How To Become A Real Estate Agent In Arizona (2024 Guide)

General requirements to become a real estate agent in Arizona

Before we dive into the process, it’s important to understand a few prerequisites for obtaining a real estate license in Arizona specifically for salesperson roles. Typically, becoming a salesperson is the first step for agents, although some may later choose to become brokers, which entails a separate set of requirements. With that in mind, many of the items listed below for salesperson roles will be covered during our classes, so there’s no need to complete them beforehand. Nevertheless, having awareness of these requirements before you start is recommended. For instance, can you become an Arizona real estate agent with a felony?

 

All applicants must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Obtain an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) fingerprint card
  • Provide proof of legal presence to ADRE (using that link, scroll down to “Licensees” then see “Legal Presence”
  • Complete a Disciplinary Actions Disclosure (LI-214/244) and if needed, complete a Disclosure Document Checklist (LI-400)

How to get your real estate license in Arizona | 6 Steps

Step #1

Complete All 90 Hours Of Instruction Online

90hour salesperson course

After determining that you do or will be able to meet all of the requirements to become an Arizona real estate agent. The 1st step is to select an accredited real estate school to help you get licensed. Accreditation can be verified on ADRE’s website. Here is a link to verify our school (American Realty Academy) but you can use it to verify other schools as well. An accredited school will provide you with the state required 90 hours of instruction. While our school only offers online courses, some do still offer live classroom experiences.

Step #2

Complete The 6 Hour Contract Writing Course

arizona real estate contract writing course

ADRE further requires that students complete a 6 hour Contract Writing or Introduction To Contract Writing Course. In many cases, this can be completed 100% online/on demand. Read What Is The Arizona Contract Writing Course.

Step #3

Pass Your School Exam (State Required)

real-estate-school-final-exam

You must complete and pass a school administered exam. This exam acts as a “gateway” to the actual real estate salesperson exam administered by Pearson Vue.

Step #4

Pass The Pearson Vue® Real Estate Exam (Official Exam)

real estate exam arizona

Once passing the school exam, you will receive a certificate that allows you take the Pearson Vue® AZ Real Estate Sales exam. Read What To Know For The Arizona Real Estate Exam.  Note: You may purchase a practice test from Pearson Vue®, however it only covers the General (National) knowledge areas, not Arizona state specific.

Step #5

Find A Brokerage to Work For

real estate brokerage

As a salesperson, as you will learn in class, you must work under a designated broker (DB). This DB must allow you to “hang your license” with them if you intend to work actively as a real estate salesperson in Arizona.

With Arizona real estate booming, there is no shortage of brokerages to choose from!

Step #6

Activate Your License With The Arizona Department Of Real Estate!

activate-arizona-real-estate-license

Once all of this is complete, including the forms listed at the top of this page, your application is ready to be submitted to ADRE. Completing the process to get your real estate license.

*As a note, the state requirements do change from time to time and we highly recommend you verify any information on this page with ADRE. Once you’re ready to activate your license, see How to Apply for an AZ Real Estate Salesperson License.

How long does real estate school take?

Once you’ve learned how to become a real estate agent in Arizona, it’s time to discuss the timelines involved. Real estate school can be finished in as little as 14 days, allowing some students to take the test immediately and potentially complete the entire real estate licensing process within just 3 weeks, if they find a brokerage to join right away!

However, not everyone can dedicate a full 8+ hours per day to get their real estate license. Many students choose to study in the evenings or on weekends instead. For these students, it usually takes around 6 weeks to complete the entire real estate licensing process.

Additionally, most schools provide a minimum of 6 months to complete the training, and you even have the option to extend it for a fee. Some students prefer to utilize the full 6 months, and that is perfectly acceptable. In such cases, we highly recommend joining a virtual study group around the 3-month mark and again before the final test to ensure that you retain knowledge from the entire duration.

That is one of the advantages of taking a self-paced online course. Because when “life happens”, having the flexibility to simply alter your study time lines can make all of the difference.

How long does real estate school take

What is the cost of an AZ real estate license?

The real estate license cost in Arizona is broken into two parts; government fees and school fees. For this article we will cover these items in regard to initial issuance of a real estate salesperson license only (not a broker, renewal, etc).

As a note, all fees are current at the time of this article’s writing and may have changed since. Here we cover to the best of our knowledge, the cost of a typical real estate license in Arizona. Exceptions do always exist and the cost may far exceed these numbers.  Please confirm the fees with the appropriate agencies.  We’ve included some links in this article to help you out.

 

State And Testing Fees

  • Pearson VUE Testing Examination Fee: $75
  • State Original License Fee: $50
  • State Real Estate Recovery Fee: $10
  • Arizona Department Of Public Safety Finger Print Clearance Card Fee: $67
  • Total Government Fees: $202

*You can verify testing/state fees here and DPS fees here

**Testing Fee can be paid when making your exam reservation or ahead of time with the use of a voucher.

cost of AZ real estate school

 School Cost

Real estate schools normally charge for your:

  • 90 Hour Pre-License Course
  • School Exam Fee
  • Contract Writing Course
  • The fees charged are entirely up to the real estate school. It would be far too time consuming to cover every real estate school in Arizona in this article so we will use us (American Realty Academy) as the example.

 

Total Minimum Cost Of Real Estate School In Arizona

  • 90 Hour Pre-License with Contract Writing Course: $499 (price)
  • School Exam Proctor Fee: $25/avg per attempt (paid to test center, not our school)
  • Total School Cost: $524

Given our example above, the total cost to go from day one through all real estate licensing steps, would be: $202 + $524= $726

We encourage you to shop around and examine not just pricing but classroom size and instructional quality before making a decision. However, please take the time to compare us to the competition. (See our most current Arizona Real Estate School Pricing).

How to become a real estate agent in Arizona Summary

How old do I have to be to get a real estate license in Arizona?

You must be 18 years old to apply for an Arizona real estate license.

How many hours of training are required to become a real estate agent in Arizona?

Arizona requires 90 hours of salesperson training plus an additional 6 hour Contract Writing Course.

How quickly can I finish Arizona real estate school?

Arizona real estate school can be completed in as little as 14 days, with the entire real estate licensing process taking 3 weeks or less. Though most students take closer to 2-3 months.

How much does a real estate license cost in Arizona?

Arizona real estate school packages can be found for less than $500. State and testing fees average a little over $200.

Can you get your real estate license online in Arizona?

Yes! The laws now allow for both the 90 hour salesperson course and 6 hour contract writing course to be taken 100% online and on demand. However, school and state testing must still occur in person.

What are the requirements to become a real estate agent in Arizona?

The latest requirements can be found in full on the Arizona Department of Real Estate Website.

Is there a set schedule for your online real estate classes?

Our Arizona Real Estate courses start as soon as you enroll online. You can do this work at your own pace and in your own free time, nights, weekends etc. There is a time limit of 6 months to finish, with a small fee to extend an additional 6 months if needed. Time tracking is done via the LMS (Learning Management System) and is all logged automatically for you.

How long does it take to get a real estate license in Arizona?

A motivated student with the time to study 8 hours a day, can be licensed in Arizona in as little as 3 weeks after starting. However, most students take approximately 1-3 months to complete their training. Many schools have a 6 month deadline to complete their courses, as material and laws do change. However, normally an extension can be purchased for a small fee.

We are the alternative to overcrowded real estate schools in Arizona.

American Realty Academy is proud to host Arizona real estate license classes that don’t just help you get your real estate license, but also prepare you for the real world or real estate. Our instructors are all active real estate brokers eager to share their past experiences (both good and bad) in Arizona real estate transactions.

We want to make sure that no student feels left behind and no question goes unanswered during the entire real estate licensing process. At American Realty Academy, you aren’t just a number, you’re our guest and our instructors, administrators, and owners look forward to getting to know you on a first-name basis. Learn more about why we think we are the best AZ real estate school around. It is our passion to continue to strive to be the best real estate school in Arizona!​ If you have more questions on how to become a real estate agent in Arizona, please send us a message.

If you are transferring as an agent from out of state, be sure to read about the transfer process here.

Note: This is a simplified synopsis of the process to get your Arizona Real Estate Salesperson License. There are also certain eligibility and finger print requirements to become a real estate agent. You may view a complete list of requirements on ADRE’s website.

Ready to start your Arizona real estate license classes?