Do I need to be licensed? Show
What is a Real Estate Broker? How do I become a Real Estate Broker? In order to qualify for licensure as a Real Estate Broker, an applicant must have at least two years of experience as a licensed real estate salesperson or at least three years of experience in the general real estate field ,or a combination of the both, meet the minimum points required for the experience type, (e.g., buying and selling your own property, managing property owned by your employer), have satisfactorily completed both the qualifying salesperson course of 75 hours and an additional 45-hour real estate broker course as approved by the Secretary of State, and have passed a qualifying examination administered by the Department of State. Please see application instructions for more detailed information. Please see application instructions for more detailed information. NOTE: The 75 hour salesperson qualifying and 30 hour remedial courses are valid for 8 years past the course completion date and must be used to obtain a license or will expire and must be retaken. Please note, that completion of a school administered proctored examination is required in addition to the qualifying examination administered by the Department of State. If you have any questions about the school proctored examination, please contact your school provider. Once either of these courses have been applied towards a license, they will not expire and can be used for upgrade. How do I obtain a waiver from the 75-hour salesperson or 120-hour broker course requirement? In addition, if you have a Bachelor's Degree with a concentration in real estate, you may qualify for a 120-hour qualifying course requirement waiver. Please submit an official transcript with your waiver request. What are the Current Continuing Education Requirements? All licensees must successfully complete 22.5 hours of approved continuing education. The education must include at least 2.5 hours on the subject of ethical business practices, at least 1 hour of recent legal matters, at least 3 hours of instruction pertaining to fair housing and/or discrimination in the sale or rental of real property or an interest in real property and at least 1 hour of instruction pertaining to the law of agency except in the case of the initial two-year licensing term for real estate salespersons, 2 hours of agency related instruction must be completed within the two-year period immediately preceding a renewal. Effective September 21, 2022 the 22.5 hours of approved continuing education must also include two hours of instruction pertaining to
cultural competency and two hours of instruction pertaining to implicit bias. Please note: If completing the broker course for continuing education, you must also complete 2.5 hours of ethical business practices and 1 hour of recent legal matters topics to satisfy the requirement. Effective September 21, 2022 you must also complete 2 hours of cultural competency, 2 hours of implicit bias to satisfy the requirement. A recent legislative amendment REMOVED the 15-year real estate broker continuing education exemption and now requires all brokers who were previously exempted to complete continuing education starting July 1, 2021.
All licensees must successfully complete 22.5 hours of approved continuing education. The education must include at least 2 hours of instruction pertaining to cultural competency, 2 hours of instruction pertaining to implicit bias, at least 2.5 hours on the subject of ethical business practices, at least 1 hour of recent legal matters, at least 3 hours of instruction pertaining to fair housing and/or discrimination in the sale or rental of real property or an interest in real property and at least 1 hour of instruction pertaining to the law of agency except in the case of the initial two-year licensing term for real estate salespersons, 2 hours of agency related instruction must be completed within the two-year period immediately preceding a renewal. Any salesperson who successfully completes an approved broker qualifying course (which requires passing the final exam), within their current term, will receive continuing education credit for completion of that course. Please note: If completing the broker course for continuing education, you must also complete 2 hours of cultural competency, 2 hours of implicit bias, 2.5 hours of ethical business practices and 1 hour of recent legal matters topics to satisfy the requirement. A recent legislative amendment REMOVED the 15-year real estate broker continuing education exemption and now requires all brokers who were previously exempted to complete continuing education starting July 1, 2021. Who licenses mortgage brokers? When is registration with the Department of Financial Services Necessary? If I am a real estate management company, do I need a real estate broker's license? Whom do I call if I am not sure whether I completed my 22.5 hours of continuing education during my license term? In order to renew my salesperson license, I completed the 45-hour broker qualifying course to satisfy my 22.5 hour continuing education course requirement for this two-year license term. Can I apply the extra 22.5 hours to my next license
term? I could not complete the continuing education, but I wish to renew my license anyway. Can I apply for an extension? What happens if I do not renew my
license? If you are applying for your broker's license, you must submit ORIGINAL proof of your 75-hour salesperson course and 45-hour broker course, or a copy of your expired broker's license. I
have been a real estate licensee for many years. Am I exempt from the continuing education requirements? What
Commission Rate Should I Expect to Pay? Can brokers pay rebates to customers and offer other incentives? Can real estate brokers keep records in electronic format? eAccessNY FAQSUser Registration
(Create-Access) How do I create an account as a first time applicant? On the Create Account page, enter your details and press "Preview" to continue. Press "Save" to save the registration. Press "Change" to change the registration details or press "Cancel" to cancel the registration and return to the Create Account page. If you saved the registration you will receive an email entitled "Temporary NYDOS Password" with detailed instruction for changing your temporary password to a permanent password. After you change the password you will be able to apply for the exam. I received an email for a "Temporary NYDOS Password." Why did I get this email and what do I do with
it? On the Change Password page, once again enter your temporary “Password” exactly as noted above in the “Old Password” box provided. Next, enter in the “New Password” box, a new “Password” which you must create. (The “Password” you create must be a minimum of eight characters, must not be equal to or a derivative of your “User ID” and must contain at least one alphabetic and one non-alphabetic character.) Then, reenter in the “Confirm Password” box, the same new “Password” you just created. Then press, “Ok”. (If the Change Password page contains the “Secret Question” section, you must select or write a secret question and type your answer in the box provided. Once this is done, click “Ok”.) You are now on the Main Menu page of the system. Be sure you keep a record of your “User ID” and new “Password” since you will need to use them each time you access your eAccessNY account. If you are a first time applicant as indicated above you may now apply for an exam. How long does it take to receive the password? How do I modify my email settings to prevent a specific sender email
address ([email protected]from going to my junk mail(spam)? I have already created or accessed my account. How do I log on to eAccessNY? Apply to Take an ExamHow do I apply to take either a
sales or broker exam? View Scheduled Exam DetailsHow can I get my exam details again if I forgot to print my confirmation page? Log on to your account. From the Main Menu, click on "View Scheduled Exam Details." Reschedule My ExamHow can I reschedule my exam? Log on to your account. From the Main Menu, click on "View Scheduled Exam Details." As long as you are within the allowable reschedule time frame (6 days prior to your currently scheduled exam date), you can click on the "Reschedule" button on the bottom right and then follow the instructions. If you are not within the allowable reschedule time frame, you must wait until the exam date has passed and make a new appointment. View Exam ResultsHow do I View My Exam Results? Log on to your account. From the Main Menu, click on "View Exam Results." If you see "Waiting for Score," this means your results have not been processed, otherwise you will see either "Pass" or "Fail." Public License SearchWhich link takes me to the Public License Search Function? Click on eAccessNY from various locations throughout our website and then select "Public License Search" Main Menu, Clicking on the Public License Search link will launch the search function What criteria do I use to find an individual or organization? You may use the information from the person/organization's license or simply use their name. What type of information is provided in the search results? License data found in the search results, includes: Name, License Number, License Type, Status (of current license) and Expiration Date. Not applicable to School Searches. Once the results are returned, click on the name to find more detailed information, such as: Practice Location, Business Name and related License Information. How do I Search by Name? You can perform a search either by the name of the individual or an organization. You cannot perform a search using both the name of the individual and an organization. To do a search by name of individual, click on the "Search by Individual" button and perform the following steps: • If you do not know the spelling of the last name, try entering the first two or more letters of the last name. You must enter at least the first two letters of the first name. The search will always return names that begin with the letters you have entered. • If you do not know the spelling of the first name, try entering at least the first two letters of the first name to limit the number of names returned by the search. If you do not know the name of the organization, try entering at least the first word (four character minimum) of the organization name. If you enter both a name of an individual and the name of an organization, then the search only uses the last name. You cannot search using both name types. • If you receive too many licenses for your search, try using some of the Alternate Search Parameters such as, License Type, City or County. This will reduce the number of licenses returned by the search. What is a License Number? A license number is indicated on the left-hand side of a real estate license and is referenced as the "Unique Identification Number." How do I search by License Number (UID#)? When searching by License Number (UID#), you must enter the entire unique identification number. If the license number includes two letters, then the letters must be capitalized. If you know the specific License Type, you can select these from the drop down arrow to limit the search results. Selecting the License Type is not necessary. How do I Search by City or County? You can search for licenses by License Type within a City or County. You must always select a License Type and a City or County. This search will always return licenses for the selected type within the city or county. Are names searches case or character sensitive? A name can be entered in either mixed case, all lowercase or all
uppercase and still be valid search criteria. Apply for Initial Salesperson License (qualifying by Exam only) How do I apply for an Initial Salesperson License online (qualifying by Exam only)? Please note: If you are applying based on reciprocity, attorney status, requesting an additional salesperson license, or having been previously licensed, please submit a paper application by regular mail. If you completed education outside of New York State and have received an education waiver, you must pass the state examination and submit your application to our Licensing office for processing. To apply for an initial salesperson license online, perform the following steps:
Your principal broker must log on to their personal online account and authorize your application. After the broker authorizes your application the Department of State will review your application to make sure it is complete and meets
the qualifications for a real estate salesperson license. If I apply online for my initial salesperson license, should I also mail my application? Applicants who apply online do not need to submit their application or follow up paperwork to our office unless the applicant is sent a letter specifically requesting additional documentation. Authorize Initial Salesperson LicenseI am a Principal Broker. How do I authorize a pending online salesperson application? The broker (who is indicated on the salesperson’s online application) must log on to their own personal real estate online account and click on "List of Licenses"; a listing of all your License(s) and License Number(s) (UID#'s) will be listed. Click on the appropriate broker license. Under "Functions", click on “Authorize Initial Salesperson License”. If a broker has anyone listed under “Authorize Initial License” they should:
An “Authorize Initial License - Summary” page will appear. The broker can click on the “Return” box to return to the License Menu. When the
Department of State approves the salesperson online application, a license will be generated by Licensing Services and mailed to the office location indicated on the application. List of LicensesWhich link takes me to the List of Licenses function? From the Main Menu screen of your eAccessNY Account, click on "List of Licenses." A listing of all your License(s) and License Number(s) (UID#'s) will be listed. Why aren’t all my licenses listed after clicking “List of Licenses?” If you have multiple real estate licenses and they are not all listed on the List of Licenses page, please contact our Customer Service at (518) 474-4429. What functions can I perform by clicking on the “List of Licenses” link? Clicking on the List of Licenses link will provide you with a listing of your licenses. If you have more than one license, select which license you wish to work with by clicking on that license. This will provide you with more detailed information about the selected license as well as those functions that can be performed (e.g., renew your license, change your address, etc.) Renew My LicenseWhy should I renew online? In accordance with New York's Green Initiative to reduce paper use, all Real Estate Licenses must be renewed online. Why must I renew my license? If you do not renew your expired license, you cannot conduct any real estate activities that require a New York State real estate license in accordance with Article 12-A of the Real Property Law. There are no grace periods that allow you to continue working while not licensed. You have two years from the date your license expires to renew your license. If you fail to renew within that period, you will be required to pass the state written examination and submit a new salesperson/broker application and fee. No continuing education will be required to repeat the licensing process again. How do I know when I should renew my license? Your license expiration date is printed on the license. You are eligible to renew your license three months prior to the expiration date. If you are an associate broker or salesperson you must have a sponsoring broker to be eligible for license renewal. Three months prior to your license expiration date, you are sent an email and post card reminder that it's time to renew your real estate license. Both reminders provide you with written instructions on how to renew your license online through your eAccessNY Account. If my license has expired and no longer appears on the website, can I still log into my account and renew my license? Yes. Your eAccessNY account is always available for you to log into and find out the status of your license and perform license transactions. Your renewal application is generated three months prior to expiration and the renewal link remains available for you to access and to renew your license for two years after the expiration date of your license. If you are an associate broker or salesperson you must have a sponsoring broker to be eligible for license renewal. If I have an associate broker or salesperson license but no sponsoring broker, can I still log into my account and renew my license? No. You must have a sponsoring broker to be eligible for license renewal. If you have a sponsoring broker who has not associated you with their license, they must do so through their eAccessNY Account. Once you are associated with a sponsoring broker you can renew your license through your on line Account. How do I renew my real estate license? After you log on, from the Main Menu page click on “List of Licenses (Access your license here).” A listing of all your License(s) and License Number(s) (UID#’s)will be listed. If you have more than one license, click on the license you wish to renew. 1. Click on “Renew License” and then “Next Step” to renew the license. 2. Answer the questions and press “Next Step” to continue. 3. Affirm the application by checking the “I Agree” box and press “Next Step” to continue. When you affirm your application, you are indicating that you have met the requirements for renewal. Therefore, your continuing education must be completed prior to submitting your online renewal. 4. Enter your credit card details and press “Submit” ONLY ONCE to submit your payment. Your card will be charged with the total amount displayed. 5. You will get a “Confirmation” page indicating your renewal has been submitted. Print the page for your records. Submission does not constitute an approval. Your renewal application will be reviewed by the Department to make sure it is complete and meets the qualifications for renewal. What if I don’t have a printer? Can I save a “confirmation page” to my computer? Yes, you can save any web page to your computer. For most browsers, click on “File” in the menu bar, then click on “Save As.” When the “Save As” dialogue box appears, save the page as a web page or as a text file, to the location on your computer you choose. After you save it, you can open the file at any time without being connected to the Internet. What if I answer no to the continuing education question when renewing my real estate salesperson/broker license in eAccessNY? If you answer no to this question, your renewal application will not be approved. You will receive notification from the Department acknowledging receipt of your renewal application. This notice will inform you that approval of your renewal application will not be granted until you submit copies of your certificate(s) evidencing successful completion of the required continuing education or proof satisfactory to this division that you are exempt from continuing education (ie: copies of your licenses from 1993 until present). Submit the document(s) to the Bureau of Educational Standards by email to [email protected] for review and approval. Once approval has been granted you'll be notified by email. You must submit this proof even if you have answered no to this question in error. By answering NO when submitting your on line renewal, you have affirmed that you have not completed the required education and that you are not exempt from this requirement.. How do I know my license was renewed successfully online? After completing all of the steps on your renewal check list (including payment), you will submit your online renewal for processing. At the end of the renewal process you will get a Confirmation page indicating that your renewal has been submitted. This does not mean your license is renewed. Your renewal application will be reviewed to make sure it is complete
and meets the qualifications for renewal. View Application StatusWhat information do I need to view the status of my application? Click on the “Application Status Display” on the Main Menu of your account. If you have submitted an online original salesperson application or an online sales or broker renewal application, this link will indicate if the application is still pending (in progress). Once a renewal application is created in our office, three months prior to expiration, the renewal will indicate “in progress” (which simply means it is eligible for renewal).This will be the status of the renewal application until the licensee completes and submits the online renewal and the fee, the broker authorizes it (if licensee is a salesperson/ associate broker) and the Department of State reviews and approves the application. Termination/Change AssociationWho can terminate/change a salesperson’s or associate broker’s association and how are these functions performed? All terminations and change of associations for salespersons and associate brokers must be completed online. It is a Department of State policy to terminate a licensee within five days from the date they leave the broker’s employment. Licensing requires the termination of a salesperson or associate broker by the existing representative (principal) broker prior to the performance of a change of association by a new broker agency. The broker will need the license number (UID#) of the individual they are terminating or who will be working for their company. A fee is not required to complete a termination transaction. If a license is expired and the licensee wishes to renew their license with a different broker, they must have the new broker change their association online prior to renewal. In this case, since the license is expired, a termination by the previous broker will not be required. To terminate a licensee, the existing principal broker must log on to their personal online account to perform this function.
Once the termination is completed, the new employing principal broker can perform the change of association. There is a $20 fee for this transaction. The new employing principal broker can change the licensee’s association by performing the following steps:
Your submission does not constitute an approval. If approved, any changes will be applied to the appropriate license(s) and a new license will be mailed to the new business address. If anything additional is required, you will be contacted by the Department. Change broker’s principal or branch office addressHow does a broker change the principal or branch office address? The Principal broker must log on to their personal online account to perform this function.
Each licensee will be mailed a new license. How does a broker change the company name? If you want to change the name of your company, you must submit a new broker application. New broker applications cannot be submitted online. Change My Main Address (Residence)Which link allows me to change my residence address? Real estate salespeople and brokers must log into their personal online account to perform this function. Salespeople and Associate Brokers can change their residence address by completing the following steps:
Principal brokers can change their residence address by completing the following steps:
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