REALTOR® Licensing & Costs in Alberta

It is important to do your homework to ensure you fully understand the licensing requirements and costs involved in starting a real estate career in Calgary and surrounding areas. The more prepared you are from the start, the better set you will be for a successful career.

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GETTING YOUR LICENSE

We have broken down the steps to get your Real Estate License in Alberta. RECA oversees the licensing requirements in Alberta. For more information, go to www.reca.ca 

If anything from your past could prevent you from becoming licensed, you may request a Suitability Review from RECA.

Complete RECA’s online eligibility process. To meet eligibility requirements, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Hold the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma or higher (transcripts required)
  • Be proficient in English
  • Be able to lawfully study and work in Canada
  • Have completed the free, online Real Estate Career Information Session

All real estate licensees must complete the Fundamentals of Real Estate. Additionally, you will need to complete the practice course (or courses) applicable to the work you will be doing, and the accompanying exams to become eligible for licensing in Alberta. Real estate practice areas include:

  • commercial
  • property management
  • residential
  • rural (agri-business)

You will need to complete the required education through a recognized course provider. Some course providers may offer all of the practice courses for each specialization in real estate. Others may offer only the Fundamentals of Real Estate and/or the Practice of Residential Real Estate. You will need to research and evaluate the different course providers to determine which delivery methods, structure, course costs, and overall educational experience will be suitable for you.

The real estate exams are handled by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA). To help you with your decision making process, RECA publishes a list of the recognized course providers with the current exam statistics such as exam attempts, success rate, and average score. You can access the information here

Provide a Certified Criminal Record Check with fingerprinting and Third Party Waiver (direct to RECA from RCMP)

Obtain employment with a brokerage. Click here to know What to Ask When Looking for a Brokerage!

Complete the licensing and registration process with RECA and your broker

Complete the CREB® orientation and sign up for membership

Want to know what to expect when you start?

LICENSING FEES

Below are the RECA fees for the 2020 – 2021 licensing year (excluding GST, some fees may be pro-rated)

RECA Pre-Licensing Fees

  • Education
    Eligibility
    $100
  • Fingerprinting
    (Approx)
    $75
  • RCMP Criminal Record
    Check Fee
    $25

RECA Licensing Fees

  • RECA
    Licensing Fees

    $475
  • REIX
    Premium
    $175
  • Assurance
    Fund
    $100

Pre-Licensing Education

Fundamentals of Real Estate

  • Must be completed by all new real estate associates entering the industry
  • $600-$1,000 for online delivery
  • Some course providers offer instructor lead training for an additional fee
 
 

Practice of Residential Real Estate

  • Must be completed if you will be helping clients buy and sell residential properties
  • This includes helping clients buy and sell up to four individual units
  • Many agents begin their career with only this licence depending on the market they intend to serve
  • $400-$900 for online delivery
  • Some course providers offer instructor lead training for an additional fee
 

Practice of Rural Real Estate (Agri-Business)

  • Must be completed if you will be helping clients buy and sell farms and ranches
  • $400 for online delivery
 

Practice of Commercial Real Estate

  • Must be completed if you will be helping clients buy, sell or lease office, industrial, retail properties
  • This includes helping clients buy and sell multi-residential properties (more than four individual units)
  • $400-$800 for online delivery.

Pre-Licensing Education

Fundamentals of Real Estate

  • Must be completed by all new real estate associates entering the industry
  • $600-$1,000 for online delivery
  • Some course providers offer instructor lead training for an additional fee
 
 

AREA

  • Fundamentals of Real Estate $800
  • Practice Courses Residential, Comercial, Property Management & Rural. $400 each
 
 

Alberta Real Estate School

  • Fundamentals of Real Estate $1,297- Instructor Lead
  • Practice Courses Only offers Residential $1,297 Instructor Lead Course
  • Fundamentals of Real Estate $997- Video Course
  • Practice Courses Only offers Residential  $897 Video Course
  • Bundled video course for Fundamentals and Residential is $1,700

U of C Haskayne school of Business

  • Only offers Fundamentals of Real Estate $899

RELO

  • Fundamentals of Real Estate $1,000
  • Practice Courses Residential $700
  • Bothe courses Bundled $1,500
  • Rise Real Estate Academy
  • Fundamentals of Real Estate $799
  • Practice Courses Residential $499, Commercial $799

CREB®, AREA & CREA LICENSING FEES (ALBERTA WEST)

*All Fee’s Subject to GST

Total:          $2,945

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