Here are the courses that the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) requires for your continuing education:
Florida Law Update: 3 hours. You’ll get a refresher on state real estate law. And you'll learn about any legal updates relevant to the real estate industry.
Ethics and Business Practices: 3 hours. You’ll review real estate business ethics. And you will learn to grow your business with integrity.
Specialty credits (electives): 8 hours. There are lots of options for your specialty credits, so you can choose the courses most relevant to you. Choose from interesting topics like commercial real estate, property management, and real estate sales techniques. You just need to make sure your chosen courses are approved by FREC.
With this schedule, the FREC can be sure agents are up-to-date on legal and ethical practices. And there is also room for agents to choose specialty courses that best suit their needs.
What Is Continuing Education?
Continuing education is the set of state-required courses all real estate agents must complete regularly. Agents must complete these courses before they can renew their real estate licenses.
Every state has some form of continuing education rule. This helps licensed agents and brokers keep up with changing legal requirements and best practices for the industry. Properly trained professionals reflect well on the whole real estate industry! In Florida, real estate licenses generally expire every two years. So, every two years, you’ll need to complete a set of state-approved continuing education courses.
What Is the Difference Between Continuing Education Courses and Post-License Courses?
Continuing education and post-license courses are very similar. They’re both sets of courses you take after you receive your real estate license.
The difference is the timing and the requirements:
Post-license courses are completed before you renew your license for the first time. In Florida, the post-license course is 45 hours. Post-license education is a bit more intense than continuing education. This is because new agents have more to learn than experienced agents.
Continuing education courses are completed during each renewal period after your first license renewal. In Florida, you’ll take 14 hours of continuing education each renewal period.
When Do I Need to Complete My Continuing Education Courses?
You won’t be able to renew your real estate license until you complete your continuing education courses. Don’t wait until the last minute! It will take you time to work through your courses. And it can also take FREC a few days to review your renewal application and grant the renewal.
If your real estate license expires before FREC can approve your renewal application, you’ll need to stop all real estate practices until your license is renewed. Luckily, you can quickly and easily complete your Florida continuing education courses online! That means you can avoid any interruption to your business.
Check out Aceable’s continuing education courses today!