Wondering how to get a Utah real estate license? You’re in the right place. Let us help you launch an exciting new career with flexible hours and unlimited earning potential. Follow these five easy steps and you’ll be selling properties from Salt Lake City to St. George in no time.
We’ll walk you through the process and answer some frequently asked questions about the time commitment and costs involved, license exam, and average income of a real estate agent in Utah.
How to Get a Utah Real Estate License
To be eligible for a Utah real estate license, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a Social Security number
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity, truthfulness, competency, and a good reputation
Want to know more about how to become a real estate agent in Utah? Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
1. Complete a 120-hour Prelicensing Course
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Cost: $399-$955 -
Time commitment: 1-2 months -
Helpful resource: 5 Best Utah Real Estate Schools for 2023
Utah requires all real estate schools cover a specific curriculum. That’s because practicing agents need to understand all of the legal and financial ramifications of the real estate sales process. Here’s a breakdown of the topics you’ll learn about in your 120 required hours of real estate education:
- Property ownership
- Real estate brokerage and the law of agency
- Contracts
- Property management
- Settlement
- Federal taxation
- Real estate finance
- Valuation and appraisal
- New construction
- Math skills
- Federal law
- Utah law
If you’re looking for an online real estate school in Utah, we recommend The CE Shop. Their self-paced course is interactive, which means that the material won’t be presented in text-only slides. Most of their packages include exam prep and a money-back guarantee.
You can save 35% on your online Utah real estate classes with The CE Shop when you use the promo code “TheClose35” at checkout.
5 Best Utah Real Estate Schools for 2023
2. Pass the Utah Real Estate License Exam
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Cost: $59 -
Time commitment: 4 hours (arrive 30 minutes before the start time) -
Helpful resource: Pearson VUE candidate handbook
Cost:
$59
Time to Complete:
4 hours
Format:
Computer-based, 140 multiple-choice questions
Bring to the Testing Center:
Two valid forms of ID
Passing Grade:
70%
Once you’ve completed the 120 hours of coursework, you’ll be qualified to schedule the Utah real estate sales agent exam, which is administered through Pearson VUE. The Utah real estate exam consists of 140 multiple-choice questions: 70 about national real estate issues and the other 70 tackle material specific to the state.
When making your reservation with Pearson, you need to provide detailed information, including your Social Security number. You also need to pay a $59 fee when scheduling your Utah real estate exam. The testing centers do not accept payments.
You may choose from the Utah Pearson testing centers located in the following cities:
- Bountiful
- Cedar City
- Draper
- Logan
- Moab
- Ogden
- Orem
- Richfield
- Roosevelt
- St. George
Score reports are available to all students as soon as they complete the Utah real estate license exam. If you pass, you’ll receive several documents from Pearson. Make sure you keep track of this paperwork, because you’ll need to submit the original documents to the state of Utah to receive your license.
Those who don’t pass will receive a score report with diagnostic information to guide their study time for the retake. Test-takers who pass one section of the exam and fail the other only need to retake the failed portion of the exam.
3. Get Fingerprinted
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Cost: $12+ -
Time commitment: 1 hour -
Helpful resource: Pearson VUE candidate handbook
After you pass both sections of the real estate exam, you must submit your fingerprints for a background check. You can choose to get your fingerprints taken at a select few Pearson VUE testing sites for $12 or use a private fingerprinting service. The state will collect a separate $40 fingerprinting fee when you submit your license application. Digital fingerprinting services are only available at the Bountiful, Draper, Ogden, and Orem test centers.
4. Apply for Your Utah Real Estate License
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Cost: $157 -
Time commitment: 2 hours -
Helpful resource: Utah Division of Real Estate website
Within 90 days of passing the exam, you need to complete the Utah real estate license application. The first part of the process is creating a MyLicense online account. You must submit five separate documents to the Utah Division of Real Estate as part of your application process. These include:
- Utah Real Estate License Application form: You must submit this original, completed, signed, and dated document to the state as a PDF. You’ll receive the salesperson application from Pearson VUE after passing the test.
- Qualifying questionnaire: You’ll be required to complete and submit a list of 15 qualifying questions that you’ll answer at your Pearson VUE testing center. Again, you must submit the original, signed, and dated document as a PDF to the state. Besides attesting that you are at least 18 years old and a high school graduate (or GED recipient), you’ll also answer questions about any criminal history you may have. The state may require you to provide additional documentation regarding any legal proceedings against you.
- Consent to a background check: You should receive this four-page document at the Pearson testing center. Submit this original, signed, and dated document to the state as a PDF.
- Certification of Legal Presence: Again, the Pearson VUE testing center should issue this document directly to you. Submit this document as a PDF. Make sure it is original, completed, signed, and dated.
- Candidate Education Certifying Document: This is the paperwork you brought to the Pearson testing center. It was issued by your real estate school and states that you’ve completed 120 hours of prelicensing education. Again, you must submit this as a PDF. This document is only valid for one year after completing the coursework. It must be submitted to the state within 90 days of completing the exam.
You also need to pay a total of $157 ($100 application fee, $12 recovery fund fee, $40 fingerprint processing fee, and $5 FBI Rap Back enrollment fee). Incomplete applications will be returned, so make sure you tick all the boxes.
5. Join a Utah Real Estate Brokerage
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Cost: None -
Time commitment: 2-4 weeks -
Helpful resource: What’s the Best Real Estate Company to Work For?
Even after completing all the necessary steps to earn your real estate license in Utah, you can’t work independently as a real estate salesperson. All agents must work under a broker who supervises and guides them in handling client transactions. You’ll share a certain percentage of your commissions with the broker who oversees your work.
What’s the Best Real Estate Company to Work For?
How Much Does It Cost to Become a Real Estate Agent in Utah
Utah Real Estate Governing Body:
Utah Department of Commerce; Division of Real Estate
Prelicensing Requirements:
120 hours
Price Range for Real Estate Licensing Course:
$399-$955
Estimated Total Costs:
$900–$1,200
It costs approximately $900 to $1,200 to obtain your Utah real estate license. Everyone must pay the exam and license application fee, but the costs for the prelicensing course and optional exam prep materials may vary depending on the education provider you choose. If you decide to go with a premium-level education option, you could spend almost $2,000. Learn more about the differences in real estate educational offerings in Utah here.
Sample Utah Real Estate License Costs
| Prelicensing classes (120 hours) | $399-$955 |
| Exam registration | $59 |
| Fingerprinting | $12 |
| License application | $157 |
| Total Cost | $627-$1,183 |
(Utah real estate license costs as of August 2023)
What Is the Average Realtor Salary in Utah?
According to The Close’s salary information database, a real estate agent in Utah makes an average of $70,073.
Whether you decide to commit yourself full time or part time to your new career, here are some important things to know about your compensation structure as you begin your search for a brokerage partner.
- Split: This is how the company you work under will divide commissions between you and your broker. For example, a 50-50 split means that the brokerage and salesperson share the commission on property sales evenly. Some may offer you a larger share.
- Desk fee: Some brokerages may charge a flat monthly fee. In this case, you might keep a larger share of your commissions, but you’ll pay the desk fee whether you’ve closed a sale or not.
- Cap: Some brokerages will include a cap, which means they won’t continue collecting splits once you’ve paid in a certain amount each year.
Can You Be a Part-time Real Estate Agent? (+ Free Guide & Videos)
Utah Real Estate License FAQs
Can I complete my education requirements online?
Yes, you can complete your education requirements online as long as it’s with a real estate education provider certified in Utah.
How long does it take to get a Utah real estate license?
We hate to say it depends, but it depends. It really comes down to how quickly you can knock out those 120 hours of prelicensing education. If you’re taking classes and studying full time, you could probably do it in a couple of weeks. And then it takes a few more weeks to get your background check, line up an employing broker, and submit your application. All in all, at the absolute fastest, it should take about two to three months.
What if I fail the real estate exam?
You can always retake the real estate exam, and many people do. The first-time pass rates for real estate exams are generally around the 60% mark, which means there are plenty of people who need to take it again.
Those who don’t pass will receive a score report with diagnostic information to guide their study time for the retake. Test takers who pass one section of the exam and fail the other only need to retake the failed portion of the exam. You’ll need to wait 24 hours after failing an exam before scheduling a retake.
What if I have a license in another state?
Sometimes states have an agreement that allows the holder of a real estate license in one state to become an agent in another state without having to take the same classes or exams. This is called license reciprocity.
Utah currently has reciprocity agreements with Georgia, Mississippi, and Alberta, Canada. The state’s real estate reciprocity application form can be found here.
On the other hand, if you have your real estate license in Utah, you can work as an agent in one of these states without going through the entire licensing process:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- Washington
Are there post-licensing requirements in Utah?
Yes. Utah requires all agents renewing their license for the first time to take a 12-hour New Agents course in addition to the continuing education credits required of seasoned professionals.
How can I upgrade my Utah real estate license?
Real estate agents can apply for a broker’s license after meeting these requirements, according to the Utah Division of Real Estate:
1. Log three continuous years of full-time, licensed, active real estate experience; or two years full-time, licensed, active, real estate experience and one year of full-time professional real estate experience within the past five years.
2. Within a five-year period, accumulate a total of at least 60 documented experience points. These are awarded based on transactions and work in related sectors, such as real estate law, lending, property management, and appraisal.
3. Complete and pass an additional 120 hours of approved education:
- Part 1: Utah law: 30 hours, including three hours testing
- Part 2: Broker principles (fundamentals): 45 hours, including four hours of testing
- Part 3: Broker practices (broker level): 45 hours, including four hours of testing
4. Take and pass the broker exam.
Bringing It All Together
We hope our step-by-step guide to getting your Utah real estate license has you excited to start your new real estate journey. At The Close, we’re committed to providing actionable strategies for every stage of your career.
Have you gotten your real estate license in Utah? Any tips? Thinking of getting one but still have questions? Leave us a comment below!
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