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How to Become a REALTOR®

 Consider Real Estate If You're Looking For an Exciting, Fulfilling Career

 Are you interested in an exciting career, where you can meet lots of people, have the potential for high earnings and determine your own career path? Then consider becoming a real estate agent.

 Here are some guidelines to get you started.

 First, visit several real estate offices and arrange interviews with the brokers. Find out what that broker might expect of you as an agent and what you can expect of the broker. Make sure the broker offers you a supportive business environment.

 At this point, you may want to decide what type of career to pursue in real estate. Residential sales is the most common specialty and involves working one-on-one with people to help them buy and sell homes.

 But there are many other specialties. You could become a residential leasing agent and help the owners of apartments, condominiums and houses find tenants. You could choose commercial sales as your specialty, helping individuals and companies buy and sell office buildings, industrial facilities, warehouses, store space, apartment complexes, nursing homes and other non-residential buildings. Or you could specialize in commercial leasing, finding tenants for various types of non­residential properties. You could become a real estate appraiser, evaluating the worth of residential or commercial buildings Or you could specialize in corporate relocations, working in a brokerage or for a relocation company to help transferred employees find homes in one community and sell their homes in another.

 Each of those specialties, in turn, offers dozens of opportunities in various market niches. Say you want to be a residential sales agent, for example. You might decide to further specialize by helping Ohioans find vacation homes in the Mid-Atlantic states. Or you might become the local expert in the condo market Just be sure that the brokerage with which you associate offers support for the specialty you choose.

 Once you've chosen a particular broker to act as your sponsor - all real estate salespeople must work under the supervision of a sponsoring broker - then find a reputable, high-quality college where you can take the 120 classroom hours required to earn a real estate license. Those 120 hours generally are divided into four 30-hour courses, covering real estate principles and practices, real estate law, finance and appraisal.

 After you finish the classes, study to prepare for the real estate license examination. Call the Ohio Division of Real Estate at 614-466-4100 to find out about test times and locations. Depending on the examination's location, you should send the Division a completed application one or two weeks prior to the examination date.

 When you pass your examination and receive your license, take the next step and join the highly regarded local, state and national associations of REALTORS®. Members of the local, state and national associations are the only real estate licensees authorized to call themselves REALTORS® and use the widely recognized REALTOR® "®" logo on their business cards and other materials. REALTORS® agree to abide by a strict Code of Ethics.

 For more information about earning a real estate license or becoming a REALTOR®, call your local Middletown Board of REALTORS®?.

Real Estate Examinations

 Ohio's Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing has contracted with Experior Assessments, LLC for examination services for real estate salespersons and brokers. Experior (formerly NAI U Block and ITC) has more than forty years experience in providing licensing examination services and currently tests in 43 states. They provide real estate testing in eight other jurisdictions (in addition to Ohio) and will administer over 50,000 real estate examinations this year. All Ohio examinations have been reviewed and approved as appropriate for use in this state by Ohio real estate subject matter experts and the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.

Real Estate Sales Associate License Requirements:

 1. You must be honest, truthful and of good reputation.

2. You must be at least 18 years old.

3. You must be sponsored by an Ohio Broker.

 4. You must not have been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude, adjudged by a court to have violated any civil rights laws regarding real estate within the past two years, or violated any rules of the Ohio Division of Real Estate. If you have been found to have done so, you must have satisfied the Superintendent that you will not violate such laws or rules again.

 5. If you were born after 1950, you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent as recognized by the Ohio Department of Education.

6. You must successfully complete at an institute of higher education:

 a.   Thirty (30) hours of classroom instruction in real estate principles and practices.

 b.   Thirty (30) hours of classroom instruction in Ohio real estate law including instruction in civil rights, housing discrimination and desegregation problems. NOTE: This course in real estate law is not required of an applicant admitted to the practice of law before the Supreme Court of Ohio.

 c.   Thirty (30) hours of classroom instruction in real estate appraisal; and

 d.   Thirty (30) hours of classroom instruction in real estate finance.

The above courses must be taken at an institution of higher education, which is defined as a school that actually awards a degree in at least a two-year program (i.e. an associate degree).

Any person who has not been licensed as a real estate salesperson or broker within a four-year period immediately preceding his current application for the salesperson's examination must have completed the above classroom instruction within a ten-year period immediately preceding his/her current salesperson application.

Real Estate Broker License Requirements

 1.     You must be honest, truthful and of good reputation.

 2.    You must be at least 18 years old.

 3.     You must not have been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude, adjudged by a court to have violated any civil rights laws regarding real estate within the past two years. In addition, you must have not previously violated any rules of the Ohio Division of Real Estate. If you have been found to have done so, you must submit satisfactory proof to the Superintendent of Real Estate that you will not violate such laws or rules again.

 Depending on when you were originally licensed as a salesperson, you must also complete certain education requirements. These courses must be taken at a college or institution of higher education that actually awards a degree in at least a two-year program. Based upon the date you were licensed as a salesperson, the education you are required to complete prior to taking the broker's examination is as follows:

 1.       If you were licensed prior to January 2, 1972, you do not need to complete any additional educational requirements.

 2.      If you were licensed on or after January 2, 1972, but prior to January 3, 1984, you must complete 30 classroom hours in each of the following courses:

 a.   Real Estate Principles and Practices

 b.   Ohio Real Estate Law

 c.   Real Estate Appraisal

 d.   Real Estate Finance

 3.     If you were licensed on or after January 3, 1984, you must complete 30 classroom hours (or 3 quarter hours or its equivalent in semester hours) in the following courses:

 a.   Real Estate Principles and Practices

 b.   Ohio Real Estate Law

 c.   Real Estate Appraisal

 d.   Real Estate Finance

 e.   Financial Management

 f.    Human Resource or Personnel Management

 g.   Applied Business Economics

 h. Business Law

 If you were licensed on or after January 3, 1984, you must also have completed a minimum of two years of college. The above courses may be included in your two years of college.

 4.     You must have been licensed as a broker or salesperson for at least two years. You must have also worked as a broker or salesperson for an average of 30 hours per week for two of the last five years immediately preceding your application. If you have been licensed in another state, these years can be counted.

 5.        In addition, you must have completed 20 real estate transactions or have such equivalent experience as defined by rules adopted by the Ohio Real Estate Commission.

Questions on Licensing

For further information regarding licensing requirements, please contact the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing, 77 South High Street, 20" Floor, Columbus, OH 43266-0547, 614.466.4100. Cleveland Office: 615 Superior Avenue, N.W., Room 525, Cleveland, OH 44113, telephone 216.787.3100.

Applying for the Examination

When students complete prelicensing education and other requirements, they must submit an application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing BEFORE they can schedule an examination. Application forms can be obtained from prelicensing schools, offices of real estate brokers, local boards of REALTORS®, or from the Division's internet world wide web site: www.com.state.oh.us. The application must have a 2" by 2" photograph attached to it, and must be typewritten with black ink. Please do not submit your application until you have completed all of the required courses. Photocopies of your transcripts or certificates of completion of the educational requirements must be included. Applications including appropriate application fee ($49 for salespersons, $69 for brokers) payable to the Division and submitted to:

Division of      Real Estate and Professional Licensing

                          77 S. High Street,     

                          20^th Floor Columbus, Ohio 43266

 The Division will review the application and determine eligibility to test. It will then notify Experior, which will send eligible candidates an Examination Eligibility Letter and this Candidate Information Bulletin. Candidates must pass both portions of the examination within one year of the date of their initial eligibility letter from Experior.

(For more information see "Scheduling an Examination.") Similarly, for each retake, a candidate must submit a retake application to the Division, with appropriate fee, before they can schedule their re­examination.

Testing Dates and Locations

Real estate examinations are administered only at designated Sylvan Technology Centers located conveniently throughout the state of Ohio and in neighboring states as listed below. (Please note that these may be different than Sylvan Learning Centers.) Testing center hours of operation vary depending on candidate demand, but generally they are open five or six days a week between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. When calling to schedule an examination, candidates may select the location, date, and time most convenient to them. Tests are administered at the following designated locations:

Akron	911 Graham Road. Suite 6
Cincinnati	1313 E. Kemper Road, Suite 320
Centerville	1205-F Lyons Road, Bldg. F
Cleveland (Mentor)	8880 Mentor Avenue, Mentor
Cleveland (Strongsville)	14399 Pearl Road, Strongsville
Columbus	2200 W. Henderson Road
Columbus (Hilliard)	5330 Cemetery Road, Hilliard
Columbus (Reynoldsburg)	6420 E. Main Street, Reynoldsburg
Lima	2357 Elida Road
Niles	950 Youngstown-Warren Rd
Toledo	U. of Toledo, Univ. Hall, Room 3630
Ft. Wayne, IN	4606 Illinois Road
Indianapolis, IN	2727 E. 86 Street, Suite 120
Indianapolis, IN	77 South Girls School Rd., Ste. 210
Lexington, KY	2551 Richmond Road, Suite 6
Ann Arbor, Ml	1601 Briarwood Circle, Suite 300
Lansing. MI	2500 Kerry Street, Suite 100
Erie, PA	2700 Peach Street. Suite 430
Pittsburgh, PA	1789 S. Braddock Ave. Suite 560
Pittsburgh, PA	5700 Corporate Drive

Sylvan web site at www.prometric.com for the Test Center Locator, which provides door to door directions. Candidates who do not reschedule but fail to appear for their appointment forfeit their examination fee and must pay again when rescheduling.

Scheduling an Examination

AFTER receiving an Examination Eligibility Letter from Experior, candidates schedule their examinations by calling the Candidate Services Call Center (CSCC) toll-free number included in the eligibility letter. Candidates may be able to schedule as little as two days in advance (based on space availability), but it is strongly recommended that they call at least two weeks prior to the date they wish to test. The CSCC accepts calls Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (ET).

When calling to schedule, candidates are asked for specific information including the program name, their candidate identification number, the name of the examination, payment information, etc. Please refer to the Exam Scheduling Worksheet included on page 5 of this bulletin.

Candidates with Special Needs

In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, candidates with special needs due to a verifiable disability should request the need for a special accommodation by calling Experior at 800.326.3926 ext. 153 50 appropriate arrangements can be made before scheduling the examination. ADA candidates will be required to provide written documentation from a physician or other health provider/ professional.

S. Charleston, WV

1522-A Oakhurst Drive

Sylvan Technology Centers are also located throughout the United States. If a candidate wishes to test in a city in another state other than those listed in this Bulletin, such as Florida, it can be arranged through the CSCC when making an appointment.

Candidates can reschedule examinations for any reason, without penalty, by calling the CSCC at least two business days in advance. To reschedule an appointment candidates can use the Interactive Voice Response System by calling the toll-free 800 number. This system is available only for candidates who are already scheduled and is available Monday through Saturday (including holidays) from 8:00 a.m. to midnight (ET). Candidates may also access the

Payment of Examination Fee

Payment for examinations will be made when calling to schedule an appointment, using either a major credit card or authorizing payment by personal check. Fees are $49 for real estate salesperson and broker exams and are nonrefundable. No cash or money orders will be accepted.

The Testing Center

On the day of the scheduled appointment it is important that candidates arrive on time. One form of government issued photo identification is required at the test site (e.g., driver's license, state identification card, passport, military identification).

Candidates may bring a silent, simple (i.e., four-function, nonprinting, non-programmable) pocket calculator. Calculators with alphanumeric keys are NOT permitted. Weapons of any kind are NOT permitted in the test center.

All examinations are closed book. No reference materials, notes, cellular telephones, pagers, or beepers will be permitted. Briefcases, backpacks, purses, bags, etc. will not be permitted in the testing lab. Candidates will place belongings in a secure locker; however, neither Experior nor Sylvan will be responsible for the security of this material. Candidates will be provided with scratch paper to use during the examination(s), which shall be collected upon completion of the session. Candidates may not eat, drink, or use tobacco in the testing lab. There are no rest breaks once the examination(s) begin(s), so please plan accordingly.

Computer Testing System

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