HOW TO GET A REAL ESTATE LICENSE IN Missouri
Step by Step Guide How To Become a Missouri Real Estate Agent in 2022
By: RealEstateUUpdated: 9 November 2022
In a nutshell, here is how to get your real estate license in Missouri.
Pre-requisites
- You must be at least 18 years of age.
Step 1:
Complete the Missouri Real Estate License Course which consist of a 48-hour and 24-hour course (72 hours in total). These courses must be approved by the Missouri Real Estate Commission.
Step 2:
Schedule and pass the Missouri Real Estate State Exam.
Step 3:
Register with the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site(MACHS). Submit your fingerprints and clear your background check verification.
Step 4:
Apply for your Missouri Real Estate License.
Now, let’s get into the details of each step.
CHAPTER INTRO:
How To Get A Real Estate License in Missouri: Introduction
Welcome to this comprehensive guide on how to get your real estate license in the state of Missouri!
Are you looking to build a career in the real estate industry? Are you specifically looking to work in real estate in Missouri? This guide will help you find answers to the following questions:
- Who would need a real estate license in Missouri?
- What are the prerequisites you must meet before you can apply for a real estate license in California?
- What are the education requirements you need to complete?
- What would be the costs for getting a license?
- How much time would you need to get your Missouri real estate license?
- and more…
If you’re looking to save time and money while studying to become a real estate agent in Missouri, then you will love this updated guide!
CHAPTER 1:
How To Get A Real Estate License in Missouri: The Basics
In this chapter, you will learn about the basics of real estate licensing in Missouri.
First, you will learn why you need a real estate salesperson license in Missouri. You will also understand why it is useful to have one!
Next, you will learn how you can have a successful career in real estate in Missouri.
Who Needs a Real Estate License in Missouri?
If you wish to conduct any real estate transactions in the state of Missouri for the purpose of compensation, you are required to have a valid real estate license.
The state of Missouri offers two types of licenses that allow you to buy, rent, or sell properties on behalf of your customers:
- The real estate salesperson license, and
- The broker license
All individuals looking to earn a living in real estate sales in the state of Missouri must start as a real estate salesperson.
Note:
All salespersons must work for a licensed broker or brokerage firm, also called a ‘sponsoring broker’.
A sponsoring broker is someone experienced in the real estate market, who can guide you through the initial stages of your real estate career.
The salesperson license and the broker license differ in terms of minimum criteria that you must fulfill. They also differ in the pre-licensing training that you would need to complete.
For the purpose of this guide, we will focus on how you can receive your Missouri real estate salesperson license.
How Much Can a Real Estate Agent Earn?
As a licensed real estate agent in Missouri, you could earn an average of $105,554 per year, including commissions. For updated information on earnings, you could refer to Indeed.com.
How do I do that?
- Using your web browser, access the Indeed.com website.
- In the What box, type “Real Estate Agent”.
- In the Where box type, “Missouri”.
The site will also tell you how much real estate salespersons earn in different cities in Missouri. Here is a list of how much a licensed real estate agent can earn in: St.Louis, Kansas City, Clayton, Chesterfield, Maryland Heights, O’Fallon, Jefferson City, Springfield, and Lee’s Summit.
As a Missouri real estate licensee, you would earn most of your income from commissions on leases or sales.
The average real estate commission in Missouri is 5.72%, which is higher than the national average of 5.37%.
So, if you’re ready to get started as a real estate agent in Missouri, let’s dive into understanding how you can get your license!
CHAPTER 2:
How To Get A Real Estate License in Missouri: Becoming Licensed
To become a licensed real estate salesperson in Missouri, you will need to follow four steps.
In this chapter, you will learn exactly what these four steps are.
Let’s dive right in!
Step #1:
Complete the Pre-licensing Education Requirements
Before you apply for a real estate license in Missouri, you first need to complete the compulsory pre-licensing education.
These courses include (72-hour education requirement):
- A 48-hour Salesperson pre-licensing Course from an accredited real estate school in Missouri, and
- A 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice Course (MREP)
The 24-hour MREP course can be taken before or after you take the State exam, which is pretty cool.
You must complete it before applying for your real estate license though.
Note:
You must complete and submit an application for your Missouri real estate license within six months from the date you completed the 48-hour salesperson pre-licensing course.
You can take both the 48 and 24 hour courses online or in-person.
Many students prefer to take the courses online. Online courses allow you to study at your own pace and they are also more cost effective than traditional classroom courses.
Only schools that are certified by the Missouri Real Estate Commission can offer this course. You can find a list of such schools by visiting the Missouri Division of Professional Registration website.
You can choose the method of education that you prefer:
- online
- classroom
- correspondence, or
- home-study
To help you decide, we will cover the costs of online and classroom educational sessions in Chapter 3 of this guide.
Depending on the option you select, you will find a list of state approved education providers you can choose from, as shown below. If you scroll down the list, you will see that RealEstateU is an approved real estate school.
Each course includes a closed-book final exam. The course's final exams consist of 50 multiple-choice questions with a passing grade of 75%.
You will receive your Certificate of Completion for the course as soon as you pass the final exam!
IMPORTANT:
The Course Exams are separate from the Missouri real estate State Examination.
Please don’t confuse the two!
Once you have completed the 72-hour educational requirement, you will need to take the Missouri Real Estate License Examination (state exam).
We will cover this next.
Step #2:
Schedule and Pass the Missouri Real Estate State Exam
The Missouri Real Estate License Examination has to be scheduled and attempted through a professional testing center called PSI Services.
PSI Services offer a lot of different examination programs.
You can register for the license examination in two ways:
- Schedule online, or
- Schedule via telephone
How to Schedule the Missouri Real Estate State Exam Online?
Once you have completed the 72-hour educational requirement, go to www.goAMP.com and click Begin Scheduling under the Test Takers option.
You will now see the Welcome to PSI Candidate Services page. On this page, you need to make the following selections in the three category lists as shown below:
1. Select the category: Real Estate
2. Select Missouri Real Estate Examination Program, and
3. Select Salesperson Examination in the last dropdown
On the next page, read the instructions carefully and then click the Register for this exam tab.
On the next page, you will need to create your PSI user account.
Click on New User to start creating your account.
You will be asked to provide personal information, including your Social Security Number.
You can now follow the site instructions to pay the examination fee of $62 and schedule your Missouri real estate state exam.
Note:
Remember to save your password in case you need to retake the test and have to revisit the site!
How to Schedule The Missouri Real Estate State Exam Via Telephone?
You can call PSI at 888-818-5829 to schedule an examination appointment.
This toll-free number is answered from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Note:
This option is available only for individuals paying the examination fee by credit card. Ensure you keep your credit card handy to make the online payment of examination fees.
When you call to schedule an appointment, be prepared to confirm a date and location for testing and to provide the following information to PSI.
- Social Security Number
- Full Given Name
- Mailing Address
- Home Telephone Number/Business Telephone Number
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- School Name
- Examination you wish to attempt (from options listed below)
- BOTH National and State Salesperson
- State Salesperson ONLY
- National Salesperson ONLY
Pro Tip
There will be no changes to examination type.
You will only be informed of the time to report to the center.
So remember to make a note of it since you will not receive an admission ticket.
What to expect on the Missouri Real Estate State Exam?
The Missouri real estate State Exam has a National and a State portion.
To be eligible to apply for a Salesperson license in Missouri, you must pass both portions of the State Exam.
- The National portion has 100 multiple-choice questions. To pass, you must answer at least 70 of the 100 questions correctly.
- The State portion has 40 scored questions. To pass, you must answer 30 of the 40 questions correctly.
The questions from both portions will be randomized and presented as a single section.
In your first attempt, you will need to take both the components together.
Remember to prepare well and get to the exam center in time.
You can read more details about the real estate licensing examinations and the testing process on the Missouri Department of Professional Registration website. Click the PSI Candidate Handbook link.
Step #3:
Submit Fingerprints and Clear the Background Check Verification
Once you’ve passed the State Exam, you will need to apply for your Salesperson license (covered in Step 4 below).
Before that, however, you must submit to a background check. This involves two actions:
- Get fingerprinted
- Clear the federal criminal history background check
Getting Fingerprinted
You must contact the approved statewide vendor for fingerprinting, which is IDEMIA (IDENTOGO). This must be done before you apply for your license.
To be fingerprinted through IDEMIA (IDENTOGO), you must first register with the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS).
You will need to provide the MREC’s four-digit registration number—0004—when registering to be fingerprinted.
This will authorize the Missouri State Highway Patrol(MSHP) and the FBI to send the results to the Missouri Real Estate Commission.
Next, you will have to fill in your personal and contact information.
Upon registration, you will be directed to a list of fingerprinting locations available throughout the state so you can choose one that is convenient for you.
Remember to carry a Photo ID with you to the fingerprint site.
Acceptable forms of ID are:
- valid driver’s license,
- military ID or
- passport.
While each location is on a first come, first served basis appointments should be scheduled and will take precedence over walk-ins.
The actual fingerprinting process takes approximately 10 minutes.
You will have to pay $41.75.
If you are unable to access the Internet, don’t worry. You can contact IDEMIA (IDENTOGO) directly at 1-844-543-9712 to have a Fingerprint Services Representative conduct this registration on your behalf!
Note
Save your receipt! This receipt contains vital tracking information. A copy of this receipt will need to be submitted with your application for licensure.
All prior convictions and pleadings will be checked against the application. If the Commission finds that an applicant has failed to disclose convictions or pleas, it will review the matter and decide whether to deny the license or take some other disciplinary action.
This would depend on the nature of the conviction or pleading and also the failure to disclose it. So, disclose everything! no matter how small you may consider a conviction or felony to be.
The background search result can take anywhere from 3-to-5 days to be received by the Missouri Real Estate Commission from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Step #4:
Apply for Your Missouri Real Estate License
Once you have completed all the formalities including the fingerprinting and background check verification, you can apply for your real estate license with Missouri Division of Professional Registration.
Let’s look at the steps to do that.
A. Log on to the Missouri Division of Professional Registration:
B. Click on Application Forms under the Licensure tab, on the left side of the page.
C. Then, click on Request for Certification of Licensure, on the right.
D. You will now see the application page. You must print out the application, complete it, and then mail or hand deliver it at the address given below.
The application for the real estate license should be sent to the Missouri Real Estate Commission the following address:
The Missouri Real Estate Commission
PO Box 1339
Jefferson City, MO 65102
IMPORTANT!
You must NOT engage in any real estate salesperson activities even if you have just passed your license examination. You must wait until the date your license is issued by the Commission. The issuance date will be displayed on your license certificate.
Once you receive your Missouri real estate license, you should be good to start a career as a real estate agent in Missouri!
Continuing Education
(How to maintain your Missouri Real Estate License Active)
Once you have an active license, you must complete a minimum of 12 hours of real estate instruction during the two-year license period. This is required to keep your Missouri real estate license active.
At least three of the 12 hours of approved instruction must be taken, in a course approved by the Missouri Real Estate Commission, as core credit.
The remaining nine hours of instruction must consist of courses that have been approved for either core or elective continuing education credit by the Missouri Real Estate Commission.
Note:
According to regulations, you must complete your continuing education by midnight of September 30th of each even-numbered year.
This feels like a Halloween trick :)
Any Missouri real estate licensee who does not renew their license in the subsequent period will no longer be allowed to practice real estate in Missouri, as the license becomes null and void.
Missouri Real Estate License Reciprocity:
(How to Apply for a real estate license in Missouri if you are licensed in another state)
If you are a licensed agent seeking reciprocity for a license in Missouri, you must complete either option below:
- If you are a licensed attorney:
- Pass both state and national portions of the Missouri licensing exam (education is waived).
- Submit a completed application with a copy of current Bar card within 6 months of completion of the exam.
- If you are a current and active real estate licensee in another jurisdiction:
- Pass the State portion of the Missouri licensing exam.
- Complete the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice Course (MREP). MREP may be completed before or after the exam date.
- Submit a complete application. That should include a current license history certification (for the past 3 months) from the jurisdiction where you are already licensed. Submit your application within 6 months of your state exam completion date.
CHAPTER 3:
How To Get A Real Estate License in Missouri: The Costs
Getting your Missouri real estate license will cost money. This Chapter will help you understand how much you would be looking to spend.
There are fixed and variable costs.
Fixed costs are what you will spend for the application fee, the examination fee, and the fee for background checks.
Variable costs are what you will spend for the education courses you need to take. Online courses are cheaper than in-person classroom courses. Also, the fees you pay will depend on the school you choose.
Ready to learn the details?
What are the Missouri Real Estate Licensing Variable Costs?
The variable costs are costs you will pay for the MIssouri real estate pre-licensing education courses. These costs will vary depending on:
- whether you choose online courses or classroom programs and
- the education provider you select
Online Missouri Real Estate Licensing Courses
Online courses for Missouri Pre-licensing Real Estate License cost between $149 and $209. This cost will vary depending on the education provider that you choose.
The advantage of choosing an online course over a physical classroom course is savings in terms of money and time.
We have provided details about the Missouri Real Estate License Online Course from RealEstateUⓇ.
We have also included courses from other schools below. All schools follow the same curriculum provided by the state. So most courses will be similar.
NOTE:
Please do your own research as the prices may change after the publication of this page.
RealEstateU® offers the full 72-hour Missouri Real Estate Licensing Course Online for $149. We believe this is the most affordable real estate licensing course in Missouri.
CE Shop offers the Missouri “72-Hour Real Estate Pre-License Course” for prices ranging from $181 to $317.
Real Estate Express offers the Missouri Pre-licensing Online courses starting at $161 going up to $323 with additional benefits. The cost for the livestream training packages is $323. Livestream courses include an instructor who conducts the session live via an online platform.
These courses cost more than online courses that are entirely on-demand (i.e. do not have a live instructor).
Missouri Real Estate Physical Classroom Licensing Courses
Apart from the online courses, there are in-person classes available as well.
Let’s look at some options.
Cvent offers in-person classes for the Missouri Salesperson Pre-Licensing Course for $475.
Professional School of Real Estate offers the Missouri real estate Pre-licensing classroom sessions for $500.
The cost difference between an online and in-person class does differ largely. As you can see, online courses are significantly cheaper than classroom training programs.
Next, let’s look at the fixed costs for a real estate Salesperson license from Missouri.
What are the Missouri Real Estate Licensing Fixed Costs?
Here are the Missouri Real Estate Commission Fees:
| No | Description | Cost |
| 1 | Application Fee for Missouri Real Estate License | $ 90.00 |
| 2 | Examination Fee | $ 62.00 |
| 3 | Fingerprinting and Background check fees for Missouri | $ 41.75 |
| Total | $ 193.75 |
Now that we have both the variable and the fixed costs, we can calculate the total applicable costs for acquiring a Missouri Real Estate Salesperson License.
| Description | Cost |
| REU’s Missouri Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Course | $ 149.00 |
| Original Examination Fee | $ 62.00 |
| License Fee | $ 90.00 |
| Fingerprinting Fee | $ 41.75 |
| TOTAL FEES | $ 342.75 |
Now that we know the cost to obtain a Missouri real estate license, let’s look at the time required to get one.
CHAPTER 4:
How To Get A Real Estate License in Missouri: Time Needed
The last few pieces of information you’re probably wondering about are:
- How much time would I need to study for the Missouri license?
- How long would the MO real estate application process take?
- When can I expect to receive the Missouri State Exam results?
That’s what this Chapter will focus on.
Let’s jump right in!
Estimated Time to Complete the Missouri Real Estate Licensing Courses
Typically we see students complete the entire process in as little as 2-3 months.
The amount of time it takes to obtain your real estate license will depend on several factors:
- How much time in a day you can dedicate to studying for the 72-hour pre-licensing course.
- Whether or not you have prior felonies, which could impact the time needed for your background check to be verified.
Here is a breakdown of the time it will take to obtain your Missouri State real estate Salesperson license:
1. Complete the 72-hour Missouri salespersons course:
If you take the Missouri 72-hour pre-licensing course online you will have full control on the number of hours you will dedicate to studying each day.
For example, if you study for 3 hours each day, you would need 25 days to complete the entire course.
The more hours you study in a day, the faster you can complete it.
2. Pass the MO state exam
Scheduling your date for the state exam and sitting for your MO state exam can be done within 5 days.
You will have 4 hours to complete the state exam. You should plan on arriving at the test center at least 30 minutes early.
You will get the results immediately after completion of your exam.
3. Submit fingerprints and background checks
Once you pass your state exam, you can get fingerprinted and clear your background check. It will take 3 to 5 days for the Missouri Real Estate Commission to receive the results from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The overall duration for being issued a license may increase if any of the following happen:
- you file an incomplete application, or
- you do not not pass the state examination on the first attempt, or
- the Commission finds issues during your background check
If you pass the state examination on the first attempt, and if you have no criminal history, then you could be issued your license in as little as 10 days.