How to Get a Broker License in South Carolina

Written by: Mary Gerardine

Last updated:

Obtaining a South Carolina Real Estate Broker License is crucial if you’re looking to advance your real estate career. Despite the streamlined online application process, many aspiring real estate brokers find the requirements and procedures complex and challenging.

This How to Get a Broker License in South Carolina article will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you have a clear understanding of what it takes to achieve this license and elevate your real estate career as quickly as possible.

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South Carolina Real Estate Broker License

In order to get your South Carolina real estate broker license and take your career to the next level, there are several key steps you’ll need to complete, including:

  1. Ensuring You Meet the Eligibility and Experience Requirements
  2. Completing the Mandatory Pre-Licensing Education
  3. Submitting a License Application
  4. Passing a Background Check
  5. Passing the South Carolina Broker Licensing Exam

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

Note: If you’re just starting out, you’ll need to check out our South Carolina Real Estate License guide instead.

Step 1: Meet the South Carolina Eligibility and Experience Requirements

Before proceeding with the application process for your South Carolina real estate broker license, you’ll need to first make sure that you meet the general prerequisites outlined under the South Carolina Code of Laws § 40-57-310:

  • You must be 21 years of age or older
  • You must have either graduated from high school or possess a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) recognized by the United States Department of Education
  • You must have at least five years of active licensure as an associate broker in South Carolina within the past seven years

It should be noted that South Carolina has real estate reciprocity agreements in place with Georgia and North Carolina. This allows qualifying applicants from each state to be subject to a less stringent application process in order to obtain the equivalent real estate license in the other.

If you currently hold a real estate license in either of these states and wish to expand your practice to South Carolina, you should contact the South Carolina Real Estate Commission directly at contact.REC@llr.sc.gov.

Note: Keep in mind that in order to validate your educational background, you will need to contact your college or university to request that they send an official copy of your transcript directly to the South Carolina Real Estate Commission.

Step 2: Complete the Mandatory Pre-Licensing Education

Beyond the general requirements mentioned earlier, you must also fulfill specific educational prerequisites to be able to apply for a South Carolina real estate broker license.

In particular, this will involve completing a total of two Commission-approved courses, each spanning 30 hours: Unit III A Broker Management and Unit III B Brokerage Principles.

Once you have successfully completed these courses, you will receive a certificate of completion for each.

These certificates will remain valid for five years, meaning that you will need to successfully obtain your license within that period, or you will be required to retake the courses.

Important

Even though completing a course is mandatory, it would be a mistake to think of it as just “checking a box”. This is because your pre-licensing education is what will prepare you to both pass your exam and become a licensed broker.

For this reason, we always encourage our readers to invest in high-quality and reliable courses, as their study materials (like real estate practice tests and flashcards) can be invaluable during the exam prep stage.

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Note: Keep in mind that applicants with a law degree or a bachelor’s degree (or higher) with a major in real estate are automatically exempt from the pre-licensing educational requirements.

Step 3: Submit a License Application

After completing your pre-licensing education and ensuring that you satisfy all other licensing requirements, you’ll be ready to move on to submitting your license application.

This can be done in one of two ways:

  • Online Application: You can apply for your license online by downloading all the required forms from the South Carolina Real Estate Commission website, completing them, and then submitting your real estate broker application through the eService portal ($25 fee)
  • Paper Application: Alternatively, you can download the Broker Paper Application form and mail the completed document with the same $25 fee to the SREC at the following address:

South Carolina Real Estate Commission
PO Box 11847
Columbia, SC 29211-1847

After submitting your application, the Commission will begin its review process. If approved, you should shortly receive communication that you’ve been authorized to take the state licensing exam.

Step 4: Pass the Background Check

As part of the licensing process, you will be required to complete two separate background checks — a fingerprint-based check and a social security number check.

The purpose of these checks is to verify your identity, confirm your legal authorization to work in the US, and ensure that you have no criminal history that would disqualify you from obtaining a real estate license.

You will receive detailed instructions from the South Carolina Real Estate Commission on how to proceed with the required background checks after they’ve received and processed your application.

It’s important to wait for these instructions before initiating the checks in order to ensure the process is completed correctly and without any delays.

Note: We recommend completing these checks prior to scheduling your state licensing examination, as the Commission will take a minimum of three weeks to process your background check results.

Step 5: Pass the Broker Licensing Exam

In South Carolina, this exam lasts three hours and 20 minutes and comprises 125 questions divided across two sections: a National portion and a State-Specific portion.

In order to schedule your real estate broker exam, you’ll need to make an online reservation using the PSI website. Note that you’ll need to create an account for this service if this is your first time using it, after which you’ll be shown step-by-step instructions on how to complete your reservation.

Keep in mind that you will need to pay either a $63 fee at the time of reservation if you are taking both portions of the exam together, or $55 if you are taking only one portion.

This fee cannot be paid at the exam center and must be settled in advance to secure your exam slot.

In order to pass, you’ll need to obtain a score of 60/80 on the National portion and 36/50 on the State-Specific portion.

You’ll find out how you performed on this exam immediately after finishing and should receive your passing exam score sheet with a full breakdown a few days afterwards.

After the exam, PSI will directly send your score reports to the South Carolina Real Estate Commission office — there is no need for you to send these reports yourself.

Note: Once the Commission has received your passing scores, the final step is to pay a $125 license issuance fee and wait for your real estate broker license to be issued.

Step 6: Application Review

If you’ve managed to get this far, congratulations!

The Commission processes all applications and documents in the order they are received. Assuming all necessary documentation has been properly submitted and processed, you can generally expect to receive your license within 10 to 20 business days.

Be sure to take some time to celebrate your accomplishment. You’ve put in a lot of work and effort and deserve a celebration!

Note: You can monitor the status of your application online through the South Carolina Real Estate Commission’s eService portal.

South Carolina Real Estate License Renewal

In order to keep your real estate broker license valid, you’ll need to renew it every two years.

You can do this online through the South Carolina Real Estate Commission’s eService portal, which opens for renewals around June each year — you will be notified by the Commission at least 60 days in advance.

As part of the renewal process, you’ll need to complete a total of 10 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years; of these, 4 hours must be dedicated to a mandatory/core course specified by the South Carolina Real Estate Commission.

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

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Note: Keep in mind that, in accordance with S.C. Code Ann. § 40-57-340(C), if you complete more elective hours than required in a two-year period, you can roll over up to four of those hours to the next renewal period.

South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

Mailing Address:
South Carolina Real Estate Commission
110 Centerview Dr., Suite 201
Columbia, SC 29210

Phone: (803) 896-4400

EmailContact.REC@llr.sc.gov 

Websitehttps://llr.sc.gov/re/

South Carolina Real Estate Broker License FAQ

How long does it take to become a broker in South Carolina?

It will take you a minimum of 5 years just to qualify for a South Carolina broker’s license due to the experience requirement.

After that, you’ll need an additional 2-4 months to complete the pre-licensing education, pass the required background checks, take the state exams, and issue your broker license.

For more information on this topic, you can have a look at our state specific How to Become a Real Estate Broker guide.

How do I become a real estate broker in South Carolina?

To get a South Carolina brokers license, you will need to have at least five years of experience as a licensed real estate salesperson, complete 60 hours of pre-licensing education, and submit your license application to the South Carolina Real Estate Commission.

Additionally, you will also need to complete two state-required background checks and successfully pass the state licensing examination before your license can be issued.

Does South Carolina have real estate license reciprocity?

Yes, South Carolina has real estate license reciprocity agreements for real estate professionals with Georgia and North Carolina.

Real estate agents and brokers in either of these states who want to practice in South Carolina should reach out to the South Carolina Real Estate Commission directly at contact.REC@llr.sc.gov.

Interested in finding out more? Check out our How to Get a South Carolina Real Estate Broker License guide.

What is the difference between a real estate broker and a salesperson in SC?

In South Carolina, a real estate broker has the authority to operate independently, supervise other agents, and manage a real estate brokerage, while a salesperson must work under the supervision of a licensed broker and does not have the same level of autonomy or responsibility.

Interested in becoming a licensed real estate agent? You can see our How to Get a South Carolina Real Estate License article for more information.

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