

You must meet the state’s basic requirements before applying for a real estate salesperson license in Orlando. The requirements are:

• You must be at least 18 years old (legal age).
• You must have a high school diploma or GED.
• You must be a resident citizen of the United States and have a social security number.

Step 2: Real estate education

The first step to acquiring your real estate license is to complete a 63-hours of pre-licensing education at any approved real estate school. The course covers the basic knowledge needed to become a real estate salesperson. There are dozens of options in Florida, and you can choose between in-person courses or online courses. You will be tested at the end of the course, and a minimum score of 70% is required to move on to the next step.

Step 3: Fingerprint and license examination

You have to submit your fingerprints for a background check five days before your license application. After a successful background check, you can apply for the salesperson licensing exam online or via mail and pay the required fee. In Florida, the licensing exam fee is $36.75.

Step 4: Take and pass the exam

You will be provided a candidate ID number that’ll be used to schedule the exam. A score of at least 75 out of 100 points is needed to pass the state and national real estate exam. After passing the exam, your salesperson license will be available on your secure account at the Department of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR).

Step 5: Find a Sponsor Broker

Your salesperson license is inactive until you are affiliated with or sponsored by a real estate broker. A sponsoring broker will help activate your license. It’s important to take this process seriously, because this sponsor can be the difference between your success or failure in the industry. Before committing to a particular brokerage, ask the following questions:

• What are the commission splits?
• What are the desk fees?
• Are there other ongoing fees I should know about?
• What kind of training is provided?
• What kind of software or technology is provided?
• What is the reputation of the brokerage in your area?

Real estate schools in Orlando

Real estate schools help aspirants meet the required study hours and prepare them for the licensing exam. Real estate schools in Orlando provide online and/or in-person pre-licensing courses depending on which meets your needs. Here are some real estate schools in Orlando.

Best In-Person Classes:

Climer School of Real Estate

Address: 5104 N Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32810

Climer School of real estate is a leading real estate school located in Orlando and known to provide quality education to its students. They have been providing real estate educational aid since 1998 and were acquired by Gold Coast Schools, one of Florida’s leading real estate institutions, in 2021. The school offers both online and in-person prelicensing classes to suit the students’ schedules and learning abilities.

With Gold Coast School’s help, Climer provides prelicensing courses to help meet the required hours of prelicensing study. Three packages are currently offered at Climer, depending on your learning format. The Classroom package provides students with industry-experienced instructors to lecture them in a traditional classroom. Students also provide a textbook, online review course, weekly tutoring, real estate guide book, and employment assistance. The Livestream package is mainly for students that don’t live close to the school’s location or enjoy the classroom setting with the guidance of an instructor in their home. This offers students the same package as the classroom package, in which classes are provided online, and textbooks are in PDF formats. The Online package, unlike the other two, is a self-paced learning exercise. Students are provided with textbooks, cram classes, online exam prep, and access to review Livestream classes.

 

Demetree School of Real Estate

Address: 11 S Bumby Ave, Orlando, FL 32803

The Demetree School of Real Estate once was the Climer School of Real Estate, but the original family sold the school back in 2014 and opened up a new competitor.

The Demetree mindset of perseverance, problem solving and passion is infused in their real estate classes.  They believe that high-quality instruction begins with high-quality instructors. The owners have been in the real estate education space for decades, and now are proud to have what they describe as the best instructors in the business. They have significant experience in all facets of real estate, sales, and adult education.  The instructors know how to explain difficult concepts in a way that you will not only understand, but also remember and know how to apply.

Demetree boasts that their instructors are professionally trained speakers and educators who know the material cold.  They can answer your questions as it pertains to both the state exam and to real life.

 

Best Online Real Estate Courses: 

Real Estate Express

Real Estate Express (established in 1996) is a pioneer of the real estate industry and provides educational aid to over 52,000 real estate aspirants. Their courses are accredited by the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO), the International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC), and Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC).

Real estate Express currently has four prelicensing packages for Florida aspirants. The Basic package offers courses that help meet the required hours of study and sit for the licensing exam. This package is for students with little knowledge of real estate. The Exam Preparation package offers the basic package and exam prep to help students prepare better. The Exam Preparation Plus package includes a printed course textbook, a question and answer instructor, and three real estate eBooks. The Ultimate Learning package, which is the last package, consists of the most feature. It offers an instructor, 90 days learning boot camp before the licensing exam, and the exam preparation plus package. A one-year professional development membership is also given to help kick off your real estate career.

 

Mbition

Mbition is a long-standing real estate school that has been providing educational services for over 50 years. They offer self-paced prelicensing courses and a Mathmaster program that teaches the required for the Florida real estate exam. Their courses are state-approved, ARELLO and IDECC accredited.

Mbition offers three packages to Florida aspirants. The Silver package contains the basic requirements to pass the licensing exam and the required hours of study. It includes 63 hours of study, instructor and technical support, and the Mathamster program. The Gold package offers the silver package, exam prep (both state and national), and a pass guarantee. The Platinum package provides students with every offer in the gold package alongside a textbook and an exam prep toolkit.

 

Real estate brokerages in Orlando

After getting your real estate salesperson license, the sponsorship and guidance of a broker or brokerage are needed to commence your real estate journey. A Real Estate brokerage uses its knowledge to train and guide newly licensed agents into the real estate business.

Keller Williams Realty

Address: 11 S Bumby Avenue, Suite 200, Orlando, FL 32803.

Keller Williams Realty is one of the biggest and longest-serving real estate companies in the country. They are known to have a career-lasting relationship with their agents and have a competitive compensation plan. They are committed to creating success on every level of the industry.

Keller Williams has an annual cap that every agent must reach. The cap is set by each market center and is determined by the operating expenses, local market conditions, etc. The precap commission is split 64% for agents, 30% to the market center, and 6% to the national brand as a franchise fee. Once agents meet the annual cap, they earn 100% of their commission. Agents can also earn when another agent they recruit closes a sale, termed “profit-sharing”. Keller Williams pays a specific commission from their company’s share to the agent.

 

Worth Clark Realty

Address:  11 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801

Besides providing virtual training and mentorship to aspiring real estate agents, Worth Clark realty also provides on-demand tech support and mentorship training to newly licensed agents. Rather than a commission percentage split, agents only pay a modest transaction fee per sale, depending on the support and tools provided for the transaction. This allows agents to earn more while giving them the freedom and flexibility to customize their own business as they see fit.

Worth Clark Realty now has more than 800 licensed real estate agents, and they are operating in 6 different states including Florida and Texas. The brokerage has been on the Fortune 500 list 6 years in a row, and has collectively the offices have sold more than $3B dollars in real estate.

 

Century 21

Address: 6801 Wallace Road, Orlando, FL 32819.

Century 21 is a top real estate company that is particular about issues important to the next generation of homeowners (includes fair housing, conversion of commercial space to residential space, and LGBTQ rights). They have gained a lot of attention because of their marketing strategy and approach to the real estate business. Century 21 is home to over 11,000 brokers and 127,000 employees across the country. Century 21 franchise don’t charge desk fees, and commission split is negotiated on an agent to agent basis at each market center except an annual 5 – 8% franchise fee. They don’t charge any amount before you close a deal, which is helpful to new agents.

 

Top Orlando Real Estate Associations To Join

Orlando Regional Realtor Association

Address: 1330 Lee Rd, Orlando, FL 32810

The Orlando Regional Realtor Association (ORRA) was established in 1921 as the Orlando Board of Realtors. After years of merging with Realtor associations around the city, it finally became ORRA in 2000. ORRA is one of the largest local Realtor associations in Florida, housing over 20,000 Realtors and affiliates in surrounding counties. ORRA is an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Florida Association of Realtors (FAR).

ORRA provides members with educational and networking opportunities as well as an insurance policy. Members are subject to a strict code of ethics which ensures that consumers are well served by Realtors. ORRA helps provide an atmosphere and environment that raises the experience and professionalism of Realtors.

 

Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 607763, Orlando, FL 32860

From education to advocacy efforts, from networking to property data – CFCAR works to help you be more profitable, while advocating to protect the commercial real estate industry. Get the skills necessary to succeed in all commercial real estate markets. Learn more about our services.

CFCAR seeks to create a fun and collegiate environment that supports the commercial practitioner who aspires to maximize profitability and professionalism and who will materially contribute to the overall image and success of the profession. Join with members that do business with members.

 

Osceola County Association of Realtors

Address: 1105 Cross Prairie Parkway, Kissimmee, FL 34744

As the Voice for Real Estate in Central Florida, the Osceola County Association of Realtors, commonly called OSCAR, is the largest trade association in Osceola County and was established in 1924.  On October 1, 1950, they were officially designated a member of the National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB) which today is the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the largest trade association in the nation with more than 1.5 million members. When brokers, real estate agents and business partners join their Association, they also become members of NAR and Florida Realtors. The Association currently represents over 5,000 Realtors and affiliate members also referred to as Vital Industry Partners (VIPs).