How to Get Your West Virginia Real Estate License
Jay Gallagher
Real Estate Broker (Advice from an agent like you, not some tech nerd who never sold a home!)
You’re in the right place to learn how to get your West Virginia Real Estate License. No matter where you live, from Charlestown to Wheeling or Huntington to my favorite place, Dolly Sods, or anywhere in between, becoming a real estate agent may be the best decision you ever make.
All the information, documents and links you’ll need to get your West Virginia real estate salesperson license are below.
I also answer all your burning questions at the bottom of the page.
Click on a question to see the answers:
Meet the State Requirements
Learn exactly what the State of West Virginia requires before you can get a Real Estate Salesperson License.
Complete Licensing Education
West Virginia requires only 90 hours of Real Estate Education to get licensed. Find the best Real Estate School for you.
Find a Sponsoring Broker
Meet the new boss! The good news is you get to pick the broker you want to work with. Learn how to pick the best.
Get Fingerprinted
West Virginia makes it easy to get fingerprinted. They use a third party company with offices nationwide.
Apply To Take Exam
West Virginia requires you to submit an application to sit for the exam and pass before you submit your final application.
Pass The Exam
Learn how to pass the exam the first time by picking the best Exam Prep Course with online practice tests.
Receive License Letter
After you take the exam, the WVREC processes your background check and sends a Salesperson License Letter upon approval.
Apply For Your License
Once you receive your License Letter, you can finally submit your final Real Estate Salesperson license application.
Launch Your New Career
Now the fun begins. Learn how to get your new Real Estate Career off on the right foot by doing the right things to get business.
So, How Do You Get Your West Virginia Real Estate License?
1. Meet The State Requirements
To get your West Virginia Real Estate Salesperson License you must meet the following requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age.
- Must have a High School Diploma or GED.
- Must complete a National and State Criminal Background Check.
- Complete 90 hour West Virginia Real Estate Salesperson Course.
- Pass the Real Estate Salesperson Exam.
2. Complete Pre-Licensing Education
West Virginia has 4 courses with a combined 90 hours of coursework that must be completed before you can apply for your West Virginia Real Estate License:
- Real Estate Principles and Practice – 30 hours.
- Real Estate Law – 20 hours.
- Real Estate Finance – 20 hours.
- Real Estate Appraisal – 20 hours
After reviewing all the Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course Providers, I found The CE Shop to offer the best combination of value and quality.
I don’t recommend the basic level at all because it doesn’t included the most valuable part, the Real Estate License Practice Tests.
These practice tests actually guarantee you will pass the Real Estate Exam. Just take the practice tests until you consistently score 90 or higher and you are guaranteed to pass the West Virginia Real Estate Exam on your first try. I think these practice tests are the easiest way to ensure you pass.
3. Pick a Sponsoring Broker
A Sponsoring Broker must sign your West Virginia real estate application and it must be notarized.
All Realtors must work under the supervision of a Broker who’s responsible for supervising their activities. The good news is that you get to pick a broker to place your real estate salesperson license under.
If you’re a new agent, I recommend you go with one of the big box real estate brokerages. ReMax, Keller Williams and Century 21 are a good place to start. The reason I recommend these brokerages for new agents is because the big box brokerages have training programs in place to help you make the transition from Rookie Agent to seasoned pro.
4. Get Fingerprinted
West Virginia requires Fingerprinting as a part of their background check. WVREC uses a company called IdentoGO to process their fingerprinting and background checks.
Simply go to the the IdentoGO website and put in the WVREC code 228Q6K to make an appointment to get fingerprinted and submit your background check.
They have locations statewide and even nationwide if you are applying as a non resident.
They even have an option to submit fingerprint cards that you’ve collected on your own but they discourage this. They have so many locations that making an appointment and going in to one of their offices is the best option even for out of state applicants.
5. Apply to Sit for the Exam
Once you get the completion certificates for your 90 hours of Real Estate Pre-Licensure Education you can apply to take the Real Estate Salesperson Exam.
- You can complete the Exam Application online.
- If you apply online you must send in this Affidavit of Signatures signed by you, your Sponsoring Broker and have it Notarized.
- You also need to send in this Recommendations of Real Estate Owners form.
- Or you can send the Application To Sit For The Real Estate Salesperson Exam form by mail along with a Check or Money Order for $25.00.
6. Take and Pass The Exam
West Virginia Real Estate Commission uses a private company, PSI to administer the licensing tests for salesperson applicants. Once your application is approved, you’ll receive an email from PSI confirming that you are approved to take the exam. If you don’t receive the email within 72 hours, contact the licensing department.
Once you receive confirmation, go to the PSI Website and set up an appointment to take a live proctored exam at one of their nationwide testing sites or you can set up an online remotely proctored exam.
West Virginia has two exams you must be pass before you can apply for your West Virginia Real Estate License:
- Real Estate Salesperson National Exam.
- Real Estate Salesperson West Virginia State Exam.
You have ninety 90 days OR two attempts (whichever comes first) before you have to resubmit an application to sit for the exam.
7. Receive Your License Letter
Once you pass the exam and background check, WVREC will send you a formal letter like this one congratulating you for passing and inviting you to apply for your West Virginia Real Estate Salesperson License.
Almost there.
Only thing to do now is complete all the paperwork!
8. Submit Your Final Application
You can submit your Final Application either online here, or go old school and submit it by mail.
To submit your final application online submit the following:
- Complete and submit the License Letter that WVREC sent you.
- Submit the Proof of Passing Certificate for both the National and State Exams
- Submit payment online.
- Complete the Application For A Real Estate Salesperson License.
- Submit the Proof of Passing Certificates for both the National and State Exams
- Send a Check or Money order made out to WVREC for $75.00
9. Launch Your New Real Estate Career!
Now the real fun (and work) begins. The best thing about being a Real Estate Agent is the freedom it gives you. You’re your own boss and you get to decide how to move your real estate career forward.
Books
Continuous learning is the hallmark of all successful agents. Here are some resources to get you going in the right direction.
Below are my best suggestions:
- Best Books to Learn Principles of Success.
- Best Books for Real Estate Agents.
- Best Books for Real Estate Agent Social Media Marketing
Tools
You’ll need some tools to get the job done. At the very least, you’ll need a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and a Real Estate Agent Website.
Jay Answers Your Questions...
The best (and worst) thing about being a realtor is the freedom you have. Many agents just work part-time and only do 1-3 transactions a year. Other agents work 60+ hours a week and sell hundreds of homes a year.
The best way to answer the question of how much a Wyoming realtor makes is to show how much you are likely to make per transaction.
The average price of a home in Wyoming is $165,000. Say the average commission per side of the transaction is 5.5% and the average broker/agent split is 15/85. That means you will earn, on average, about $3900 per transaction. Not bad.
Of course this number will vary based on the average cost of real estate in your area, your commission rate and your broker split but that’s a good number to start with. Now you can dial up your income based on how hard and how effectively you work.
West Virginia requires 90 hours of coursework. If you elect to take these courses in a classroom setting, you’ll have to go to a designated place and sit for the entire time.
For this reason, most people take the courses online so they can take the courses at their own pace and any time they wish.
Most people find they can complete the online coursework in a fraction of the 90 hours. A motivated person can complete it in as little as two weeks but most people will take a month or more if they do a little bit every day.
The West Virginia Real Estate Exam is not difficult IF you buy a test prep course.
The best test prep courses include practice tests that you can take over and over again until you know the material. If you can consistently take a practice test and score a 90 or higher, then you are practically guaranteed to pass the actual exam.
If you’re someone who gets nervous and their mind goes blank during testing, then maybe you should wait until your score on the practice tests is consistently 95 or better.
The best brokerage is the one that’s the best fit for you.
Call up a few local brokerages and schedule a time to sit down and talk to them. Discuss things like E&O insurance, commission splits, leads and don’t forget to find out about any desk fees, tech fees or insurance fees.
Remember, if you don’t like the brokerage, you can easily change brokers.
I don’t recommend that you use any brokers CRM or email address because those things are the heart of YOUR real estate business and if your clients information is locked into your broker’s CRM, then it will be harder to make the move. That’s why the tools are “free” or included in a tech fee, to make it difficult for you to leave.
Let’s break it all down.
- Fingerprint/Background check – $45.75
- Pre-licensing Educational courses – $320.00 – $745.00
- Exam Prep Courses – $0.00 – $99.00 – (Some Pre-Licensing Includes Exam Prep)
- West Virginia Application for Exam Fee – $25.00
- Examination fee – $96.00
- West Virginia Application Fee – $75.00 per year
The cost of getting your West Virginia real estate license can vary depending on your situation and your needs.
The cost will be as low as $562.00 to as high as $987.00.
Agents who follow my recommendations will pay about $630.00
