How to Get your Real Estate License in Georgia

If you're planning on getting your real estate license, then congratulations - you've taken the first step to a prosperous, rewarding career. In order to become a real estate agent in Georgia, you need to follow several steps in order to ensure you are properly educated and certified to sell property in the state.

Below is a guide on how to get your real estate license in Georgia

#1 - Basic Educational Requirements

 To apply for a real estate license in Georgia, you must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma (or GED equivalent), must pass a background check, and you must be able to prove you are a legal citizen (via driver's license, military ID, passport, etc).

#2 - Complete Real Estate Education

Georgia is unlike many other states in that they offer three different real estate education options. You can either choose to:

• Complete a 75-hour salesperson prelicense course
• Complete 10 quarter hours or 6 semester hours of course work in real estate, agency, or contract law from an accredited image. 
• Provide proof of completion of 75 hours of prelicense coursework in another state or province in Canada.

#3 - Obtain a CGIC Report 

Within 60 days of taking the real estate exam, you must obtain a certified criminal history report, which will include information about any of your arrests, judgements, settlements, etc. If you have a previous conviction, you may need to submit additional paperwork and apply to get clearance to take the exam.

#4 - Prepare for the Exam

Once you complete your educational requirements, it's time to prepare for the exam. There are additional prep courses that are offered by many schools to help you further prepare for the exam, and these courses are optional, but tend to be very helpful.

Either way, you should adequately prepare to take the real estate exam however you need to do so.

#5 - Take the Exam

Now you're almost at the end of the road. Some things you should know:

• You'll need two forms of ID to take the exam
• You must get approval beforehand to take the exam, which is normally done automatically
• You must pay the fee to take the exam, which is currently $115
• You can schedule an appointment to take the exam up to two days in advance
• The test is divided into two parts, and you must answer 75/100 on the first part to pass, and 39/52 on the second part to pass. 

#6 - Get Sponsored/Obtain Your License

Finally, in order to get your license, you need a broker to sign a statement that you will be working under them. Only after this is completed can you pay the $170 license fee if you request your license in the first 90 days after taking your license. If you wait longer, up to 12 months, the cost doubles to $340.

Once you complete this step, you are officially a Georgia real estate agent!

Why You Should Get a Georgia Real Estate License

Georgia is a great place to work, especially if you're lucky enough to work in a career in real estate. Atlanta in particular has some of the best real estate in the entire Southeastern portion of the United States, making it the perfect location to start a career in real estate.

If you haven't ever thought about a career in real estate, then you're really missing out on a huge opportunity. Real estate careers are rewarding, fun, and offer you plenty of career benefits that few other career paths can offer you.

Georgia in particular is a fantastic state to obtain a real estate license, and if you haven't though about a career in real estate in the state, here are some reasons why we think you should get a Georgia real estate license:

Work Your Own Hours

Tired of working 9-5? Sick of sitting at a boring old desk doing menial tasks? If you become a Georgia real estate agent, then you get the luxury of working your own hours. You get to set your own schedule (within reason), but you'll never have to be bored working 9-5 every day for the rest of your life.

Instead, you can set your own hours, work with clients when is best suited for everybody, and have the luxury of setting a schedule that accomodates your needs.

There's always demand for homes and property

Unlike many other career paths, which are seasonal, the real estate industry pretty much stays steady throughout the entire year. There is ALWAYS going to be homebuyers and sellers, which means as long as you are a competent real estate agent, you'll always be in business. How's that for job security? You'll never have to worry about whether you'll have a job again.

You can earn as much as you can sell

Real estate agents generally work on commission, which means you can essentially earn as much as you can sell. If you sell 100 properties, then you can get the commission for all 100 of those properties.

While real estate agents do earn a small salary, they are most commission based, so as long as you put in the work and can sell property, then you stand to make a very comfortable income.

Be Your Own Boss 

To go along with what we said before about working your own hours, you are essentially your own boss if you work as a real estate agent. You set your own hours, get to pick your clients, set up meetings and open hours, do your own advertising, etc.

You may still work for a big realty company, but at the end of the day, you are essentially a one man, or woman band.

Final Thoughts

Working in real estate in Georgia is a fantastic career option that can benefit you for decades. If you haven't thought about working in real estate, hopefully now you're at least willing to give it a decent consideration as a potential career choice.