Missouri Licensing Requirements

At the request of many agents, we have put together a list of education requirements for real estate agents in the state of Missouri. If you have any questions regarding your specific situation, please call your state's real estate regulatory commission, your local board or association office and/or talk to your broker.

To become a real estate salesperson in the state of Missouri:

     1. Complete the 48-hour Salesperson Licensing course.
     Once a person completes this course, they then have 6 months to do the following:
     1. Pass the state AMP Real Estate Examination
     2. Complete the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice Course
     3. Select a broker and apply for their license

NOTE: Effective January 1, 2011, all applicants for an original Missouri license are required to be fingerprinted for a Missouri and federal criminal history background check.

The prospective agent will need to complete a 48-hour pre-examination course. After completing this course, he or she will then have 6 months to take and pass the real estate examination administered by AMP (the testing company) and complete a 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice Course and apply for a license. Timeframes are critical. It is imperative that licensees watch their dates closely.

To become a real estate broker in the state of Missouri:

     1. Be an actively engaged licensed salesperson for at least 24 of the last 30 months
     2. Complete the 48-hour Broker Licensing course
     3. Pass the state AMP Real Estate Examination and apply for broker license within 6 months of   completing the Broker course

Before a person can become a real estate broker in the state of Missouri, he or she must first be licensed as a salesperson. The salesperson must show that he or she has been actively engaged in the real estate business for 24 of the last 30 months immediately preceding the date of application, complete the 48-hour broker course and take and pass the real estate brokerage examination. The examination, administered by AMP, must be successfully passed and the application for licensure must be received by the Missouri Real Estate Commission no later than 6 months after completing the 48-hour broker course.

Missouri state license renewal and continuing education requirements:

The licensing authority in the state of Missouri is the Missouri Real Estate Commission (MREC). The MREC requires that all licensees in the state of Missouri take and complete 12 hours of continuing education every two years. Brokers must have their 12 hours of education completed by June 30th of even years and salespersons must have their 12 hours of education completed by September 30^th of even years. Failure to complete these education requirements is not forgivable.

If a licensee fails to complete his or her education by the proper date, it will cause a loss of license and the licensing process must begin again. Missouri education requirements are 12 hours of courses. 3 hours of these courses must be in the form of a core class and the remaining 9 hours can be in elective classes. Course providers must be approved by the MREC and must supply the student with a proper certificate of completion for each course. Students who complete education in a classroom setting can only receive credit for 6 hours of course work in a 24 hour period. Students who complete education using an online service are not limited in daily credit hours.

NOTE: The Commission did not name a specific core course for the 2010-2012 renewal period. Rather, there are several options for core courses and they may fall under any of the following areas. (20 CSR 2250-10.100 (3) (A)-(F)):

· Missouri Laws governing the transfer of real property

· Broker supervision and escrow account management

· Fair Housing

· Property Management

· Commercial brokerage

· Agency and brokerage relationships

Licensees that are in referral:

Agents that are not actively engaged in the business and who wish to maintain their license may choose to place their license with a referral company. Agents that are in referral may not practice the business of real estate. In order for an agent in referral to maintain his or her license, continuing education and license renewal must be completed every two even years.

Quadrennial Ethics Training Requirement:

The National Association of REALTORS® requires regular ethics training which runs in four year cycles. The dates of our current cycle are January 1^st, 2009 – December 31^st, 2012. REALTORS must take an approved Code of Ethics course during that four-year period. Failure to complete the course can result in loss of local, state and national membership. The board or association the licensee belongs to is charged with tracking its members' ethics compliance. Check NAR requirements for more details.

If an agent takes this class from an entity other than the local board or association, he or she will be responsible for notifying his or her board or local association of the course completion. NOT all courses will satisfy the ethics requirement. It is important to verify that a course will satisfy the ethics requirement. The Real Estate Ethics course at 1st Choice Real Estate School has been approved to satisfy this requirement. Sometimes an ethics course is approved by the state licensing office as a continuing education class. In this case, the agent may satisfy both the national requirement and count those hours towards state education requirements. Most new members of a board or association are required to take an orientation course. This orientation course will NOT count towards state continuing education. Non- REALTORS® are not required to complete ethics training.

Please note: Licensing rules are subject to change. To verify course requirements, please contact the MREC at 573-751-2628 or visit the Missouri Real Estate Commission's web site at http://pr.mo.gov/realestate.asp.