"I hold a real estate salesperson's license in another state. How do I get a license to sell real estate in Pennsylvania?"

An increasing number of individuals who hold real estate salesperson's licenses in other states have contacted Polley Associates to inquire about obtaining a similar license in Pennsylvania. This FAQ (frequently asked questions) page has been created to help address their needs. It consists of four sections:

1. Learn more now about our Out-Of-State Exam Prep Course
2. Pennsylvania and license reciprocity 
3. Preparing for the Pennsylvania law test
4. If you lack sufficient education ...

If you hold an out-of-state broker's license, and want to obtain a Pennsylvania broker's license, please click here.

Pennsylvania and license reciprocity

The requirements for real estate salesperson licensure in Pennsylvania traditionally are lower than those of most other states, with few exceptions. That's good news for many out-of-staters with real estate salesperson's licenses who want to be licensed as a salesperson in The Keystone State.

Moreover, the state of  Pennsylvania in December 2003 passed legislation that creates license reciprocity agreements between it and other states. Click here to learn more about reciprocity on the PA State Real Estate Commission website.

If you do not qualify for a license by reciprocity, you are best positioned to obtain a salesperson's license in Pennsylvania if the state in which you are already licensed requires a minimum of 60 or more hours of education for its salesperson licensing. If so, you should contact your state's Real Estate Commission, let it know of your intent to be licensed in Pennsylvania, and ask it to issue a certificate or certified letter attesting to your licensure. Normally, you will be required to pay a fee for this service. This certificate or certified letter then gets sent by you directly to Pennsylvania's testing vendor, PSI Examination Services, along with your application to be tested for a Pennsylvania salesperson's license and the appropriate examination fee. The application, fee schedule, and expanded detail in licensing requirements and instructions will be found in PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin, which can be downloaded from its website.

Although you have completed as much or more salesperson pre-license education than is needed in Pennsylvania (60 hours), and although you have already passed a written salesperson license exam covering uniform real estate knowledge in your state, you nonetheless will need to score a passing grade (70 or higher) on the 30-question Pennsylvania real estate law exam. The 90-question "uniform knowledge" exam will be waived. Once you pass Pennsylvania's 30-question law test, the PA State Real Estate Commission will grant a license. The timing for this process depends on both the time you take in passing the exam and the commission's work backlog.

If a license reciprocity agreement does not exist between Pennsylvania and your state of licensure, your existing non-PA real estate license will not automatically be recognized as valid for use in Pennsylvania. The PA State Real Estate Commission requires proof that you know and are familiar with Pennsylvania real estate license law; hence your need to take the 30-question law test.

Preparing for the Pennsylvania law test

Because you will need to brush up on Pennsylvania real estate license law and prep for the law portion of the Pennsylvania test, we recommend that you ...

1)  Enroll, if possible, in Polley Associates'  Out-Of-State Exam Prep course. You can learn more about the course at this page on our website:

http://www.polleyassociates.com/docs/outstatexam.htm

The Out-Of-State Exam Prep course is only a half-day (9 a.m. to noon), costs only $95, and reviews Pennsylvania real estate law material on the exam for which you'll be tested. However, because this course is held only every other month and only at our Newtown Square (suburban Philadelphia) PA facility, it may be an impractical option for some out-of-staters.

2) Visit Polley Associates' online bookstore  to find related study aids. You will find the bookstore at this page on our website:

http://www.polleyassociates.com/docs/bookmenu.htm .

One recommended aid is the textbook titled  "Real Estate Exam Prep Booklet for Pennsylvania." We make it available for purchase online. Click on the "RECampus.com" link in the box that says "Textbook Central."

3) Our three-hour License Law Audio cassette tapes are available for purchase for $25 by calling 800-220-2789 to place an order. Many students find these listen-while-you-drive tapes very helpful, but due to their length limitations they are NOT a substitute for the textbook.

If you do not have 60 or more hours of completed salesperson pre-license education, you will need to complete one or more of the 30-hour PA pre-license salesperson courses  (RE Fundamentals and RE Practice) offered by Polley Associates, or equivalent courses in your current state of licensure.