What Is Involved in Real Estate Broker Training?

Real estate broker training requirements typically vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Often, however, a person must complete many hours of real estate courses as part of his training as well as at least one real estate brokerage course. Some jurisdictions also require aspiring brokers to complete related courses in preparation for licensing, and some people fulfill such requirements by earning a college degree. Additionally, many jurisdictions require individuals to have a significant amount of experience in real estate or sales-related positions to obtain this type of licensing, so working in such a position can be viewed as real estate broker training as well.

It is difficult to provide an across-the-board description of real estate broker training because it differs depending on the jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions require a person to have an advanced education to become a real estate broker while others may only require a person to complete several real estate courses. In general, however, a person has to complete a certain amount of classroom courses in such subjects as real estate practice, agency law, real estate law, and real estate marketing. Depending on the jurisdiction in which a person is located, courses in mortgage loan brokerage, escrow, and real estate appraisal may be required as well. Additionally, some jurisdictions require individuals to take one or more real estate brokerage classes.

Though additional education is not required in all jurisdictions, some do require aspiring real estate brokers to complete a minimum number of classroom hours in general education topics as well as courses related to the real estate business that are not listed under the real estate or brokerage course requirements. For example, a person might take business, accounting, and ethics courses in preparation for real estate brokerage licensing, and he may complete general courses in categories such as history and science. A person could also earn a college degree to fulfill these requirements, but a degree isn't usually required.

Often, experience is required when a person wants to become a licensed real estate broker. As such, one can consider the experience he has to gain as real estate broker training. Many jurisdictions require aspiring brokers to have two or more years of experience as licensed real estate agents in order to gaining licensing, but the amount of experience required can vary widely. Some jurisdictions also set requirements for how recent a person's experience must be when he is seeking a license. Often, a person's experience as a licensed real estate agent must be within 72 months of the date he applies for a broker license.