How to Get a Real Estate License in Delaware

In order to kickstart your career as a real estate agent in Delaware, it’s essential to obtain a Delaware Real Estate License. However, despite the fact that the application process is mainly completed online nowadays, many applicants can still find it quite confusing and complicated.

For this reason, this How to Get a Real Estate License in Delaware article will break down the main steps involved in the licensing process, covering everything from educational requirements to exam preparation and having your fingerprints taken.

Real Estate License Delaware

In order to get your Delaware real estate license and start working in this industry, there are several key steps you’ll need to complete, including:

1. Ensuring You Meet the Licensing Eligibility Requirements
2. Completing the Mandatory Pre-Licensing Education
3. Passing the Delaware Real Estate Exam
4. Finding a Sponsoring Broker
5. Submitting a License Application

In the sections below, we’ve explored each of these steps in more detail.

Step 1: Meet the Delaware Real Estate License Requirements

Before continuing ahead with your application for your Delaware real estate salesperson license, you’ll need to confirm you’re actually eligible for it by ensuring you meet the following prerequisites under Delaware Administrative Code Title 24 § 2907:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Have not received any administrative penalties for real estate services in any jurisdiction (this includes fines, formal reprimands, and suspensions or revocations of licenses); and
• Not have a criminal record or any pending criminal charges related to the practice of real estate

If you have any prior criminal offenses or unfavorable judgements against you, you’ll need to request the relevant authorities provide the Delaware Real Estate Commission with more information on this.

The Commission will then make a decision on whether or not you represent an “unreasonable risk to public safety.”

Step 2: Complete the Mandatory Pre-Licensing Education

In addition to the general requirements outlined above, there are certain educational prerequisites you’ll be expected to meet in order to be able to apply for a Delaware real estate license.

Under Delaware Administrative Code Title 24 § 2925.5, this will involve completing a minimum of 99 hours of real estate pre-licensing courses that include:

• Real Estate Orientation (3 hours)
• Real Estate Sales (36 hours)
• Real Estate Law (33 hours)
• Real Estate Mathematics (24 hours)
• Review for Sales, Law, Mathematics (3 hours)

After completing these required hours of real estate pre-licensing education, you’ll have to sit and pass an end-of-course exam prepared by your course coordinator with a score of 70% or greater.

You’ll receive a Commission-approved Certificate of Completion after doing all of this, which you must hold onto because you’ll need it for the next step of the licensing process. Importantly, you’ll also need to complete the license application process within 12 months of finishing this pre-licensing course.

Step 3: Pass the Delaware Real Estate Exam

With this out of the way, the next step you’ll need to complete is to pass the Delaware real estate exam. This four-hour exam, which is administered by Pearson VUE, includes 120 questions divided into two main sections: general and state.

The general section features 80 questions while the state section contains only 40 questions. Additionally, you’ll find 15 unidentified “pretest questions” spread across the test that won’t count toward your overall score.

In order to schedule your real estate exam, you’ll need to head over to the Pearson VUE website and make an online reservation. If this is your first time using the platform, you’ll be required to create an account, after which you’ll be shown step-by-step instructions on how to complete the reservation.

Making an exam reservation costs $85 and will require you to have some specific information, including:

• Your current address, contact number, Social Security Number, and date of birth;
• The exact name of the exam you want to take;
• Your preferred date and testing center for taking this exam; and
• Your Certificate of Completion of the required pre-licensing education

You’ll need to obtain a scaled score of at least 70 on both the general and Delaware law portions of the exam in order to pass. If you don’t manage to achieve these scores, you’ll have a year to obtain a passing grade on the exam portions you initially failed.

If you can’t pass either section of the exam after three attempts during an application period (one year), you’ll have to retake a pre-licensing education course.

Note: You can find out more information about this exam in the Pearson VUE Delaware Real Estate Candidate Handbook.

Step 4: Find a Sponsoring Broker

The final step you’ll need to take before you can submit an application for your real estate license is to find a sponsoring broker. This is a licensed real estate professional who supervises and mentors you, ensuring you comply with essential legal and ethical standards.

While it’s a legal requirement for new real estate licensees to work under a sponsoring broker in Delaware, it’s important you don’t treat this as just a rule you need to follow. This is because these real estate brokers provide essential training, support, and access to valuable networks that will help you to learn the industry, avoid pitfalls, and grow your business effectively.

As such, it’s important to take your time and find the right sponsoring broker for you by weighing up factors like:

• Their commission split
• Your compensation package (e.g., stock options or rewards programs)
• Their Commission cap (i.e., the maximum amount of commission they’ll take from you within a certain time period)
• Their marketing support and training programs
• The fees they charge (e.g., desk fees, loyalty fees, and franchise fees)

Note: After you find a sponsoring broker you like, you’ll need to request written proof that they’re willing to sponsor you.

Step 5: Submit a License Application

After passing your real estate exam and finding a sponsoring broker, you’ll be ready to move onto submitting your license application and accompanying documents. This is typically done online through the Delaware Department of State’s DELPROS system by paying a $140 application fee.

You’ll also have to submit the following documents through the DELPROS system alongside your application:

• A copy of your original pre-licensing education Certificate of Completion from your course provider or real estate school;
• Your licensure history as a real estate salesperson dated within the last 30 days (if applying for reciprocity);
• A copy of a legal document, showing your name change (e.g., marriage license, divorce decree, etc.) if your name appears differently on any documents to your application; and
• Written acceptance from your sponsoring broker

Note: Once you start the process of submitting your application through the DELPROS system, you’ll only have six months to finish it. If you wait any longer than this, you’ll need to restart the process all over again.

Step 6: Application Review

If you’ve managed to get this far, congratulations! With your application submitted and all the other licensing requirements satisfied, in most cases you should shortly receive an email from the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation (DPR) regarding the status of your license.

Importantly, this email won’t contain your actual license; it’ll simply let you know that your real estate license has been approved. You will then be able to print your license directly from the DELPROS online services portal.

Delaware Real Estate License Renewal

In order to keep your license valid and continue working as a real estate sales agent, you’ll need to renew your license every two years by April 30 of each even-numbered year and pay a renewal fee.

Alongside paying this renewal fee (the DPR will share the amount at the time of renewal), you’ll also need to complete at least 21 hours of acceptable continuing education (CE) modules that include:

• Agency and Fair Housing (3 hours)
• Professional Standards (3 hours)
• Real Estate Documents (3 hours)
• Office Management (3 hours)
• Legislative Issues (3 hours)
• Practices of Real Estate (3 hours)
• Elective Courses (3 hours)

According to Delaware Administrative Code, Title 24, § 14.13, all new salesperson licensees also must complete an additional 12 hours of training within 90 days of their license issue date.

These additional hours must be broken down as follows:

• Professional Standards for New Licensees (3 hours)
• Agreement of Sale and Buyer Representation for New Licensees (3 hours)
• Real Estate Documents and Seller Representation for New Licensees (3 hours)
• Real Estate Professionalism for New Licensees (3 hours)

We always encourage our readers to think of the post licensing course they take as an investment in their future real estate career — higher quality, more reliable course content is a central part of ensuring you continue to grow professionally.

Note: If you fail to renew your license by the above deadline, you’ll have an additional 30 days to submit a late renewal before your license will expire. This must be accompanied by a penalty fee equivalent to 50% of the renewal fee.

Delaware Division of Professional Regulation

Mailing Address: 

Real Estate Commission
861 Silver Lake Boulevard, Suite 203
Dover, DE 19904-2467

Phone: (302) 744-4500

Email: customerservice.dpr@delaware.gov

Website: https://dpr.delaware.gov/boards/realestate/