Arkansas Real Estate License Requirements & Costs – 2023

Are you thinking about getting your real estate license in Arkansas? In this blog post, we’ll cover the Arkansas real estate license requirements and the associated costs of getting licensed in Arkansas.

The Arkansas real estate market is growing quickly, and there are plenty of opportunities to help people buy and sell homes.

To begin processing your real estate license in Arkansas, you must meet the following essential requirements well-articulated by the Arkansas real estate commission. 

• You need to be a United States citizen, a legal and lawful alien, or a permanent resident in the United States.
• You need to be at least 18 years at the time of your Arkansas application.
• You must have completed the 60 classroom hours, which are part of the Arkansas pre-licensing education.
• You must have passed the Arkansas real estate pre-licensing exam.

We will get into the Arkansas real estate licensing details below but keep in mind that the requirements above do not apply to all states in the United States.

For example, a state like Alabama requires that at the time of application, you must have attained at least nineteen years of age or be able to prove that you have graduated from high school or GED. Therefore, these requirements are not a common denominator for all states. The requirements above are discussed in detail in the segment below.

Upon meeting the above basic requirements for Arkansas, the following criteria are required to get a real estate license in Arkansas.

Arkansas Real Estate License Requirements

1. Complete the Approved Arkansas Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course.

This sixty-hour course aims to get you equipped with the instructions and guidelines you need to get a real estate license in Arkansas.

This preparation course is good for the examination of relevant topics that cover real estate. It equips you with real estate knowledge, an essential foundation in real estate practice.

The State of Arkansas provides this 60-hour course through accredited education providers.

We recommend The CE Shop Arkansas real estate prelicensing course which is also accredited in the state of Arkansas. The CE Shop has a 96% positive rating and their Arkansas real estate pre-licensing course can be finished in as little as 2-weeks!

To learn more about this top Arkansas pre-licensing school, take a look at our CE Shop reviews.

A second popular school option is the Real Estate Express Arkansas real estate course. Here is our Real Estate Express review. These are going to be the two most popular online pre-licensing options for Arkansas.

Some of the Arkansas real estate pre-licensing course topics that are taught and examined include: 

• The principles of Real Estate
• The ownership of the real estate and the laws that applies to the same
• The use of the land, how to control its use, and the governance that comes with land use
• Details relating to transfers of ownership and title deeds from one person to another 
• Arkansas Real estate Contacts and the laws that govern the same
• Value estimation of the real estate    
• Financing of the real estate
• The rules of real estate in Arkansas

What Is The Required Pass Rate For The Arizona Real Estate Pre-licensing Course Exam?

After you complete the course and meet the minimum time requirement and pass a practice exam, you must do a final exam of 110 questions. To pass this exam, you must get 70%, and it can be attempted however many times you need to pass it.

2. Submit Your Application to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission

After passing the pre-licensing exam, you should prepare a proper application form packet of items and send it to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) within ninety days.

Here are the requirements you will need to fulfill to ensure your Arkansas real estate licensing application is processed.

• You must ensure that the application for the Arkansas real estate exam is completed.
• Make a payment of eighty-six dollars to AREC.
• You will need a Criminal Background Check (CBC) Form.
• A completed fingerprint card which the AREC provides. Both residents and non-residents must present it as part of the application.
• Submit the certificate showing that you have completed your pre-license education.

If you are an alien or a non-resident of Arkansas, you are required to first:

• Complete a criminal check for both state and federal.
• You must also prove that you have attained the minimum age requirement.
• You must pay an examination fee a little higher than eighty-six dollars.
• Present the completed fingerprint card.
• Provide the history of licenses from all the states where you have transacted real estate business.
• You must provide proof of completing the sixty hours of pre-license training completed in the last thirty-six months.

It is important to note that AREC accepts applications before completing the pre-licensing course of sixty hours.

The 2 primary conditions that must be fulfilled before you receive your certificate of eligibility are:

1. You must present to AREC proof that you have completed your pre-licensing education.
2. You must have submitted your fingerprint card to Arkansas State Police

3. Schedule & Pass the Arkansas Real Estate License Exam

When you are ready to take the exams, schedule your exam date with Pearson VUE Arkansas.

They will need to see two forms of Identification and the real estate Salesperson Education certificate for the 60 hours. You will also need to pay $75 dollars for the examination. 

The exams are conducted in examination centers. These are the exam centers approved by the Pearson VUE locations: Camden, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Harrison, Fort Smith, and Dorado

The Arkansas real estate exam takes about 4 hours and includes 180 questions. These exam questions are divided into 2 sections:

1). The State Exams
2). The National Exams
 
Here are some of the topics you are likely to see on the Arkansas state real estate exam:

• The basic requirements of Arkansas real estate licensing
• The powers and functions of real estate
• The laws that apply and govern the licensing
• Arkansas and national statutes that govern the licensing in real estate
• Disclosures in agency relationships

Make sure to study and prepare well for these exams. You will need a pass mark of 70% and above to be considered for the next step. If you don’t pass this exam, you can retake it again until you pass. 

We recommend taking an Arkansas real estate exam prep course before taking the state exam.

Take a look at our PrepAgent reviews and Real Estate Exam Scholar reviews to learn more about these two popular Arkansas real estate exam prep courses.

How to Activate Your Arkansas Real Estate License After Passing The State Exam?

Congratulations, you passed the exam! Now work fast to activate your real estate license. To do this, you will need to submit the successful score document and pay an additional $75 dollars. This fee includes the $50 license fee and a $25 recovery refund fee.

This must be done within 90 days of passing your Arkansas real estate exam. Otherwise, it will remain inactive status and become null and void after 90 days.
  
One other important thing you must do is get sponsored by a licensed real estate broker in Arkansas to start working within 90 days.

What Are The Arkansas Real Estate Post-Licensing Education Requirements?

You must complete the required 18-hour Arkansas post-licensing course by the tail end of the sixth month after your new real estate license is activated. 

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) requirements are that post-licensure exams are to be taken only after submitting your score report of your licensing exam to AREC.

Similar to the licensing exams, these post-licensing exams must be passed with a 70% score, and in case you fail, you still have the chance to retake these exams.
 
These post-licensing exams aim to equip you with current real estate techniques and policies to help you legally close a real estate transaction. You get to know:

• How to write a real estate contract correctly and close a deal in real estate engagements. 
• The lending principles in real estate
• The documents required to settle debts
• Arkansas Real estate contract language
• The laws governing real estate transactions in Arkansas

Who Is The Arkansas Real Estate Commission?

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission (also known as AREC) is a body that is entrusted with the protection of the public interest through regulation of real estate, licensing, examining the salespersons and brokers of real estate, and enforcement of real estate Laws in Arkansas.

The commission ensures that the licensing of Arkansas real estate agents meets the minimum ethical standards to the point that the consumers of real estate services have confidence in such engagements and the stakeholders are protected by the law.

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission has five real estate professionals appointed by the governor, serving a three-year term. One of the commissioners among the five serves as a representative of real estate consumers, and another serves as an elderly representative.

The director of the AREC ensures that fifteen staffs discharge responsibilities on behalf of the commission.

The duties and functions of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission are:

• Reviewing and licensing the new and renewed Arkansas real estate applications.
• They receive and investigate real estate and real estate engagement complaints. They also ensure that the law is keenly followed and adhered to.
• The follow-up with the administration and recovery of funds and compensation to the Arkansas consumers who may have lost such funds to the brokers in real estate
• They provide real estate education to Arkansas REALTORS to ensure proper licensing. 
• They set the required Arkansas standards in education and ensure that they examine the right content for those who want to get into the real estate business.

How Much Does It Cost to Get a Real Estate License In Arkansas?

After the discussions above, you may be wondering about the estimated costs you will have to incur to get a real estate license in Arkansas. The total estimated fees you will incur to get your Arkansas real estate license are between about $500 to $800. Some of these costs are:

• The Arkansas real estate pre-licensing course is about $275 to $600. This price will vary depending on the specific course package and school you select. We like The CE Shop or the Real Estate Express Arkansas course.
• The background check costs are about $22
• You will be charged an application fee of $50
• The FBI clearance will set you up to $14
• The Arkansas state examination will cost you about $80
• Activating your Arkansas real estate license costs $75

What Are The Arkansas Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements?

The courses offered in Arkansas continuing education are divided into two topic requirement parts including a safety course (1 hour) and an elevating education course (6 hours).

The elevating education course can be subdivided into:

• Three hours of review advertisements or real estate.
• Three hours of elective credit in real estate.

These Arkansas real estate courses are essential because they help you renew your real estate license. The official certificate of completion is given out once you finish your Arkansas continuing education, and failure to take this course within the required period attracts additional renewal fees

The recommendation by AREC is that you can take 3 hours to capitalize on the best practices in real estate and cooperative brokerage. Their website has provided these top 5 courses that you should take out of the 25 provided. Here are the top five Arkansas real estate continuing education courses recommended by AREC:

1. The laws of Arkansas real estate licensing and the regulations by AREC
2. The duties and responsibilities of both an agent and a broker
3. Compliance requirements
4. The policies and procedures of real estate
5. Arkansas Contracts and contract forms in real estate.

You need to always ensure that where you take the courses is a facility that is AREC-approved. Always check the AREC websites to know the approved schools you can join for continuing education in Real Estate licensing.

Arkansas Real Estate Broker Licensing Requirements

According to the official Arkansas Real Estate Commission website, any broker applicant must ensure that they complete the following real estate licensing requirements.

• You need to be at least 18 years old.
• Have successfully finished the 60 hours of real estate licensing education from an accredited institution that the AREC licenses.
• 45 of these hours must be pre-licensure education developed by the commission.
• Have been a licensed & active Arkansas real estate agent for not less than 24 months.
• Have passed the Arkansas real estate broker license examination.
• Have applied for the license to the AREC no later than 90 days after passing exams.

The post-license exams for the brokers require that they complete the 30-hour course within six months of being licensed as a broker.

If you want to become a principal broker or an executive broker, you must meet the post-licensure requirements to be granted the status.

Arkansas Real Estate License Requirements – Final Thoughts

We hope you have been well informed about what it takes to become a licensed Real Estate Agent in Arkansas in 2023.

This step-by-step detail of what’s required and its costs will help to make your real estate dreams come true in Arkansas.

For any comments or questions, please let us know below! A social share is also always appreciated. All the best in your Arkansas real estate career!

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