How To Get A Maryland Real Estate License In 4 Easy Steps

Wondering how to get a Maryland Real Estate License and start a new career in today’s fast-paced market? We’ll walk you through four easy steps to becoming an agent in Maryland, including 60 hours of pre-licensing education, passing the real estate exam, applying for your license, and finding a brokerage to hire you.

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We’ll also share some important facts about the Maryland real estate exam, review the costs of getting your Maryland real estate license, and answer some frequently asked questions about how to get a real estate license in Maryland. . let’s get started!

How To Get A Maryland Real Estate License In 4 Easy Steps

To be eligible for a Maryland real estate license, you must be:

• at least 18 years old
• determined by the state to have “good character and standing”

1. Complete a 60 Hour Prelicensing Course

• Cost: Minimum of $284 with Colibri Real Estate
• time commitment: 2-3 weeks on taking a self-paced course; 1 month if doing in-person course
• Helpful Resources: 5 Best Real Estate Schools in Maryland

The first step in getting your real estate license in Maryland is choosing a school. The Maryland Real Estate Commission provides a spreadsheet of all authorized real estate schools in the state, as well as the pass rate for each school. To narrow down your search, you can refer to our buyer’s guide 4 Best Real Estate Schools in Maryland,

It is important to realize that real estate education is often more about contracting and finance than landscaping and staging. Here are the basics of what your real estate prelicensing course will cover:

• property ownership
• land use control and regulation
• Valuation and Market Analysis
• financing
• general principles of agency
• asset disclosure
• contracts
• Leasing and Property Management
• transfer of title
• real estate practice
• real estate calculation
• Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission
• licensing requirements
• brokerage relationship
• observation
• business conduct
• Policy

This list of topics may sound intimidating, but the state of Maryland wants knowledgeable real estate agents to oversee transactions that are worth hundreds of thousands (if not millions), so you need to be expertly trained.

Most people choose Maryland real estate schools based on cost and class format. Here are the most popular options.

instruction type	pros	Shortcoming
in-person classes	traditional classroom setting get to know other students easy access to instructor	more expensive than online classes traffic and traffic finding class times to fit your schedule
livestream classes	no traffic Ideal if you live far away from the schools in person You can ask questions to the instructors in real time	Finding Classes to Fit Your Schedule no interaction with other students Technology doesn’t always work as it should
online classes	Work at your own pace anywhere with internet access Take classes when it’s convenient for you often the least expensive option	Instructors can usually only be accessed via email or phone Chat with real estate professionals Technology doesn’t always work as it should

2. Pass the Maryland Real Estate Salesperson Exam

Once you complete your 60 hours of coursework, your real estate school will send the required documentation to PSI, the testing company that Maryland uses to administer the state exam.

PSI will email you instructions on how to schedule the test and make payment. Your eligibility to take the exam expires one year after you complete your real estate pre-licensing classes.

You’ll know whether you passed or failed immediately after you complete the Maryland real estate exam. If you pass, your next step is to apply for your license. If you have not passed, you will get to access the detailed score report to know which topics you will need to study further. Then, you will need to retake the Maryland real estate exam.

3. Apply for Your Maryland Real Estate License

Once you pass the Maryland real estate exam, your next step is to apply for your Maryland real estate license. You can do this online by filling out the Maryland Real Estate Commission Application Form. You must submit $90 with your application. You have one year from the date you pass the exam to apply for a Maryland real estate license.

The Maryland Real Estate Commission requires applicants to be of “good character and standing.” Before approving your license, they will run a background check on you for any criminal history. But a felony or misdemeanor conviction does not automatically make you ineligible for a real estate license in Maryland. The State Commission will review the details of each applicant on a case-by-case basis.

4. Join a Maryland Real Estate Brokerage

The last step you must complete before working as a licensed real estate agent in Maryland is to join a real estate brokerage. A real estate broker not only has at least three years of experience in real estate, but also has taken additional courses and passed the Maryland Broker Exam. Brokers are also trained to supervise and manage real estate agents.

When you’re looking for a brokerage to work with, ask how your commission will be split. Some brokerages offer a 50-50 split, while others may give their agents a higher cut in exchange for paying a monthly desk fee. Still other brokerages may charge you a set fee for each buy or sell that you observe.

Also, ask the brokerage about their “cap,” which is a term used to describe the maximum amount the brokerage can earn on top of your sales commission in a given year. Any commission you earn above this cap will remain with you.

The relationship between a real estate agent and brokerage should be mutually beneficial. So make sure you ask what other benefits you will get from working with their company.

You have to get used to the fact that you are working as a commission salesperson, which means that your income is based entirely on how much you sell. Many agents start out part-time so that they can still bring in additional revenue as they are learning the ropes.

How Much Does It Cost To Get A Maryland Real Estate License?

You can get your Maryland real estate license for about $420. Compared to the cost of technical training programs and college degrees, this is a real bargain.

maryland real estate license cost

Pre-Licensing Classes (60 h)	via $284 Kolibri Real Estate
exam registration	$44
license application	$90
total cost	$418

(Cost of Maryland Real Estate License as of April 2023)

save 25% with your pre-licensing education Kolibri Real Estate, Use promo code”TheClose25at checkout.

How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Maryland?

In fact, an average real estate salesperson in Maryland makes $96,480, a figure made up entirely of commissions.

In most real estate transactions, a seller earns 3% of the total amount of the sale. According to Zillow, the median home price in Maryland is $387,872. A salesperson overseeing the purchase of a home can earn $11,636. If you help sell 12 average priced homes in a year, your commission will exceed $130,000.

How to Get a Maryland Real Estate License: Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you have an overview of getting a real estate agent in Maryland, keep reading to find more answers to frequently asked questions.

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