Jacqueline Kyo Thomas
Would you like to become a real estate agent in the great state of Connecticut but aren't sure how to get started? In this comprehensive beginner's guide, we'll provide all the steps you need to take to get licensed and start your career as a Connecticut real estate agent.
Research Connecticut’s Real Estate Licensing Requirements
The first step to becoming a licensed real estate agent in Connecticut is to research the state's licensing requirements. Each state has its own set of requirements. To obtain a salesperson license in Connecticut, you must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Successfully complete 60 classroom hours of Real Estate Principles and Practices or leverage Connecticut's reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts (more on this later)
- Provide an original certification of education completion
- Take and pass the state's real estate license exam
- Get sponsored by a licensed real estate broker
- Submit to a background check
- Pay the fee to obtain your real estate license
Take the Required Pre-licensing Real Estate Course for Connecticut
The state of Connecticut requires that all real estate salesperson hopefuls first take and pass a 60-hour course in Real Estate Principles and Practices. This pre-licensing course will cover everything you need to know about real estate, including Connecticut-specific real estate law and national real estate law. State-approved courses will cover topics such as real property, appraisal, contracts, taxes, investment, leases, ethics, and fair housing.
The course can be taken in person or online.
Want to know a great hack for getting your Connecticut real estate license? You can use the aforementioned reciprocity agreement to take real estate classes only once but get licensed to practice in three states.
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island all have reciprocity agreements with each other. Real estate license reciprocity means that one state recognizes the license from another. In this case, if you receive your real estate license in Massachusetts, you are entitled to a Connecticut license automatically. Two licenses but one pre-licensure course and one test.
Even if you're primarily targeting a Connecticut real estate license, there's no downside to getting licensed in Massachusetts, too. In fact, if you start the process by obtaining your Massachusetts license first, it's actually a lot quicker. Connecticut requires 60 hours of real estate coursework. Massachusetts only requires 40 hours. Even better, you can complete the entire Massachusetts pre-licensure course plus take the license test online.
Want to learn more about Connecticut's reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts? Here are the steps to automatically get your real estate license in all three states.
Pass the Connecticut Real Estate Licensing Exam
The next step to starting your real estate career is to pass the real estate licensing exam. Suppose you are already licensed in a state that has a reciprocity agreement with Connecticut. In this case, you may be able to skip this step and automatically apply for your Connecticut real estate salesperson license. However, if you do not have a valid real estate license, you will need to enroll in a state-approved school to complete the required pre-licensure coursework.
As we discussed in the above step, we recommend taking the Massachusetts course over the Connecticut course. The Massachusetts course covers much of the same material and will give you the education you need to successfully work as a real estate agent in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. However, the Massachusetts course is 20 hours shorter.
Here at Freedom Trail Realty School, we have designed our course to be comprehensive and convenient. You can take classes live or stream them on demand whenever it fits your schedule. We offer day, night, and weekend classes. And there's no rush. If you want to get done at a blazing-fast schedule, you can do that, but there's no set schedule. You can work at whatever pace you'd like. We'll be there to support you the whole way through.
We also offer a 'Pass or Don't Pay' guarantee. We guarantee that if you successfully complete our course but don't pass your real estate licensing exam, we'll refund your class fee.
Learn more about our pass or don't pay guarantee here.
We have structured our real estate course to cover everything you need to know to be successful as a Connecticut real estate agent. The first part of the course will teach you what you need to know to pass the test. In addition to lectures, we offer quizzes and interactive activities to keep the coursework engaging. The last portion of the course will prepare you for taking the state exam. We provide practice exams and we have both private tutoring and general office hours for additional support.
Passing the real estate exam won't be a walk through the park but you'll be ready for it when the time comes. We actually guarantee it.
Real estate exams differ by state. We'll focus primarily on the Massachusetts real estate exam in this guide since you can obtain your Connecticut real estate license after taking only the Massachusetts real estate state exam.
The Massachusetts real estate exam includes 120 questions across two sections: National and state. The national part of the exam covers 80 questions. The state part of the exam covers 40 questions. You are required to make 70% on each section to pass. If you make at least 70% on one section but don't pass the other, you are permitted to retake the failed section instead of the whole exam.
The state real estate exam is administered by PSI Exams. You can take the real estate exam through PSI in person or online. After you apply to take the PSI exam, you'll need to pass a background check and confirm that you've completed your mandatory coursework.
What should you expect on the real estate exam?
Speaking specifically about the Massachusetts real estate exam, you will be given four hours to complete your 120-question, multiple-choice test. But don't worry. You probably won't need to take all four hours.
If you choose to take the test online instead of in person, you will need a webcam and a microphone. At the start of the test, a proctor will ask to see your ID and your entire room to confirm your identity and ensure that you cannot cheat by having notes around the room. You will be monitored by the proctor for the duration of your test.
After you've completed your test, you will know immediately if you've passed or if you will need to retake a portion or the whole exam. If you take the exam in person and pass, you can get your real estate license right away. If you take the exam online and pass, you will need to visit a test center in person to first take a photo for the license and then pick it up.
Then there's the matter of paying for your license. If you are applying for the Massachusetts real estate salesperson license, your fee will be between $103 and $150. The variance depends on when your license is issued in relation to the test date. Expect to pay $150 and be pleasantly surprised if it’s less!
Immediately after getting your license in Massachusetts, you can apply for your Connecticut real estate license. Here are the requirements:
- Successfully pass the real estate exam in the reciprocal state
- Have an active license in good standing with the reciprocal state
- Provide a certification of license history
- Have a sponsoring broker with an active Connecticut license
After meeting the above requirements, you can then pay the associated fees for becoming a licensed real estate salesperson. In Connecticut, you will pay $385. This includes an $80 application fee, a $285 initial license fee, and a $20 guaranty fund fee. Learn more about Connecticut real estate licensing fees here.
Final Thoughts
Is this all you need to know to become a successful real estate agent in the state of Connecticut? Of course not!
Check out these additional resources:
- How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Massachusetts (Good to know if you’re using the reciprocity hack we discussed earlier in this guide)
- Should You Get Your Real Estate License in Multiple States?
- Recession-Proof Your Real Estate Business in 2023
- One Hour Guide to Creating a Real Estate Business Plan
- How to Automate Your Most Boring Real Estate Tasks
- Best Books for Real Estate Agents
- How to Get Your Very First Real Estate Listing