The long wait is over for California real estate licensees: newly-required course content is now available for you to renew your licenses.

Passed at the end of 2021, Senate Bill (SB) 263 requires two hours of implicit bias training to be incorporated into continuing education (CE). Further, the mandated three-hour Fair Housing (or Survey) renewal course has been restructured, including an interactive participatory component.

The new course requirements apply to real estate agents and brokers with licenses expiring on or after January 1, 2023.

Late renewals — licensees with expiration dates prior to January 1, 2023, but who renew after the implementation date — will also need to take the additional Implicit Bias course and restructured Fair Housing which includes the interactive participatory component.

How to access your course

The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) has approved firsttuesday’s Implicit Bias course and newly structured Fair Housing course.

As of October 3, 2022, the new education content has been posted to accounts of renewing firsttuesday students at no additional cost. Currently enrolled students and students who already completed their CE with firsttuesday during this renewal cycle receive this education for free. Simply log into your existing account and complete the new education at any time. Once you’re done, you will be issued a Certificate of Completion containing the new education that you may use to process your renewal.

For licenses expiring prior to 2023, you do not need to take this additional education until your next renewal.

While we do not charge enrolled or enrolling firsttuesday students for the updated CE, we do charge those who separately enroll in the five hours of newly mandated education a fee of $17.50.

To enroll, visit the order page. Or give our customer service team a call at 951-781-7300.

A glance into the new courses

firsttuesday’s two-hour Implicit Bias training will prepare real estate professionals to identify and counteract elements of systemic racism — conscious and unconscious — in real estate transactions.

Specifically, the course will cover:

  • federal and state fair housing law in the context of explicit and implicit bias;
  • predatory lending and redlining both from a contemporary and historical perspective;
  • the wealth and homeownership gap between white, Black and Latinx households, and how it is perpetuated by discriminatory lending and real estate practices;
  • the proper implementation of fair hiring practices;
  • reporting discriminatory practices observed in the industry;
  • adherence to advertising guidelines in order to avoid discrimination in marketing; and
  • the need for greater financial literacy to create a more stable housing market.

firsttuesday’s Access for All: A Fair Housing Game™ is taken in conjunction with the restructured three-hour Fair Housing course.

Access for All ™ presents a variety of interactive scenarios. In some, students will take the role of a real estate licensee. In others, students will take the role of a principal. Based on the decisions made by students, the scenarios change – poor choices yield negative outcomes, and virtuous choices yield positive outcomes.

Access for All™ blends video, animation, text, and voice in an engaging educational experience that puts the student directly into the shoes of transaction participants and is hosted by frequent collaborator, Summer Goralik. Summer was employed as a Special Investigator for the DRE for six years and worked closely with former Real Estate Commissioner Wayne Bell.

Get a sneak peek of the Access for All™ welcome video below.