Real Estate Board
Post-License Education for New Salespersons | Residential Standard Agency Course | Continuing Education
Post-License Education for New Salespersons
Section 54.1-2105.01 of the Code of Virginia requires all new salesperson licensees to complete a Board-approved 30-hour post-license education curriculum. The curricula includes topics new salespersons need to know in their practices, including contract writing, handling customer deposits, listing property, leasing property, agency, current industry issues and trends, property owners' and condominium association law, landlord-tenant law, Board regulations, and such other topics as designated by the Board.
New salespersons must complete the 30-hour post-license education curriculum within one year of obtaining their salesperson licenses. Failure to complete the post-license education requirement within one year of initial licensure will result in your license being placed on inactive status. You cannot practice real estate in Virginia with an inactive license. You may activate your license by:
- Completing the 30-hour post-license education requirement; and
- Completing and submitting an "Activate/Transfer Application" form with the required fee.
You may renew or reinstate an inactive new salesperson license for up to one year after the license expiration date, by completing the 30-hour post-license education requirement and meeting all other renewal or reinstatement requirements.
New Salespersons must complete the 30-hour Post-License Education requirement. They do not need to complete the 16-hour Continuing Education curriculum required of other salespersons.
Post-License Education and Continuing Education are two completely different types of Board-approved education. Post-License Education courses will not be accepted as Continuing Education courses and vice-versa.
Post-License Education Practice Tracks
There are three Board-approved 30-hour Post-License Education practice tracks:
- Residential Real Estate;
- Commercial Real Estate; and
- Property Management.
A New Salesperson must complete one of these Practice Tracks. Each Practice Track includes Mandatory Topics and Elective Topics. A New Salesperson selects one of these Practice Tracks by completing an approved Mandatory Topic course within that Practice Track. All Mandatory Topic courses within the selected Practice Track must be completed. Elective Topic course hours completed from any Practice Track will be credited toward the 30-hour requirement. Surplus Mandatory Topic course hours will be credited as Electives toward the 30 hours.
Post-License Education hours will not appear on the DPOR "License Lookup" website until a New Salesperson completes a Mandatory Topic course and the course is reported to the Board by an approved education provider.
A licensee must notify the Board's Education Administrator in writing to change Practice Tracks after a Mandatory Topic course has been reported to the Board.
NOTE: All Virginia Real Estate Salesperson Licenses--including those issued to new licensees--are valid for two years. Although New Salespersons must complete Post-License Education within one year of initial licensure, their license term is for two years.
New Salespersons will not receive any credit from the Board for any Continuing Education courses they complete before their first two-year licensure term ends. Some New Salesperson licensees may mistakenly assume that, since they completed their 30-hour Post-License Education requirement, they should then immediately get started on completing the 16-hour Continuing Education hours that will be required of them during their second two-year licensure term. This assumption is incorrect.
New Salespersons must wait until their first two-year licensure term ends, then they can begin to take Continuing Education courses for license renewal credit. Please refer to 18 VAC 135-20-101 of the Real Estate Board Regulations, which states: "All active salespersons... shall be required to complete a total of 16 instruction hours DURING EACH LICENSING TERM." The licensee must complete the Continuing Education hours DURING the licensing term, not BEFORE the licensing term begins.
Residential Standard Agency Course
Required of all licensees to renew/reinstate/activate
The 2011 General Assembly significantly amended state law governing residential real estate agency (Section 54.1-2130, et seq. of the Code of Virginia), with most changes becoming effective July 1, 2012. Because of these significant changes, the law requires all licensees who renew or reinstate an active salesperson or broker license, or who activate an inactive salesperson or broker license, to complete a Board-approved three-hour course in Residential Standard Agency (RSA).
The three-hour RSA course is required to renew all active salesperson and broker licenses that expire between July 31, 2012, and June 30, 2014.
Completion of the three-hour RSA course is a one-time only education requirement. This three-hour course is in addition to the required 24 hours of Continuing Education for Brokers, the required 16 hours of Continuing Education for Experienced Salespersons, and the required 30 hours of Post-License Education for New Salespersons.
NOTE: Licensees who do not practice residential real estate, and shall not do so during the current licensing term, may obtain a waiver from completing the three-hour RSA course. Licensees must submit an original, signed and notarized Residential Standard Agency Continuing Education Course Waiver Notarized Affidavit (PDF) to qualify for the waiver. Copies, faxes or emails will not be accepted.
Continuing Education
For Brokers and Experienced Salespersons
Section 54.1-2105.03 of the Code of Virginia requires all brokers and salespersons (who have renewed their license at least once before) to complete Board-approved Continuing Education to renew or activate their licenses.
Brokers must complete 24 hours of Continuing Education to renew their licenses. Of these 24 hours, renewing brokers must take:
- Eight (8) hours in Broker Management & Agent Supervision;
- Three (3) hours in Ethics & Standards of Conduct;
- Two (2) hours in Fair Housing;
- One (1) hour in Legal Updates and Emerging Trends;
- One (1) hour in Real Estate Agency; and
- One (1) hour in Real Estate Contracts.
Experienced Salespersons must complete 16 hours of Continuing Education to renew their licenses. Of these 16 hours, renewing experienced salespersons must take:
- Three (3) hours in Ethics & Standards of Conduct;
- Two (2) hours in Fair Housing;
- One (1) hour in Legal Updates and Emerging Trends;
- One (1) hour in Real Estate Agency; and
- One (1) hour in Real Estate Contracts.
The remaining 8 hours for both brokers and experienced salespersons may be in Real Estate Related Subjects (electives) or in the required Continuing Education subjects already referenced. These Continuing Education requirements also apply to inactive brokers and experienced salespersons who apply to activate their licenses.
Out-of-State Continuing Education Credit
The Board will accept up to 8 hours of approved continuing education courses that a broker or experienced salesperson completed in another state, as long as the licensee holds a current real estate license in that other state and completed these continuing education courses during the current two-year license term. These 8 out-of-state hours can be applied only to the "Real Estate Related Subjects" (elective) Continuing Education category.
In order to receive these 8 hours of Continuing Education elective credits in the "Real Estate Related Subjects" category, a licensee must mail: (1) an original or notarized copy of the current out-of-state license (with its expiration date) and (2) original or notarized copies of the continuing education course completion certificates to:
Virginia Real Estate Board
ATTN: Education Section
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 400
Richmond, VA 23233.