How to Get Your New York Real Estate License

If you want to get your New York real estate license and start an exciting career in real estate, follow these steps:

• Take the required 77-hour pre-license course from a provider approved by New York State.

• Pass the pre-license course exam and the New York real estate licensing exam.

• Select and work with a sponsoring broker.

• Submit a real estate license application and fee to New York’s Department of State.

One big reason to give real estate a try? The upfront costs to get a New York real estate license are relatively low, especially when you consider there is no limit to what you can earn as a real estate agent.

Here are the steps you need to follow in more detail:

Step 1: Choose Your 77-Hour Pre-License Course

To ensure you’ll have the knowledge you need to serve your clients well, New York requires you to complete 77 hours of coursework from a course that’s been approved by the Secretary of State before you apply for your license.

What the Pre-Licensing Course Covers

An important part of the course is covering the state and federal real estate laws that affect your day-to-day work. Your pre-license course will give you the knowledge you need to conduct your real estate transactions correctly and avoid accidentally breaking the law.

You’ll also learn how to do basic calculations to help your clients get the best deals possible. Your clients will likely ask you questions about:

• Price per square foot

• Which mortgage will cost them the most in the long run

• How interest rates work

• How to price a home to sell quickly

You’ll learn how to answer those questions (and more) to guide your clients through the process of buying and selling real estate.

What to Look for in a Real Estate School

You can complete your pre-license course through an online provider like AceableAgent or at a traditional school in a classroom. The State has a list of approved pre-license course providers on its website. An in-person course will have a fixed course schedule, while an online course will allow you to complete the course at your own pace.

Seventy-seven hours is a lot of time, so choose a pre-license course that’s convenient, works for your schedule, is affordable, and presents the material in an easy-to-understand way. AceableAgent’s online course is a great option for people who want a flexible schedule. It also presents the material in an interactive way that makes learning fun.

Check Your Eligibility

As long as you’re 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, have a high school degree (or GED), and don’t have a felony on your record, you’re good to sign up for a course and get your license! Even with a criminal record, you might still be able to get a NY real estate license if you take the additional step of getting a Certificate of Relief From Disabilities or a Certificate of Good Conduct.

If you’ve already been licensed as a real estate agent in another state, you may be able to transfer your license to New York. It depends on whether the state you’re licensed in has reciprocity with New York. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to take the 77-hour course in New York.

Step 2: Pass Your Real Estate School’s Exam

Next, you’ll need to pass a proctored exam given by your course provider. Anything over 70% is a passing grade.

AceableAgent offers this exam online as part of its pre-license course. If you’re worried about passing the test, you’ll be happy to know that AceableAgent provides you with lots of practice questions to get you prepped for the exam.

With AceableAgent’s course, you’ll also get access to:

• One hour of private tutoring with a real estate expert

• Live webinars 5x/week

• A webinar archive

• Hundreds of hours of educational videos

• Live Q&A

Step 3: Take and Pass the New York Real Estate Licensing Exam

After you pass the exam administered by your real estate school, you can schedule a time to take the New York real estate licensing exam. To do so, you’ll have to set up an account on eAccessNY, New York State’s Occupational Licensing Management System, which is easy to do.

Then, it’s just a matter of showing up on your scheduled exam date with a current government-issued ID that has your picture. You’ll also need to bring a printout of the “Summary of Your Submission” page that was generated in the eAccessNY system when you scheduled the exam.

You’ll have 90 minutes to complete the multiple-choice exam. It’s pass/fail, and you can access your results in your eAccessNY account. You'll need a score of 70% or higher to pass.

Step 4: Find a Sponsoring Broker

Next, start looking for a New York sponsoring broker if you don’t yet have one. You can’t get an active license to work as a real estate salesperson in New York without one.

If you’d like some guidance, check out this article on choosing your first real estate brokerage in NY.

Step 5: Get a New York Real Estate License

Now you’re ready to get a New York real estate license!

You can submit the application form online through your eAccessNY account. Along with the application form, you’ll need to complete a Child Support Statement (even if you don’t have kids). You’ll also have to pay a non-refundable $65 fee for your application to be processed.

Once you complete the application form, it will be sent to your sponsoring broker for approval. After it’s approved and passed along to the Licensing office, your shiny new real estate license will be generated and sent to your broker within a week!