Here’s your answers to the most frequently asked questions on issues including education, designations, licensure, and Illinois housing and market statistics.

Education

Designations

Housing/Market Stats

Licensure

Real estate education

Q. How do I find out how many CE hours I have?

A. Use the Illinois REALTORS® Education Lookup to look up your record of classes taken through Illinois REALTORS® sponsored classes. If you have any questions regarding the information, you may call education at 217-529-2600. If you need information regarding classes taken at other sponsored schools, you will need to visit Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation, Bureau of Real Estate or call 800-560-6420.

Q. How do I find information about appraisal licensing? 

A. Find information regarding appraisal professions on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website.

Q. What are the requirements for obtaining my Real Estate License in Illinois?

A. Broker License: Our Get a Real Estate License in Illinois page explains the steps to earn a broker license in detail. To qualify for an Illinois Real Estate Broker License in the State of Illinois you must be at least 18 years old, have a Social Security Number of Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, have a high school diploma or equivalent (G.E.D.), successfully complete the required coursework, and pass the real estate licensing exam.

Effective May 1, 2011 the Broker license category replaced the former Salesperson license category. The new Broker license has the same privileges of the previous Salesperson license category, but requires additional education. Classroom, Online options >

Managing Broker License: All new licensees who require managerial privileges are required to earn a Managing Broker license. To qualify for an Illinois Real Estate Managing Broker’s license in the State of Illinois you must be at least 20 years old,  have an active, valid Illinois real estate broker license, have had an active real estate license for two (2) of the past three (3) years, successfully complete the required coursework, and pass the state licensing exam. This new category of license for brokers who will manage and sponsor themselves and/or other licensees changed from Broker to Managing Broker.

The Managing Broker license is only available to applicants who held a real estate salesperson  or broker license for two out of the last three years. If you have a broker license and meet the two out of three year requirement, it is assumed you have completed the Broker pre-license requirements and you will only be required to take an additional 45 hours to include a 30-hour Managing Broker Pre-License Topics course and a 15-hour Managing Broker pre-license Applied Management and Supervision interactive course.

Applicants who have never held a license will first have to complete the 90-hour Broker license requirement and the 30 hours of post license and follow with the 45-hour Managing Broker requirement. You would not be able to apply for your Managing Broker license until you have met the two out of three year requirement.

Leasing Agent License: In order to obtain a Leasing Agent license in the State of Illinois you must be at least 18 years old, a high school graduate or equivalent (G.E.D.), successfully complete a 15-hour Leasing Agent course at a real estate school approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, pass the state licensing exam. Live course offerings and home study courses are available.

Q, Which states share license reciprocity with Illinois?

A.  For licensing questions, you may contact the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 800-560-6420. For their latest reciprocity updates, visit IDFPR’s License Reciprocity website. If you are currently licensed in one of the reciprocal states, you may obtain a reciprocal license by taking and passing the state portion of the Illinois exam. Study material is available from the Illinois REALTORS® Store. This exam is administered by Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) www.goamp.com.

Illinois currently has reciprocity with the states listed below. If you hold a real estate license in an Illinois reciprocal state, no classroom or coursework is required. The only requirement will be for you to take the state specific portion of the licensing exam (40 questions). A general overview of the state-specific 40 questions may be found in the Candidate Handbook on the AMP website. 

COLORADO
Department of Regulatory Agencies
303-894-2166
(broker license) 

CONNECTICUT
Department of Consumer Protection
860-713-7230
(salesperson/broker license) 

FLORIDA
Dept of Business & Professional Regulation
850-487-1395
(associate/broker license) 

GEORGIA
Real Estate Commission
404-656-3916
(salesperson/associate broker/broker license) 

INDIANA*
Real Estate Commission
317-234-3009
**Indiana and Illinois only share BROKER reciprocity, not Managing Broker.

IOWA**
**Iowa licensees are eligible for license reciprocity in Illinois, however Iowa does not extend reciprocity to Illinois licensees
Real Estate Commission
515-281-3183

NEBRASKA
Real Estate Commission
402-471-2004
(salesperson/broker) 

SOUTH DAKOTA
Real Estate Commission
605-773-3600
Download request form (pdf)
(broker associate/responsible broker) 

WISCONSIN
Dept. of Safety & Professional Services
608-266-2112 or [email protected]
(salesperson/broker) 

ILLINOIS
Department of Financial & Professional Regulation
800-560-6420 or [email protected]
(broker/managing broker) 

Q.  If I hold a license in a reciprocal state, what is required to obtain my real estate license in Illinois? 

  1. If you hold a real estate license in an Illinois reciprocal state, no classroom or coursework is required. The only requirement will be for you to take the state specific portion of the licensing exam (40 questions). A general overview of the state-specific 40 questions may be found in the Candidate Handbook on the AMP website.

Q. How do I apply for licensure in Illinois based on reciprocity:

A.  These are the steps to apply for licensure in Illinois based on reciprocity:

  • You must be actively licensed by examination in the state from which you are applying. 
  • Illinois must have a written reciprocal agreement with the state in which you are currently licensed by examination. 
  • You must take and pass the Illinois portion of the licensure examination. 
  • Your sponsor must have an active broker or managing broker license in Illinois. A managing broker can self-sponsor.* 
  • For Managing Broker Applicants only: your broker license must have been in an active status during the immediately preceding two years.* 

Illinois REALTORS® suggests using the Illinois REcampus QBank v2.0 or examsmart.com to prepare for this exam. Some students also benefit from purchasing the Modern Real Estate Practice in Illinois textbook or e-book.  

To register as a candidate for the real estate exam, you will need to contact PSI/AMP (Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc) directly to schedule. There are also exam prep products on AMP’s site, you can find them by following this link. 

Once you have taken and passed the exam you are ready to fill out the Illinois Reciprocity Application. You will also need to request your Certified Licensure History from the state(s) in which you hold a real estate license. Refer to the regulatory agency for your state. We advise you contact the licensing agency in your state immediately to obtain this documentation.  

 Q. How do I become a pre-license or continuing education instructor?

A. In order to become a pre-license instructor or continuing education instructor, you would need to apply through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. They have downloadable forms on their website that list the criteria needed to be able to be certified. Click on Real Estate Professions and then forms. The pre-license instructor license does require taking an exam. Exam information may be found through the Applied Measure Professional’s Web site at www.goamp.com. Continuing education instructors now have to complete an approved instructor training prior to making application with IDFPR. Visit the Illinois REALTORS® Store for Instructor pre-license coursework.

IDFPR – Working with Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

Q. How can I work effectively with IDFPR?

Designation information

Q. How do I obtain my GRI designation?

A. You can earn the GRI designation with online courses from the Illinois REALTORS® Licensing & Training Center. A total of 60 credit hours must be earned, including minimum credit hours in six specific areas. View the curriculum. All courses except e-Pro must be purchased from Illinois REALTORS® and all courses must be completed within a five year period. If you have questions about the requirements, contact one of our Education Specialists for more information: email [email protected] or call 800-523-5077. 

Q. Where can I get information on how to earn other designations?

A. The National Association of REALTORS® and its affiliated Institutes, Societies, and Councils provide a wide-range of  designation and certification courses that assist members in increasing skills, proficiency, and knowledge.  View NAR’s real estate designations. Illinois REALTORS® Licensing & Training Center offers designation and certification courses in our branch location classrooms. View the Education Calendar.

Housing market/ data

Q. How can I find information on the price of a home in a specific Illinois community?

A. Illinois REALTORS® does not track home prices for specific communities in the state. We do track the statewide, county and Chicago PMSA figures for median prices and the number of homes sold (single-family and condos).  For specific neighborhood or community market data, contact a local REALTOR® or the local REALTOR® association in your area.

Q. What kind of data does Illinois REALTORS® have on housing?

A. Illinois REALTORS® issues monthly and quarterly market statistics reports for the median price and number of homes sold (single-family and condominiums) by:

  • Illinois
  • Chicagoland PMSA (Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties)
  • County data is issued on a quarterly basis for all counties reporting

Q. What is the source of the data?

A. Sales and price information is generated from a survey of Multiple Listing Service (MLS) sales reported by participating Illinois REALTOR® local boards and associations.

REALTOR® location/licensure verification

Q. How may I verify that someone has a Real Estate License?

A. In order to determine if someone has a current Real Estate License in Illinois, you should visit Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation or contact them at 800-560-6420.

Q. How may I find a REALTOR® located in Illinois?

A. The Illinois REALTORS® website has a REALTOR® search function that will assist you in finding a REALTOR® by name or location.