First of all, this process has a name and that is reciprocal licensing. Basically, the majority of states have a reciprocity agreement with other states that allows you to get a real estate license without having to again go through the schooling often required to get your license. Typical requirements would include:

1. Must have a valid real estate license in a reciprocal state.

2. Must complete and submit a reciprocal license application.

3. Must pay any fees for licensing as required by the issuing state.

Now these do vary from state to state, some states will require you to get credit hours even though you already have them in your home state, but most do not require this.

Why would you want a reciprocal real estate license?

The most common reason for seeing real estate agents with more than one license is when they are located within a short drive from another state. For instance, in Vancouver, WA. agents are just across the river from Portland, OR., about a half hour drive, which makes sense that they would expand their market into Oregon since a lot of clients will be moving back and forth between these two states. Agents would now be able to accommodate these clients in finding a home rather than referring them to an Oregon Realtor.

Another common reason for having a license in two or more states is for people that homes in two different states. Lets say that you spend half of the year in your home state and the other half at your vacation home. By having a real estate license in both states you would be able to conduct business regardless of which house you are staying at, which would be very convenient.

How do you find your states reciprocity agreements?

If you have not yet noticed, this site has a list of states on the right sidebar of every page, click on your state for the licensing requirements along with reciprocal licensing information. You can also visit your local Real Estate Commerce website for information and applications to get you started.

Getting your real estate license can be very challenging. It should be a career choice that you think long and hard about. It will take a lot of dedication on your part but once you have thought about it and made the choice, you are ready for your journey. There are many things that you can do to make getting your real estate license easier. Some of these things are:

• Research: Each state has real estate laws that specify the requirements necessary to obtain a real estate license. You need to research these requirements to learn what will be entailed to get your real estate license.
• Fulfill any pre-license requirements there might be. This could include educational requirements depending on the state you are residing in.
• Prepare yourself for the intense training required to get your license, there is a lot to learn and remember. I would recommend that you go on to the Internet and acquire some sample testing and training materials. These will give you an idea of what you have in store for yourself when it is time to take the actual test. Aside from that, Practice, practice, practice since you may not have been in school for a while, retaining the information may be difficult at first.
• It would also be a good idea if you check with your state’s real estate licensing center to see what the post-license requirements might be, before moving forward.

Rest assured that being prepared will make getting your real estate license much easier. The real estate licensing test can be very difficult especially if all of the information is new to you. You are going to have to remember a great deal of data so take plenty of practice tests and take the test as soon as you can after your course work. The fresher the information is in your mind the better you will do on the actual license test.

Several years ago, when I got my real estate license, I chose to go with a local company that offered real estate courses and they guaranteed that I would pass the test with their help. If you can find a company that offers this guarantee you will be much better off, should the first round not go so well. It can save you a great deal of money. The fees to take the test can be expensive and your state may require a waiting period before you can retake the test. Yes, you guessed it, I failed. I had to wait to retake the test but in the meantime I was able to go back to school and retake the course. This allowed me to fill in the gaps I missed the first time. By the way, I passed the next time.

Getting your real estate license does not need to be difficult, just be prepared, study hard and you will do fine. Good luck.