Question:

What may a broker licensing applicant use to satisfy CalBRE’s two-year experience requirement?

Answer:

Along with broker licensing education, broker applicants also need to show a minimum two years of full-time salesperson employment within the five years immediately preceding the application date. Qualified licensed experience is defined as:

  • full-time salesperson employment of at least 40 hours per week devoted to activities requiring a real estate license; or
  • part-time employment as a real estate salesperson, credited on a prorated basis (e.g. 20 hours of activity per week for four years).

To provide proof of this experience, applicants are required to certify their employment through their current or previous employing broker.

Related form: CalBRE Form 226: Employment Verification

If the broker is not available to sign the verification form, an applicant is to indicate the reason for their inability to obtain the broker’s signature. Additionally, they are to provide CalBRE with employment verification from two people who work in a related professional capacity and are able to attest to the applicant’s employment.

Related form: CalBRE Form 228: Employment Certification

Equivalent experience

CalBRE accepts equivalent experience in lieu of the two years of full-time salesperson employment. Equivalent experience may be based on any combination of salesperson employment and real estate related experience.

Equivalent experience needs to be full-time for at least two of the previous five years, or its part-time equivalent. Acceptable experience includes, but is not limited to:

  • experience as an escrow, title or loan officer directly related to the financing or conveying of real estate;
  • experience as a subdivider, contractor or speculative builder, which included duties relating to the purchase, finance, development and sale or lease of real estate; and
  • experience as a real property appraiser.

Other real estate-related activities are considered by CalBRE, provided they satisfy the intent of the law. For example, experience as a property manager — full-time for two years or part-time for four years — is likely to fulfill the requirements.

However, claims of equivalent experience by an unlicensed person for activities requiring a real estate license are not considered by CalBRE.

A caveat: CalBRE evaluates applications on a case-by-case basis. Thus, the sufficiency of an applicant’s experience is not certain until CalBRE receives and assesses the completed application. To ensure a smooth application process and assist CalBRE in verifying equivalent experience, provide as much detail and accuracy in your application as possible.

Related form: CalBRE Form 227: Equivalent Experience Verification

Experience exemption

Don’t meet the experience requirement? If you have a degree from an accredited four-year university or college that includes a major or minor in real estate, you may provide a copy of your transcript to bypass the experience requirement.

Keep in mind, however, CalBRE only accepts a major or minor in real estate. As of January 1, 2013, degrees in related fields no longer satisfy the experience requirement.

Related article: Experience requirements for the Broker Examination

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