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1. Complete appropriate 60 hour required Pre-Licensing course.
2. Complete application and background check for examination, including finger printing and applicable fees of $86.25.  Approximate wait time is about 2 weeks.
   NOTE:  Arkansas Real Estate School is certified to take fingerprints, has a notary on staff and provides these services for ARES students at no charge. 
   
3. You will receive a letter of Exam Eligibility from the Arkansas Real Estate Commission with determination of eligibility.  If you are eligible, follow the instructions on the letter to schedule your exam.  The test fee is $75.00
4. Pass exam
5. Secure a Broker firm to hang and activate your license. The fee for license activation is $75.00 and must be completed within 90 days of passing exam.
6. Complete 18 hours post licensing education within 6 months

Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) requires all applicants for original licensure as a real estate salesperson or broker to complete a state and federal criminal background check.  This requirement applies to both resident and nonresident applicants.

The Arkansas State Police conducts this criminal background check on each applicant, including an FBI background check (which requires the applicant be fingerprinted on the card provided by the AREC) and submits the report to the Real Estate Commission.  In order to process the application, the following must be received by AREC:

1. Completed Application to take the real estate examination.  DO NOT SIGN. This will need to be notarized.
   
2. Completed fingerprint card.  Call your local Sheriffs office. 
   
3. $50 application fee, $22 Arkansas criminal background check fee, and $14.25 FBI criminal background check fee.  Make cashier’s check or money order payable to ”AREC” for a combined total of $86.25. THE AREC DOES NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL OR BUSINESS CHECKS OR ANY CARDS FOR THIS- Your application will be denied and returned if you do so.
   

You may submit the application prior to completing the real estate education requirement.  However, you must submit proof of completing the education requirement prior to receiving eligibility to take the real estate exam.  AREC will issue the Certificate of Eligibility for Examination only after receiving  the application information and the education certificate.  The criminal background reports must be received and approved by the Arkansas Real Estate Commission before issuing a license.  AREC prefers you submit everything at once

Salesperson applicants must:

Have reached the age of eighteen (18);

1. Successfully complete 60 classroom hours of real estate instruction in real estate principles, license law, and commission regulations from an accredited post-secondary school or a school or organization licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education within thirty-six (36) months immediately preceding the date of the application;
2. Pass the license examination;
3. Send the proper forms and fees to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission to pay for license no later than ninety (90) days after passing the examination.
4. Complete  18 hours of post-license within 6 months after the initial license is issued.

Broker applicants must:

1. Have reached the age of majority, eighteen (18).
2. Successfully complete 60 classroom hours of real estate education of instruction in real estate principles, license law, and commission regulations from an accredited post-secondary school or a school or organization licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education within thirty-six (36) months immediately preceding the date of the application;
3. Have been licensed as an active real estate salesperson or broker for a period of not less than twenty four (24) months within the previous forty-eight (48) month period immediately preceding the date of application. However, upon written request such experience requirement may be waived for a real estate broker applicant who has held an active real estate broker license for a period of not less than eighteen (18) months; (if experience requirement was met in another jurisdiction, please furnish an official license history from that jurisdiction) or has experience acceptable to the commission in a field considered real estate related for a period of not less than twenty-four (24) months within the previous forty-eight month period immediately preceding the date of application (must submit a written history of experience for review by the commission);
4. Pass the license examination; and
5. Send the proper forms and fees to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission to pay for your license no later than ninety (90) days after passing the examination.
6. Complete 30 hours of post-license education within 6 months after the initial license is issued.

Applicants currently licensed in another state:

An applicant currently licensed in another state and seeking licensure in Arkansas at the same level, may request a waiver of the GENERAL portion of the examination. An applicant meeting all three (3) of the following requirements MAY be required to take only the Arkansas Law Portion of the Examination.

1. Has passed a uniform, general, or multi-state part of an examination for a real estate license in another state in which the examination is determined by the Commission to meet generally acceptable standards of real estate testing, and
2. The other state requires a minimum passing grade no lower than that required for the general part of the Arkansas examination (70), and
3. The applicant is licensed in the other state at the time of taking the Arkansas examinat

 Effective January 1, 2020
New Rules Regarding Real Estate License Applicants With Prior Criminal Convictions
Arkansas Real Estate Commission is charged with the duty of protecting the public’s health, safety and welfare. Prior to January 1, 2020, Arkansas law has prohibited AREC from issuing a license to anyone convicted of a felony or other certain crimes considered a danger to the public. A waiver process has been available to those persons believing their past criminal history posed no threat to the public health safety or welfare.
Those laws and rules have been clarified to allow persons with prior criminal records involving certain non-violent offenses to become licensed as a real estate agent in Arkansas with a formal waiver, or in some cases without a formal waiver.
The information below is a summary of the new rules and laws. Any applicant having questions about whether they are eligible for a waiver or exempt from the waiver process, should contact the Arkansas Real Estate Commission for guidance. The contact information is below.
Andrea S. Alford Deputy Executive Director 501-683-8032 Email andrea.alford@arkansas.gov
Heather Garrett AREC Supervisor 501-683-8017 Email heather.garrett@arkansas.gov