How to become a real estate agent in Illinois

According to several reputable schools accredited by the IDFPR, the pass rate is approximately 75% for those taking the Illinois real estate broker exam for the first time. There are 140 multiple-choice questions on the license exam, and a passing score is 30 out of 40 on the state portion, and 75 out of 100 on the national portion.

75% is the score you’ll need the first time around to be eligible for your Illinois license

While getting licensed as a real estate broker in Illinois may mean investing more time and money up front, remember that brokers typically experience a greater return on this investment in the long run. Here’s a general idea of how much time to set aside:

• 75 hours of study for the required prelicense coursework. You can take
  • an online, self-study coure (2 – 3 weeks)
  • a livestreamed or in-person course (3 to 5 weeks on average)
  • a hybrid course (6 weeks) or
  • an accelerated online course (meets once a week for 9 weeks).
• 3.5 hours is the time allowed for both portions of the exam. And you’ll want to arrive at least a half hour early, so allot 4 hours for this
• 45 days or less is the time it may take the IDFPR to process your application and issue your professional license

Total time it typically takes to become a real estate salesperson in Illinois:

From a little over a month to 3.5 months.

As with educational pursuit that will lay the foundation for a successful career, there are fees associated with getting your broker license to conduct business as a real estate agent in Illinois. When it comes to getting a real estate license, here’s what you need to budget for:

• Prelicensing course = $200 to over $700
• Broker exam fee = $55
• License application fee = $125
• License renewal fee after two years = $150

Estimated total = Between $530 and $1,050

When the day comes for you to take your real estate licensing exam, you must provide 2 forms of proper identification, as well as biometric identification, which may include a test center-captured photograph or a fingerprint scan. The primary forms of photo ID must be current, permanent, government issued, and include your name, signature, and photograph.

Primary forms of photo ID accepted by the state of Illinois are:

• State-issued driver’s license with photograph
• Passport
• State identification card with photograph
• U.S. military identification card with photograph

The secondary form of ID must display your name and signature for signature verification. Additionally, you’ll be required to sign a roster for identity verification. Secondary forms of ID accepted by the state are:

• A credit card with signature
• A social security card with signature
• An employment/student ID card with signature

Here are a few of the items that you cannot bring into the exam room:

• Documents or notes of any kind
• Cameras, tape recorders, pager, cellular/smartphone, or other electronic communications device
• Personal items, valuables, or weapons
• Coats, hats, watches, wallet, keys

There will be soft lockers available for storing your wallet and/ or keys during the exam. The proctor will lock the soft lockers before you enter the exam room and you will not have access to the locked up items until after the exam is completed.

The following are also strictly prohibited during the exam:

• Having visitors, guests, or family members in the testing room or reception areas
• Participating in conversations with other candidates during the exam
• Giving or receiving help during the exam
• Attempting to record exam questions
• Possessing personal belongings, documents, notes, books, or other aids without it being noted on the roster
• Eating, drinking, or smoking

Any prohibited possessions or behavior may result in disciplinary measures, including being dismissed and forfeiting the exam.

A calculator is permitted during the exam, but only if it is silent and non-programmable, without alphabetic keypads or printing capabilities. Don’t worry, you will be given pencils during check-in and one piece of scratch paper to use during the exam.

You will have 3.5 hours to finish the comprehensive exam. Good luck!

To be eligible to apply for a broker license in Illinois, you must pass both the national and state portions of the exam. Specifically, your score will need to be at least 75% on both the state and national portions of the exam to pass and receive credit.

Immediately after completing the licensing exam, your exam results will be available, so you won’t have to lose sleep at night wondering how you did. Just report to the testing supervisor after the exam to receive your score report.

Should you fail only one part of the real estate broker exam, you’ll only need to retake that portion… but be prepared to pay the full exam fee for any retakes. You’ve got a total of 4 attempts to pass the exam, including the initial attempt.

Exam questions are randomized, so the broker exam will be different each time. Even so, you’ll need to schedule a license exam retake on a different day. It’s a good idea to give yourself a few days anyway, allowing you to brush up on topics that you were tripped up by the first time you took the exam.

Once you have passed the real estate licensing exam, you can apply for an Illinois broker license online by visiting the Online Services Portal. Once you’ve logged into your portal account, just complete your application online and submit it to IDFPR.

In the state of Illinois, a real estate broker license must be renewed every 2 years. Specifically, real estate brokers must renew their license in even-numbered years, so the next time broker license renewal applications will be due is April 30, 2024.

To start the renewal process with the IDFPR’s Division of Real Estate, you can sign into your IDFPR Online Services Portal account. You can also send paper renewals to:
320 W Washington St, 3rd Floor, Springfield IL 62786.

To find out when your license expires, visit IDFPR’s Online License Lookup. This is where you’ll find your original issue date, license effective date, expiration date, license status, sponsorship status, and other license information.

Approximately 90 days before the broker license renewal deadline, the Online License Renewal Portal will open. Around that time, renewal instructions will be emailed to you and will include the unique PIN number you’ll need to renew online. If for some reason you don’t receive a renewal notice, don’t worry! You can always access your renewal application on the Online License Renewal Portal by using your social security number and date of birth.

The broker license renewal fee is $150 if you renew by the deadline. If for some reason you can’t renew your license until after the deadline, you’ll owe a late payment penalty fee of $50.

If you forget to complete your renewal requirements or the renewal application, or fail to pay the fee to IDFPR, you will not be permitted to practice real estate after the renewal deadline. The IDFPR takes this pretty seriously, and may subject you to disciplinary action for “unlicensed activity” if you practice on an expired or inactive license. The bottom line is that you should make renewing your license on time a priority.

If you completed your renewal requirements, paid the fee, and submitted the renewal application by the deadline, but you notice that your license hasn’t been renewed yet, you are still permitted to practice as a real estate salesperson in Illinois. Just be sure to keep the following documents, as you may need them to prove your timely renewal:

• Records of your continuing education completion
• A copy of the renewal application
• Copies of your method of payment in case of an IDFPR audit (up to 5 years)

While it is not necessary for you to be sponsored at the point of renewal of your license in Illinois, licensees who renew without a sponsoring broker will have an “Inactive” status upon renewal. Until a sponsoring broker is added, you will not be allowed to practice licensed real estate activities.

Checklist for license renewal
Renewing your license in Illinois and avoiding a lapse in licensure is simple with this checklist.

• Have a sponsoring broker
• Successfully complete 45 hours of continuing education
• Submit a license renewal application by the renewal deadline
• Pay the $150 renewal fee

2 years is how long your Illinois real estate license is valid.

Renewal considerations for attorneys

If you are a licensed attorney in good standing in Illinois, you will need to renew your broker license. You can complete the online renewal process and pay the license renewal fees required by IDFPR through the Online License Renewal Portal. You will also be required to upload proof of your Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) registration document to your Online Services Portal account profile.

Attorneys admitted to practice law pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court rule are exempt from the continuing education requirement. You will, however, need to certify your full compliance with the CE requirements on your renewal application.

To renew a real estate license in Illinois, continuing education courses are required for broker license holders on a two-year renewal cycle set by the IDFPR. Before you renew your broker license for the first time, it’s required by the IDFPR that you successfully complete 45 hours of approved continuing education (CE). This must include the following broker post-license CE courses:

• One course in transactional issues (15 hours)
• One course in risk management/ discipline (15 hours)
• One course in applied broker principles (15 hours)

After completing each required CE course, you will have to take a 50-question final exam. According to state law, you must pass all 3 final exams with a score of 75% or higher in order to satisfy the requirement and receive credit for the courses.

As a renewal applicant, you must certify full compliance with the CE requirements on your renewal application. Should the department request proof, it is your responsibility to retain and provide evidence of compliance.

DID YOU KNOW?

After you complete the risk management/ discipline course, you will have satisfied the required 1-hour of sexual harassment prevention training.

Your CE and post-license education must be completed through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation-approved real estate education provider. When it comes to your Illinois real estate continuing education courses, there are an array of approved providers to choose from.

IDFPR-approved providers of continuing education courses can be found here:
Illinois Approved Pre and Post-License Courses and Schools

Real estate schools and real estate education course providers typically offer various renewal packages, with prices ranging from $150 for an individual course to over $300 for different
45-hour post-licensing bundles. Depending on the CE provider, there are several delivery methods available, from in-person learning classroom to online distance learning, webinars, and home studies.

Illinois has reciprocity agreements with nine other states, including:

• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Nebraska
• Wisconsin

According to ZipRecruiter, a real estate agent working in Illinois earns $76,653 per year on average, as of Sep 27, 2023. This is the equivalent of $36.85 per hour, $1,474 per week, or $6,387 per month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing broker salaries as low as $27,544, they can be as high as $141,653. And the majority of real estate brokers’ salaries is currently between $63,900 and $98,400, with top earners making $122,962 annually in Illinois. Of course, this salary average can vary based on your employment setting, level of education, years of experience, and the property market.

ZipRecruiter scanned a database of millions of active jobs published locally across the nation to determine that Illinois is ranked number 32 out of 50 states for real estate agent salaries. ZipRecruiter also reports that the top 5 area/cities where the typical salary for a real estate agent is above average in Illinois are:

• #5 Malta, $89,401 annual salary
• #4 Tower Lakes, $91,884 annual salary
• #3 Hinsdale, $94,883 annual salary
• #2 Rockford, $95,171 annual salary
• #1 Winnetka, $95,242 annual salary

Based on several recent surveys, the average real estate agent commission rate in Illinois is around 5.2%. This average reflects the total for both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent, and is typically split between the listing broker (2.5 to 3%) and buyer’s broker (2.5 to 3%).

$252,134 is the value of the average Illinois home, which is a 2.5% increase over the past year

7 days is the average time it takes for an Illinois home to become pending (yes, that fast)!