Become a Broker
License Requirements
- When you apply for a broker's license you must have been a licensed active salesperson for 24 months.
- You must complete 60 hours of prescribed broker classes (see below for the nine required pre-broker classes). You can take the courses from any accredited school or any combination of accredited schools.
- You can take the 60 hours (9 courses) in any order.
- Each course certificate is valid for 24 months from the date of completion. Each certificate expires individually. You must complete all 9 courses and pass the examination before the expiration of the first certificate.
- If a certificate expires you must repeat the course to receive a valid certificate.
- You must present all 9 valid certificates to the testing center the day of your exam.
- You have until the last working day of the sixth month following the date you pass the examination to apply for your broker license.
- A state and federal criminal background check is required for new broker applicants. See the information below for more details.
Required Courses:
- Real Estate Office Organization, Administration and HR (12-hour class on 2 days)
- Real Estate Technology and Data Security (6-hour class)
- Ethics and Safety Issues for Brokers (6-hour class)
- Trust Accounts (6-hour class)
- Real Estate Finance (6-hour class)
- Principles of Appraisal and Market Analysis (6-hour class)
- Contract Law and Contract Writing (6-hour class)
- Real Estate Law and Agency Laws (6-hour class)
- Federal and State Laws Affecting Iowa Practice (8-hour class to also be eligible to qualify as the Legal Update mandatory class)
As with any other real estate license, you must have a background check completed. Information on completing a background check can be found on the Iowa Association of Realtors® website.