To work as a real estate broker, agent, or appraiser, you must go to real estate school. Prior to getting your license, you must take mandated courses. The requirements for getting a real estate license may vary, depending on the state in which you live. You cannot get a license that's good all over the country. You have to be licensed in the state that you'll be working in. Each state has its own laws regarding real estate agent and broker licensing. You decide which course you want to pursue. Most states have licenses for brokers and agents. One of the exceptions is Colorado. In that state, everyone must be licensed as a broker.

The length of time required for the coursework for real estate school varies with each state. The pre-license course is important and is required, no matter where you live. After completing the course, the best way to prepare for the licensing exam is to take a prep course. Everything in the course is gone over in about 2 days. It's very important to take one of the prep courses so you don't have any surprises when you begin the exam for your license. You can be evaluated for any areas you may have weaknesses in so that you can go over the material again.

When you take a course in real estate school to be licensed, the laws and regulations are diverse. State laws differ regarding how much education is needed, what is covered in the licensing exam, and whether a licensed real estate agent or broker must have additional training periodically after they've obtained the license. The tuition schools charge and fees associated with the exams also vary. The National Association of Realtors, or NAR, adheres to strict ethics and policies. The NAR also provides the courses of continuing education that are mandatory in some states after getting a real estate license.

As an example of the coursework that is mandatory for real estate school, in California, students are required to take a minimum of three college-level courses including Real Estate Principles and Real Estate Practice. In California, courses taken in continuing education cannot count as part of the mandatory requirements for real estate coursework. If anyone has already completed the mandatory coursework in California which would include the 8 courses required by the state, they would be qualified to take the exam to be a real estate agent or a broker without having to complete any additional educational requirements.

The additional course for California real estate school is an elective from a variety of subjects including Computer Applications in Real Estate, Real Estate Office Administration, Property Management, Business Law, and General Accounting. Courses specifically relating to real estate are also offered. Students may choose from Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Economics, Legal Aspects of Real Estate, Escrows, and Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending. If you have recently moved from another state and are licensed in another state, find out what the state's requirements are to see if you have to take additional coursework or have to take another exam to be licensed.