Frequently Asked Questions about Obtaining a California Real Estate Sales License and Preparing to Pass the State Exam

Q. What is the minimum age to become a salesperson in California? You must be at least 18 years old. Q. What is a Salesperson’s License? It is for individuals who are to be employed by a broker for any real estate activities, which includes property management, loan brokering, selling business opportunities, etc. Q. Can an out-of-state resident get a license? Yes, but the DRE test must be taken in California. Q. Do I have to be immediately employed by a broker? No; however, in this instance no real estate activity may be performed until you are employed by a broker. If you are the least bit interested in real estate for now or the future or just to buy or sell your own house, get a license now. The cost of carrying a license is only $30.00 a year. If any changes occur in the future, you're ready. Q. Are there any education requirements? The course called Real Estate Principles must be completed or in progress to apply for the State Examination and must be completed prior to applying for a license. There is no requirement for a college degree or even a high school diploma. Q. Where should I take this course? Duane Gomer Seminars home-study program. Q. How long does it take to complete the Principles Course? There is a regulation that you must have the Principles Course for 18 days before you can take the Principles Course exam. With our program, you can easily finish in 18 days and apply for the State Exam. Taking the course at a Community College takes 15 weeks of 3 Hour classes. Q. Is any work experience required? No Q. How do I apply for the Exam? Complete the Examination Application Form (RE400A) and send in the appropriate fee. The fee, as of July 1, 2003, is $25.00. The fee can be paid by check, money order or credit card. To pay by credit card, you must use the Credit Card Payment Form (RE909). Mail the completed application, fee and transcript of your Real Estate Principles course (if completed) to: DRE Examination Section Box 187001 Sacramento, CA 95818-7001 If you have not completed the Real Estate Principles course, you must certify under penalty of perjury that you are currently enrolled in an acceptable Real Estate Principles course by signing the examination application. Q. How long is the average wait for an exam appointment? Approximately four weeks. If you don’t receive a reply within four weeks, you can call (916) 227-0900 on a touch-tone phone to check on your application. Q. What if I can’t make the exam date? You can reschedule for a fee: the first rescheduling fee is $10.00; subsequent rescheduling costs $25.00 each time. Q. Can I send cash? No. Q. Can I get a refund if I decide not to continue? There are no refunds or credits of any type. Q. What are the specifics about the exam? There are 150 multiple-choice questions, with a time limit of three hours and 15 minutes. The passing grade is 70% or better. Approximately 53% of the applicants pass the exam the first time. Our passing rates are much higher. Q. Are any calculators or laptop computers allowed to be used during the exam? You are only permitted to bring a slide rule or a silent, battery-operated, electronic, pocket-size calculator that does not have print capability or an alphabetic keyboard. Q. How long do I have to complete the exams from my date of application? Two years. Q. Where are the exams given? San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, Oakland and Sacramento. Q. Where can I get more information about the exam? Form RE400A (Salesperson Examination Application), RE206 (Exam & Licensing Fees) and the booklet, Instructions to License. These materials can be received by calling our office. Q. How long is the average wait for the exam results? Results are normally mailed within five working days. However, if you have a touch-tone phone, you can obtain your results by calling (916) 227-0900 after three working days. Q. What if I fail the exam? We don't discuss that possibility at Duane Gomer Seminars! If, by a remote possibility you should fail the exam, we will discuss options at that time, based upon your exam results. DRE sends a breakdown with your scores for each section of the exam. Incidentally, the most difficult sections to pass are the Appraisal and Financing sections. Q. What are the sections of the exams and the percentage of questions devoted to each section? Real Property and Laws Relating to Ownership (approx. 11% of exam) Ownership of real property, encumbrances, and public power over real property Tax Implications of Real Estate Ownership (approx. 8% of exam) Knowledge of current tax laws affecting real estate ownership Valuation/Appraisal of Real Property (approx. 15% of exam) Methods of appraising and valuing property; Factors which may influence value estimate Financing Real Estate (approx. 17% of exam) Sources of financing; Common clauses in mortgage instruments; Types of loans, terms and conditions Transfer of Property (approx. 10% of exam) Titles, escrows and reports Real Estate Practice (approx. 22% of exam) Listing of real property, sales contracts and marketing Brokerage: Responsibilities and Functions of Salespersons (approx. 17% of exam) State real estate laws and regulations; Laws relating to fair practices; Knowledge of trends and developments; Knowledge of commonly uses real estate forms and math calculations Q. What other specifics are there about the exam? Once the exam is passed, you have one year to send the fees and a set of classified fingerprints to the DRE. Out-of-state applicants must submit a notarized consent to Service of Process. You must submit proof of legal presence in the United States with a Form RE205 (Statement of Public Benefits). This could be a copy of a birth certificate, passport, green card, etc. Q. How long is the original license effective if I complete only Principles? It is called a Conditional License and is good for only 18 months. To obtain a non-conditional license, you need to submit transcripts of completion of at least two additional college-level courses. If you have completed these courses with any company, or completed any of them in college, be sure to submit them because the fees will be lower. For more information, read Duane Gomer Seminar’s Frequently Asked Questions about Conditional Licenses, or call, Fax, or e-mail us for a copy. Q. Why should I choose Duane Gomer Seminars for this course? Our exams are open-book, 100 multiple-choice questions with a passing grade of only 60%. You can also test on the Internet. No time-consuming essays or practice questions to be submitted. If you don’t pass our Principles course, your money is refunded. Full-time staff; toll-free number; fax service; orders by noon shipped that day; no phone menus. Well-established company with an excellent reputation. Check us out with brokers, California Department of Real Estate (916-227-0894), associations and title companies. The all-inclusive fee of only $79.50 includes all books, exams, shipping, handling, taxes, certificate, etc. No hidden fees. Q. Any other thoughts on your test? If you study the practice questions, you should pass easily. Take the exam as soon as possible. Some people over-study to get an outstanding grade. This is a waste of time. Spend your time studying practice questions for the State Exam, not the Principles Course. Even if you don't feel completely prepared, what do you have to lose? Only you and our Home-Study Section would know if you did poorly and we are bound by State Law not to tell anyone. Wouldn't taking the test be a quick way to "study"? Also, during the 18 day period when you are waiting for the test, purchase the Test Prep Review materials so you can start preparing. The earlier, the better. Q. Does completing the Principles Course prepare me to pass the state salesperson’s exam? No. You will be better prepared if you complete the additional two courses to get a non-conditional license. The two most helpful courses to prepare for the state exam are Appraisal and Real Estate Finance. However, in our opinion, other materials are still needed. By completing the three courses before taking the test allows you to pay a lower fee and your license will be non-conditional. Q. What does your company recommend? For all Southern California applicants, we can offer you the John Henderson LLC Live Crash Course for $150.00. The materials include 600+ practice exam questions, 3 audio CD's, a course outline, Final Briefing and Math Workbook. The live seminar is conducted every Sunday in Orange County, and one Saturday per month in San Diego, West Los Angeles, and San Fernando Valley. Call our office so that we can get you registered for the live seminar and get the materials shipped to you immediately. Northern California applicants should contact our office for further assistance. Q. What is the percentage of applicants who pass? Although only between 50% to 55% pass the State Exams, our rates are much higher. Q. Is this method successful? It is so thorough, that John Henderson LLB, who designed the State exam, offers a money-back guarantee. If you take the course and fail, you can attend again at no cost. If you fail a second time, your money is refunded and you keep all the materials. Q. Should I start now? The State DRE has appointed a Task Force to study License Requirements and they will probably require more courses, but more importantly change the test. That would be major because our State Practice Questions have been researched over many years. The last time exams were changed, passing grades dropped lower than 20%. Be forewarned. Q. How do I order these materials? Call us at (800) 439-4909 or (949) 457-8930. You can also fax (949-455-9931) or e-mail your credit card number. Or a check can be mailed to: Duane Gomer, Inc. 23312 Madero, Ste. J Mission Viejo, CA  92691. Please note: our office hours are 9:00am - 3:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.