How to Become a Real Estate Broker in Florida

Becoming a real estate broker in Florida comes with a distinct advantage over being a real estate agent. As a broker, you can hire real estate agents to work for you and own your own real estate firm!

And you can become a Florida real estate broker in six simple steps:

1. Start with your Florida real estate license
2. Gain some experience
3. Complete your broker course
4. Apply for your broker license
5. Pass your broker exam
6. Activate your license and keep up with your continuing education courses

6 Steps to Getting your Florida Broker License

1. Get Your Florida real estate license as a salesperson

All Florida real estate brokers must begin as licensed real estate agents. Being a licensed real estate agent is the best way to learn the business before you start supervising others. If you already have a real estate license from another state, you may be able to apply for your Florida real estate license under a mutual recognition agreement. Otherwise, you’ll need to complete the following steps to get your Florida real estate license:

1. Meet the DBPR’s basic requirements: be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, and have a social security number.
2. Complete your pre-licensing education. This 63-hour course will teach you the basics of real estate.
3. Apply for your real estate license. In Florida, you must apply for your license before you will be permitted to sit the Florida real estate exam.
4. Pass your exam.
5. Have your supervising broker activate your Florida real estate license.

With that, you’ll be a licensed Florida real estate agent, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Florida real estate broker.

2. Gain some experience

Florida won’t allow you to become a broker without some serious industry experience. You’ll need 24 months of experience as an active real estate salesperson within the five-year period leading up to your broker application. This period gives you enough exposure to real-world real estate situations to prepare you to oversee other agents as a real estate broker.

3. Complete your broker coursework

In addition to your 63-hour real estate salesperson education, you’ll need to complete a 72-hour broker-specific course. The education requirement can be waived if you have a four-year university degree in real estate.

4. Apply for your broker license

You’ll need to apply for your broker’s license before you can sit your broker exam. This application process includes:

1. Completing the application
2. Paying the application fee of $91.75
3. Submit your fingerprints for a background check

The approval process typically takes around three weeks, so plan ahead!

5. Pass the broker exam

Once you’re authorized to sit your Florida broker exam, you can schedule your exam with Pearson VUE. To help prepare you for your exam, the Florida DBPR offers a Candidate Information Booklet full of useful information including test site locations, a list of items to bring with you on testing day, and even test-taking advice and resources.

To pass the Florida broker exam, you’ll need to score at least 75 out of 100 points.

6. Activate your license and keep up with continuing education requirements

Once you pass your broker exam, an inactive version of your Florida broker license will automatically be issued and available to download from the DBPR website. To activate your license and officially become a real estate broker in Florida, you just need to file either the DBPR RE11 (to become a broker associate) or DBPR RE13 (to become a broker).

To keep your Florida broker license active, you just need to complete a 45-hour continuing education course within your first year as a broker.