407-456-3448|Karen@DemetreeSchool.com

Can I Take the Florida Real Estate Exam At Home?

In Florida, we use Pearson Vue to administer the state exam.  When you register for the exam, you will notice two exams.  One is for the test at the test center.  The other is for an at-home online-proctored exam.  You can’t tell which is which until you click on it.  If it offers you a choice of locations, it’s an in-person test at a Pearson Vue test center.  If it doesn’t give you a choice, it is an at home version.

In this article, I’m going to be primarily talking about the at-home online-proctored version.  To take the test at home, you must have a decent computer with a decent internet connection.  Your computer must have a video camera, so if you have an old computer it might not work.  Also, you must have a decent internet connection.  If you live somewhere where the internet connection drops frequently, you might want to consider taking it at the test center.

A few things about the at-home version…

  1. You must be in a room. You can’t take it in a huge open area.
  2. You will have to take your camera and show the proctor your desk and the surrounding area.
  3. You can only use one monitor. You have to disconnect the other monitors and remove them from the desk.
  4. Once the proctor approves the test area, no person or animal can come into the room or leave the room. In other words, no bathroom breaks.
  5. The room must be quiet. If you have kids running around, cats climbing on the shelves, or delivery people ringing the doorbell, that’s not going to work.  You need a silent place.  (This isn’t just because it makes a better testing environment – it’s because they require it.)
  6. You will not be permitted to use a calculator or scrap paper. You must use the online calculator and the online whiteboard for scrap paper.  If that’s a problem for you, take it at the test center.
  7. You are required to be silent, and you are required to look at the screen the entire time. You can’t read aloud (even though you are by yourself).  You also can’t look out the window or look off into the distance.  You must look at the screen.

About a third of the people who take the state exam each month, take it at home.  It wouldn’t be my preferred way to do it, but plenty of people do it and it works well for them.

If you are looking for a good review before you take the state exam, give us a call at 407-456-3448.

Please note that neither I nor Ron Climer are affiliated with Climer School of Real Estate or Gold Coast Schools.  My father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School in 2014.  It is currently owned by a large corporate entity.  I opened Demetree School of Real Estate in 2019.

By |2023-07-06T14:12:21-04:00June 30th, 2023|

Do I Need A Real Estate License To Flip Houses in Florida?

I get a lot of students who take the class because they want to flip houses.  Technically speaking, you don’t need a real estate license in Florida to flip houses.  If you are selling a house that you own, you don’t need a license.  From a practical matter, though, if you don’t have a license, you are going to be paying someone else a commission.  Legally, you can sell it yourself and not pay a commission, but you can’t list it on the MLS yourself.  So, if you want your house to be on the MLS, you either need a license or you have to pay a Realtor.

This is true of any For Sale By Owner (FSBO) house.  If you are selling your own home, you don’t need a license.  Just stick the FSBO sign in the yard and wait for the customers to come flocking in.  That’s true from a legal perspective.  From a practical perspective, ask yourself…

  • How will I market the house without the MLS?
  • How will I vet the customers before I allow strangers to trample through my house?
  • How will I know what disclosures are required to give the buyer?
  • What if the buyer has questions about financing, inspections, etc.?

That, and so much more, is what you learn when you have a real estate license.

If you are looking for a good school to take your Florida real estate class, Demetree School of Real Estate in in-person classes and online self-study classes.  Our students love us.  Don’t take our word for it – read our reviews.

Please note that Demetree School of Real Estate has no connection to Climer School of Real Estate or Gold Coast Schools.  Ron Climer, my father, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014.  It was later sold to and renamed Gold Coast School.  I opened Demetree School of Real Estate in 2019.

By |2023-07-06T14:13:08-04:00June 28th, 2023|

Can Felons Get a Florida Real Estate License?

The short answer is yes, a felon may be able to a real estate license in Florida.  The more accurate answer, like so many things, is “it depends.”  When you fill out your state application, you are required to list your criminal history.  This includes any crime – convictions (even if adjudication was withheld), no contest pleas, juvenile offenses, young and dumb offenses – everything.

The Florida Real Estate Commission, or FREC, will look at your situation and make a determination based on your individual situation.  I have seen murderers and sex offenders get a license.  I have also seen people with possession of marijuana or careless driving denied a license.  What makes a difference?

FREC considers the crimes.  They are more concerned about crimes of dishonesty, such as theft, fraud, or passing bad checks than they are other crimes.

FREC considers the circumstances.  For example, someone who shoplifted baby formula will probably be viewed differently than someone who shoplifted lipstick.

They consider when it happened.  If you received a DUI fifty years ago and have been to AA every day since then, that is treated differently than the person who was convicted of a DUI last year.

They consider what you have done since then.  If you have become a contributing member of society, they treat that differently than someone who is just meandering along and taking up space.

They consider your level of remorse.  If you get up there and say, “I punched the guy in the nose because he should not have been talking to my girl.”  That will be treated differently than if you say, “You know, my anger overwhelmed me.  It was a stupid mistake.  I wish I could have a redo on that day.”

So to sum it up, felons can definitely get a Florida real estate license – it all depends on your situation.

If you are looking to get a Florida real estate license, please consider Demetree School of Real Estate in Orlando, Florida.

Note that neither I nor anyone in the Climer family is a part of Climer School of Real Estate.  My father, Ron Climer, sold that school in 2014.  It has sense been sold to Gold Coast Schools and sold again to a large corporate education company.  I opened a school in 2019 called Demetree School of Real Estate.

By |2023-07-06T14:14:40-04:00June 27th, 2023|

How Much Do I Have To Study For The Florida Real Estate Exam?

I get that question a lot.  Or another way people ask it is they’ll say, “If I do A, B, and C, is that enough to pass?”  It is impossible for me to answer this.

This is like asking, “If I start walking 30 minutes a day, is that enough to get to my desired weight?”

There are so many variables…  What is your desired weight?  How much do you weigh right now?  What is your diet like now?  There is no doubt that adding a 30-minute daily walk will help you.  Also, that is enough for some people.  But I don’t know if that is enough for you.

It’s the same when people ask how much they need to study for the state exam.  How much real estate knowledge do you already have?  How quickly can you retain things?  How quickly can you understand new material?  When you say you study for an hour, what do you do during that hour?  How effective are your study habits?

I know that I studied more for the Florida sales associate state exam than I had studied for anything else in my life.  For me, though, it was very important to pass the first time.    Here’s what I did to study…

I know that was enough studying for me because I passed the state exam the first time I took it.  Your mileage may vary.

By |2023-07-06T14:15:49-04:00June 26th, 2023|

Why Are There Two Choices for the Florida Real Estate Exam?

In Florida, there are two options for taking the real estate state exam – in-person at the test center or online proctored.  In this article, I will explain how to schedule your exam for either option.

First, you need to be approved by the DBPR.  If you don’t know what that means, read this article.

Once you apply for your license and are approved by the DBPR, you will receive an email from Pearson Vue.  In that email is a number called the RE App ID.  This is an ID number that Pearson Vue creates for you.  Don’t lose this number.

If you have received the email, but lost your RE App ID, call Pearson Vue at 888-204-6289 to get it.  They will look you up using your social security number or some other identification.

Once you have the RE App ID, you can register online or over the phone.  To register over the phone, call Pearson Vue at 888-204-6289.  They are open from 8am-11pm EST on weekdays, 8am-5pm Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday.  When you call them, know that you are talking to someone who is not in Florida.  The reason this is important is that if you say, “I want to take the test on July 28 anywhere near Orlando.”  This person likely does not know that Lake Mary or Lakeland are near Orlando.  You will have to tell them the exact cities.

If you schedule online, it will give you two options.  The one that is called “FL Real Estate Sales Associate” is the online proctored exam.  The one that is called “FL Sales Associate” is the in-person one.  Basically, if it gives you a choice of testing center locations, it’s the in-person one at the testing center.  If it doesn’t give you a location choice, you are looking at the online proctored one.

You will also have the option to take the exam in English or Castilian Spanish.  If you want to take the real estate exam in Spanish, you will need to make that selection now.  You can’t change it once you are at the test center.

Once you have your test scheduled, you will want to study every day.  Study like you are preparing for the Olympics.  You can’t overstudy for this exam any more than you can be overprepared for the Olympics.

If you want to register for the best state exam review class in Florida, you will find the information here.  If you are looking for study materials, you can find that information here.

Please note that Karen Climer has no affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate, Gold Coast Schools or Colibri.  My father, Ron Climer, owned Climer School of Real Estate until 2014.  It is now owned by a large corporate education company.

By |2023-07-06T14:17:34-04:00June 8th, 2023|

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