Becoming a real estate broker in Georgia offers an exciting challenge, and it may even make it easier for you to land big clients. You may also enjoy increased revenue, since having a Georgia real estate broker license means you can collect desk fees and up to 50% of the commissions of the agents you manage.
Are you ready for this new career challenge? If you’ve enjoyed success working as a Georgia real estate agent and would like to advance your career by earning your Georgia real estate broker license, we’ll tell you about the experience prerequisites and walk you through the steps you’ll need to follow. Let’s get started!
What Are the Georgia Real Estate Broker License Requirements?
Before you can begin the process of obtaining a Georgia real estate broker license courses from an approved real estate school, you must meet the following prerequisites:
You’ll need to submit to a background check and provide a copy of your report when you take your broker exam. If your report lists any criminal convictions or sanctions, the real estate commission will investigate and decide whether to issue your broker license or not.
How Much Does It Cost to Get a Real Estate Broker License in Georgia?
It costs about $588 to obtain a Georgia real estate broker license, which you can probably recoup quickly. Georgia real estate brokers earn an average salary of $68,000, compared to $46,220 for a Georgia real estate agent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here’s a breakdown of the costs involved in pursuing your Georgia real estate broker license.
Georgia Real Estate Broker License Costs
| Classes (60 hours) | |
|---|---|
| Georgia Crime Information Center Report | |
| Georgia Broker License Application Fee | |
| Exam Fee | |
| Total Cost |
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How to Get a Georgia Real Estate Broker License
To get your real estate broker license in Georgia, you must:
- Complete 60 hours of Georgia prelicensing broker classes and pass the course final exam
- Pass the Georgia real estate broker license exam
- Submit to a background check and provide a copy when you complete the state’s application for licensure
The process is relatively simple but we’ll provide you with additional details below.
1. Complete a 60-Hour Georgia Real Estate Broker License Course
Cost: $269 with Real Estate Express
Time commitment: 1-2 months
If you’re close to meeting the experience prerequisites to become a Georgia real estate broker, you can enroll in a 60-hour Georgia broker license course. The real estate commission will verify your experience after you’ve successfully completed the classes.
Please note that the initial courses (or continuing education courses) that you took to earn and keep your Georgia real estate license can’t be applied to the 60 hours of broker education required to become a Georgia real estate broker.
The Georgia Real Estate Commission and Appraisers Board requires that your broker education covers the following topics:
- Real estate agency
- Contracts
- Freehold and leasehold
- Property management
- Finance
- Government regulations and private restrictions
- Description and measurement of land
- Valuation
- Conveyance
- Calculations
- Ethical behavior
- Georgia laws and rules
Please note that you might be able to meet your prelicensing education requirements to become a real estate broker in Georgia by taking nine hours of college classes related to real estate. The courses need to be approved by PSI, the testing company that administers Georgia’s broker exam.
There are a lot of great local real estate schools that’ll provide you with a quality education. However, if you’re currently working as a real estate agent, you probably want the flexibility that an online program can offer.
If you’re a busy agent and want to take your Georgia broker courses in your spare time, we recommend a course package through Real Estate Express, a nationally ranked online school known for providing quality, online real estate education at an affordable price.
Their Georgia broker course package comes with unlimited practice exams and a money-back guarantee within 30 days if the course doesn’t fulfill your expectations. You’ll be required to pass an exam at the end of the course that is excellent preparation for the Georgia real estate broker license exam.
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2. Pass the Georgia Real Estate Broker License Exam
The Georgia real estate broker license exam consists of 66 problems to solve—since that’s a big part of the role of a broker working within a brokerage or running their own business. Of these, 18 problems are included on the Broker Simulation Exam and an additional 48 questions on the Broker Supplement Exam.
In total, you’ll be given five hours to complete the exam and that time is divided into two pieces, with three hours for the Broker Simulation portion of the exam and two hours to complete the Georgia Supplement Exam for Brokers.
We recommend that you bring the following items to the testing center:
- Two forms of valid signature identification (one that must be government-issued)
- License fee ($170 can be paid by credit card, cashier’s check, or money order)
- Georgia Crime Information Center Report (no more than 60 days old)
- Lawful Presence Affidavit that is notarized and signed
If you took your initial licensing courses from an approved real estate school like Real Estate Express and you plan to pay for your broker exam with a credit card, you can apply for the broker exam online through the PSI Testing website.
Otherwise, if you completed your courses in another jurisdiction or wish to pay by check, you’ll need to fill out the Georgia Real Estate Examination Registration Form found in this handbook.
The Georgia PSI testing sites are located in the following cities, and you’ll learn whether you passed or failed immediately upon completing the exam.
- Decatur
- Duluth
- Fayetteville
- Macon
- Marietta
- Savannah
If you pass the exam, you’ll apply for your license at the PSI testing center. If you don’t pass the Georgia broker exam, you’ll need to schedule a retake. You’ll be required to pay the $121 fee each time you take the exam.
Exam-takers aren’t allowed to bring any personal items in the testing center that can’t be locked up in a soft locker that the testing center provides.
You can learn more detail about the Georgia real estate broker license exam from PSI’s Candidate Handbook, which also discusses how to reschedule your exam if you’re ill.
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3. Apply for a Georgia Real Estate Broker License
Cost: $170 for Application + $27.75 for Georgia Crime Information Center Report
Time commitment: 1-2 hours
You’ll complete the license application process immediately after passing the Georgia real estate broker exam. This process will be conducted at the PSI testing center. You’ll receive your associate broker license as soon as you:
If you plan to work for yourself, you also must apply to open your own brokerage. While this application is processing, you’ll receive an inactive broker license from the PSI testing center.
Unless you plan to open your own brokerage, you’ll leave the testing center fully licensed to work as a Georgia real estate broker. Then, it’ll be time to celebrate!
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Georgia Real Estate Broker License FAQs
While there may be many reasons why you would pursue a George real estate broker license, most agents go through the process in hope of earning more money. We’ll share more about earnings and answer other common questions about becoming a real estate broker in Georgia.
Should I get my broker license in Georgia?
Becoming a real estate broker may give you some flexibility in how you earn your income. For example, if you open your own brokerage and oversee the transactions of other real estate agents, you may collect desk fees and up to 50% of the commissions of the real estate sales agents working under you.
Additionally, some real estate brokers in Georgia receive income from the ownership of businesses like title companies or mortgage companies.
However, these opportunities may come with additional expenses and responsibilities. For example, if you open your own brokerage, you’re responsible for operating a business. You’ll need to pay for rent and utilities as well recruitment and training of your team of agents.
There are certainly pros and cons to obtaining a George real estate broker license. It’s up to you to decide whether the increased responsibilities and expenses are worth the additional income.
You can learn more about the differences between an agent and a broker by reading Real Estate Broker vs Agent: A Head-to-Head Analysis.
Do you have to become a real estate agent before becoming a broker in Georgia?
There are a couple of different career paths to becoming a real estate broker in Georgia. While most real estate brokers first work as real estate agents, others work first as community association managers.
Being licensed as a community association manager for three of the previous five years can replace Georgia’s salesperson experience requirements. However, to be licensed as a broker using this career path, you must take both the salesperson and broker prelicensing courses (or other equivalent options).
What is the difference between an associate broker & a qualifying broker in Georgia?
When you pass the Georgia real estate broker exam and receive your license at the PSI testing center, you’ll have the option of being licensed as an active associate broker or an inactive broker.
If you’re licensed as an active associate broker, that means that you’ll be working under a qualifying (or managing) broker. This may or may not be at the same brokerage where you have worked as a real estate agent.
If you plan to open your own brokerage, you’ll receive an inactive broker license at the time you pass your exam. Then, you’ll apply for a new firm license before receiving your active qualifying broker license.
Confused? In a nutshell, a qualified broker typically refers to someone who manages other salespeople and brokers. They may own a brokerage or manage a real estate franchise or independent brokerage.
An associate broker typically refers to a person with a broker license who sells on behalf of a qualified broker.
Do Georgia real estate brokers make more money than agents?
Statistically speaking, it’s true that brokers make more money than agents in Georgia. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a real estate broker in Georgia earns an average salary of $68,000, while the average real estate agent makes $46,220.
However, this income isn’t a sure thing, which you understand if you’ve been working in real estate for some time. Your income as a real estate broker depends on a variety of factors, such as the hours you put into it, your knowledge of the industry and your market, and how well you’re able to cultivate and convert leads.
However, real estate brokers sometimes enjoy an increase in the number of clients they serve because of their experience and expertise. Homeowners facing high-dollar real estate transactions may trust a broker to complete the process more than they would a real estate agent.
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We hope you’re excited to earn your Georgia real estate broker license, and that this guide gives you the confidence to begin advancing your career in our industry. At The Close, we want to help you succeed at every stage of your real estate career.
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