Get Your South Carolina Real Estate License
Requirements
To start, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent
- Be lawfully present and eligible to work in the United States.
South Carolina Real Estate Quick Facts:
- What is the average SC real estate agent salary? According to indeed.com, the average full time South Carolina real estate agent salary is $94,516 per year.
- How long does it take to get a real estate agent license in South Carolina? Future agents who spend about 20 hours per week on coursework can be licensed in as little as 5-6 weeks.
- You can use the South Carolina Real Estate Agent License Lookup Tool to verify an agent's license status.
Step One: Take 60 hours of Pre-Licensing Education
Successfully complete 60 hours of South Carolina Pre-Licensing salesperson courses. Learn more about your package options here.
The 60-hour Unit I Salesperson Pre-Licensing course must be taken prior to scheduling your South Carolina salesperson exam.
If you hold a law degree or have received a degree from a university with a major course of study in real estate, or if you have a current license in another jurisdiction and are seeking licensure in South Carolina, please see the South Carolina real estate commission's website for the education and examination requirements in detail for your specific situation.
Step Two: Pass the course final exam.
After you complete all the course materials, there is a final exam for each course. The minimum passing score is 70%.
You must take the final exam in the presence of a proctor, so you’ll need to schedule an appointment with a proctor in advance. Find out more about proctoring here.
Step Three: Take 30 hours of SC Post Licensing Educaiton
The 30-hour Unit II Advanced Real Estate Principles course can be taken after passing the licensing exam, but must be taken prior to applying for licensure. Both courses must be completed before obtaining initial licensure.
Step Four: Complete the exam application for South Carolina Real Estate Salesperson
To be schedule for the South Carolina Salesperson exam, you must first submit your exam application.
Step Five: Complete the background check requirement.
You are required to obtain a criminal background report to submit with your application.
For any applications submitted after June 30, 2020, instructions will be provided after the initial application is received on how to obtain your fingerprint background check. Find out more here.
Step Six: Pass the South Carolina real estate salesperson exam.
Once the exam application is approved, you will receive an examination eligibility letter. Examination eligibility is valid for one year. PSI administers the South Carolina real estate salesperson licensing exam.
You will have 200 minutes to complete this 120 question test comprised of 2 portions, covering both state and national requirements. 120 minutes will be allotted for the 80-question national portion, and 80 minutes for 40 state questions. For more information, see the PSI candidate information bulletin.
Do you need help passing your South Carolina real estate exam? The CE Shop also offers comprehensive Exam Prep tailored to South Carolina. If you have any additional questions, visit our South Carolina real estate exam frequently asked questions page.
Step Seven: Select a Brokerage or Team to Work With
To be licensed, you must first be associated with a current and active South Carolina sponsoring broker. It's important to find the right broker to work with, since this person will serve as your mentor as you start your new career in real estate. If you want to learn more about finding the best broker or real estate team to work for, here is a guide:
Step Eight: Complete the application.
Once all of the requirements have been met, you must finalize your application online.
What Are South Carolina State Requirements for Real Estate Continuing Education?
What is the South Carolina Real Estate Salesperson Renewal Date?
Real estate agents in South Carolina are required to renew their license on June 30th, every two years.
South Carolina CE Hours Required: 10 hours
- 4 hours – Mandatory hours
- 6 hours – Elective hours
Salesperson or Broker: Per South Carolina Section 40-57-340, as a condition of active license renewal, a broker or salesperson shall provide proof of satisfactory completion biennially of ten hours of continuing education in courses. The ten hours must include a minimum of four hours of instruction in mandated topics.
