How To Become A Real Estate Agent in Oregon

How to Become an Oregon Real Estate Broker

To work as a real estate agent in Oregon, you need to have an Oregon real estate license issued by the Oregon Real Estate Agency (OREA).

If you are new to the real estate business, you are probably looking to become a real estate broker, Oregon's legal term for an entry-level real estate agent. However, Oregon has several real estate license types you should be aware of:

• Broker: A real estate agent who works under the supervision of a Principal Broker. This person needs to take a 150-hour pre-license class and must pass a state exam.
• Principal Broker: An office manager (team leader). This person requires 3 years of experience, a 40-hour principal broker course, and must pass a state exam.
• Property Manager: This person manages investment properties and works with renters, but does not have the authority to buy or sell real estate. This person requires a 60-hour property management training course and must pass a state exam.

How to Get Your Oregon Real Estate Broker License

To get a real estate broker license in Oregon and start working as a real estate agent, you must:

1. Be at least 18 years of age.
2. Have a high school diploma or GED.
3. Submit your license application to the Oregon Real Estate Agency.
4. Pass a 150-hour pre-license course.
5. Pass a state licensing exam.
6. Pass a background check.
7. Associate with a brokerage under a principal broker.

The first thing you should do is submit the Real Estate License Application through the Agency's eLicensing website. Applicants will also pay the license application fee at the time the application is submitted. It may take several weeks for an application to be processed. Starting this step as soon possible will decrease waiting time. Once the OREA has processed the application, it will issue an Applicant ID to you.

While you are waiting for the application to be processed, you may start on your Oregon real estate pre-license classes.

Check out the exhaustive step-by-step walk-through below. It covers the entire licensing process from start to finish.

Oregon Real Estate Pre-License Education

All candidates must complete 150 hours of real estate pre-license education. The Oregon broker license training consists of one 150-hour course that is divided into seven modules. Each module is broken down into chapters. Chapters will contain review quizzes to help you remember key points covered in the chapter.

The seven modules are:

1. Agency - 15 hours
2. Contracts - 15 hours
3. Real Estate Law - 30 hours
4. Practices - 30 hours
5. Brokerage - 20 hours
6. Finance - 30 hours
7. Property Management - 10 hours

Each of the seven modules will have a module exam to review what you have learned. Exams can be attempted as many times as needed to pass the course.

The OnlineEd pre-license course is available online, and you can start learning about real estate as soon as you sign up. Textbooks are available in select packages for students who prefer to read on paper. All packages include supplemental downloadable MP3 audio for each course chapter, which you can play on your personal media device.

Enroll Here

Pass the Real Estate Licensing Exam

After you have finished your pre-license education, your Applicant ID and record of successful completion will be automatically submitted to the OREA's state licensing exam provider, PSI. You will then receive an email with instructions on how to schedule your real estate licensing exam. The state licensing exam will be given at one of the provider's testing facilities, with locations throughout Oregon.

Schedule your real estate licensing exam through PSI.

Background Check & Brokerage Association

After you successfully pass the state licensing exam, you can make payment for the background check and fingerprinting directly at the testing center. This background check may take several weeks to complete.

Before your Oregon real estate broker license can be issued, the OREA will confirm that your real estate principal broker will approve you as a licensee. Once the principal broker's authorization is received by the state, you will be able to print out your real estate broker license from the Agency's eLicensing website.

Complete Step By Step Licensing Walk-Through:

Use this as a checklist as you make your way through the Oregon real estate licensing process.

1. Create Your eLicensing Account
   1. Go to https://www.oregon.gov/rea
   2. Click "Enter eLicense", then "Register" to create a new account.
   3. Select "Individual" when asked to "Register as".
   4. Select "No" when asked if you have been registered before.
   5. Enter a valid email address for your "User ID". This is important! Nearly all communication between you and the Real Estate Agency will be by email.
   6. Enter a password, your legal name, address, and three security questions.
   7. Click "Create Account."
   8. Verify your email address by going to your email account and clicking on the email from noreply_rea@state.or.us.
   9. Check out the eLicense registration tutorial if you get lost.
2. Submit Your Application
   1. Signing into your new eLicense account.
   2. Find the section called "More Online Services" and the subheading "License Applications".
   3. Click "Broker Application", then click "Start"
   4. You will now be guided through a series of pages where you will be asked to verify your name, age, address, social security number, and high school diploma or GED.
   5. You will be asked periodically to type your full name to verify that you understand that you'll have to take a 150-hour course and submit your fingerprints for a background check.
   6. You will then be guided through an initial background check. You will be asked to list all names you have used in the past, states and countries you have lived in, and any legal proceedings in which you've been involved. You will be asked about child support payments, divorces, past bankruptcies, etc. You must answer honestly. Lying on an application for a real estate license is illegal. A later background check by the Oregon State Police could result in license denial or later suspension if discrepancies are discovered.
   7. After the initial background check, click "Proceed to Payment." Complete a payment of the $300 application fee online.
   8. You will receive an email within about 24 hours that your application has been received, and you will be given a new eLicense user ID and new password in this email.
3. Complete Your Real Estate Pre-License Course
   1. Register for the 150-hour Broker Pre-License Course at OnlineEd. This course is approved by the Oregon Real Estate Agency and required for your license application.
   2. Forward your new 9-digit "User ID" to OnlineEd that you received from the Oregon Real Estate Agency. This information is in the above-mentioned email you were sent by the Oregon Real Estate Agency after your application was received. OnlineEd will use your ID to communicate your course credits back to the Oregon Real Estate Agency.
   3. Complete your pre-license education. You will be directed clearly and carefully through each module, quiz, and test. This 150 clock hour course will take most students several weeks or months to complete. Complete the course at whatever speed you feel comfortable.
   4. OnlineEd will submit your course completion credit to the Oregon Real Estate Agency on your behalf. Your education requirement will now show in your eLicense account as "Accepted/Approved".
4. Schedule Your Oregon State Real Estate Exam
   1. After completing your pre-license course, you will receive an email from the exam administrator, PSI, with instructions on how to schedule your exam.
   2. When scheduling yourt exam, select "Oregon Broker Exam".
   3. While you wait, study using your OnlineEd exam prep course. Take as many practice exams as you can.
5. Pass the Oregon State Real Estate Exam
   1. Take your test at a testing facility. You will be provided with scratch paper, a calculator, and a pencil.
   2. Ace the test! If you do not pass the exam, you can retake it at a later date by following the same scheduling procedures as before.
6. Submit Fingerprints Through PSI
   1. You may pay for and submit your fingerprints for your background check before or after your exam during your visit to the testing center.
   2. Check the hours at the exam center for when you may visit. Generally, this is a first-come, first-served service and is not something that can be scheduled.
7. Associate with a Real Estate Brokerage
   1. The Oregon Real Estate Agency will contact your real estate principal broker to confirm your employment.
   2. When your employment is confirmed, you are licensed!
   3. Optionally print your real estate broker license from the Agency's eLicensing website for your records.