How do you get a Real Estate License in Hawai’i?

Here’s my journey on how I became a licensed and professional real estate agent on Maui, in the state of Hawai’i.

The requirements vary by state, but here’s the process I went through in Hawai’i. We’ll forego the nitty gritty details for now, but here’s a snapshot to have an idea of what it takes to become fully licensed and able to work.

The pre-qualifications before you can take the educational components are the following:
•be at least 18 years old by exam date
•legally able to work in the United States
•have a good reputation (It’s an ethical position of power. We’ll save that for another time)

Steps on becoming a real estate agent:

  1. Take a pre-licensing real estate course. You’ll need to satisfy the 60 Hour Pre-Licensing education requirement by an approved school.
    A couple of options are the Carol Ball School, Maui Real Estate School & I did the CE Shop online.
  2. Pass the course final exam. This does take some time and studying. It was a month long period and some long study nights for me. There are quicker courses that are daily and in person. Study.
  3. Pass the Hawaii State Licensing Exam AND the National Exam. They’re both difficult. Study.
  4. Submit Licensing application within 2 years of passing the exams. Once you do pass, figure out when you want to start working and look at the cut off dates and costs to determine when to submit application. It made most sense for me to submit in a new year vs. the previous year based on the renewal cutoffs.
  5. Interview and choose a brokerage. Find a good fit! What can the brokerage offer you (it’s usually a 6% fee to hang your license with a brokerage) and what value can you add? What kind of growth can you see in your business? Not all brokerages are the same.
  6. Build your business. Treat it like a business. Release the W-2 mentality of work, leads and business coming to you.

This is my personal take on what the real estate journey and my findings have been thus far. Feel free to reach out, ask questions or connect! I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re thinking about becoming a real estate agent, I’m happy to assist wherever I can and share what’s worked for me!