How To Become a Real Estate Agent in West Virginia

Becoming a real estate agent in West Virginia is a promising and achievable step in your professional sales journey so long as you get licensed by the West Virginia Realty Commission.

Real estate agents advise clients on home prices, mortgages, market conditions, legal requirements, and more. They help people buy, sell, and rent homes, office or business space, or luxury properties.

Real estate agents are self-employed. They get to set their own hours, find clients, grow their network, and close their deals.

Professional Real Estate License in West Virginia

In order to successfully acquire your real estate license in West Virginia, you will apply to the West Virginia Real Estate Commission after engaging in the following activities:¹

• Prepare: Learn about the West Virginia real estate market and the potential risks and rewards of managing your own real estate business
• Complete required pre-licensing classes: West Virginia requires 90 hours of education
• Pass the West Virginia real estate exam
• Select a brokerage firm to represent you: To sell real estate in West Virginia, a licensed broker must agree that you may affiliate with his or her firm
• Apply for a West Virginia real estate license

Essential Conditions for Real Estate Professional Licensing

There are  four significant requirements set by the West Virginia Realty Commission for a salesperson, or real estate agent.²

Do you have to go to school to be a real estate agent? The answer is a resounding yes.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent. They must also complete a National Criminal Background Check, a process in which thousands of digital databases across the U.S. are searched for any infractions, misdemeanors, felony convictions, and pending cases found at the state or county level.

Applicants are expected to be of positive moral character, trustworthy, and competent in the skills needed to promote home sales. Notably, successful applicants will submit complete applications, all required fees, and proof of education.

If you have questions, reach out to the West Virginia Realty Commission and check out their  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).³

Age and Fundamental Academic Necessities

You don’t need a college degree to become a real estate agent in West Virginia, but you will need a real estate license. To become a real estate agent, the first step is often to obtain a license.

A real estate license gives agents and brokers the legal ability to represent clients in the process of buying or selling properties. Every state in the U.S. has its own real estate commission for licensing, and each comes with unique requirements.

Real estate agents, or salespersons, must get a license in the state they reside in, or the state they wish to practice in.

Real estate agents in West Virginia must be at least eighteen (18) years old. As described above, they must also have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development Equivalency Degree (GED).

The West Virginia Realty Commission is interested in knowing if you have the knowledge and skills needed to successfully enter the real estate business.¹ If for some reason you did not graduate from high school, taking a GED test will determine if you have obtained a high school level of education.

The GED is recognized and accepted by nearly all U.S. colleges, employers, and universities.

Mandatory Training Period For Licensing

You must learn about real estate topics like property valuation, financing, and general practice, among others. Pre-licensing classes will also teach you about West Virginia-specific real estate laws and regulations.⁴

Applicants for a salesperson license are required to complete ninety (90) hours of study, in a course approved by the West Virginia Realty Commission and offered by a Commission-approved Provider.

The general purpose of the  Real Estate Course Outline for Salesperson license is to serve as a guide in developing and offering a salesperson pre-license education course.⁵ To be eligible to take the licensing examination, you must score 70% or higher in each subject area of the approved pre-licensing classes.

Remember that your pre-license education coursework is valid for five (5) years from the date of completion.

The salesperson (real estate agent) course includes 90 hours of instruction: 30 hours in Real Estate Principles and Practices, 20 hours in Real Estate Law, 20 hours in Real Estate Finance, and 20 hours in Real Estate Appraisal.

Expense of Pre-licensing Training in Real Estate School

How much are real estate classes? The cost of getting a real estate agent license varies by state.

On average, a 90-hour approved pre-licensing online course costs $525. This course is required of all applicants for a salesperson’s license in West Virginia and it prepares learners for the exam and provides the foundation for the applicant to become a successful licensed salesperson in West Virginia.

Keep in mind that this cost does not take into account other expenses that you will incur. These include fees required for a background check, application registration, and fees for sitting for the exam.

You will also spend time studying and preparing for the exam!

Core Background Check for Real Estate Licensing (Fingerprinting Facility Details)

The  National Criminal Background Check is an essential part of the licensing process in West Virginia.⁶ All applicants for a salesperson license are required to submit a state and national criminal background check before registering for the licensing exam.

The West Virginia Realty Commission will receive the report. They will not reveal the results of the background check to you.

To schedule an appointment, please visit one of the identity-related service providers and type in the WVREC Service Code: 228Q6K.⁷ There is an easy-to-use service locator on the website.⁸

Alternatively, see below for nine locations where criminal background checks take place across the state. This is not an exhaustive list, so be sure to check the service locator if one of these locations is inconvenient or too far away.

• 1000 Parkway Road, located inside AAA, Charleston, WV 25309
• 360 Main Street, Hamlin, WV 25523
• 8 Airport Road, Chapmanville, WV 25508
• 813 Capitol Street, Spencer, WV 25276
• 5317 Cherry Lawn Road, Huntington, WV 25705
• 108 Senior Center Drive, Kingwood, WV
• 888 Mylan Park Lane, Morgantown, WV
• 27 Middletown Road, White Hall, WV

Keep in mind that all criminal background checks expire after ninety (90) days after the report is issued. You will want to schedule your exam after your criminal background check is complete and no findings surfaced that would prevent you from becoming a real estate agent.