How Long Does it Take to Get a Real Estate License in Oregon?

Unlike many other states, Oregon doesn’t start its real estate licensees at the sales agent level. Instead, the lowest level of licensure is a broker license. Just like a sales agent in other states, an Oregon real estate broker needs to be supervised by someone with a higher license level (in this case, a principal broker).

If you’re curious about starting a career in real estate, you might be wondering about the process for getting your license — and how long it will take. So let’s look at the to-dos and timelines to get an Oregon real estate broker license.

Step 1: Register in the eLicense portal (15 minutes)

For starters, you need to get set up in the state’s online portal. You’ll use it for your application — and to renew your license each time.

Registering for a profile just means filling out a form with your name, address, and a little bit of other information. It should be a quick and painless process.

Step 2: Apply for your license (1 hour)

In the eLicense portal, you can fill out the application to become an Oregon real estate broker and pay the required $300 application fee. We budgeted some extra time here so you can go grab your credit card and hunt down any info you need to complete the application.

Step 3: Complete your pre-license education (150 hours)

This is the arduous part, at least in terms of time commitment. But getting all 150 of the required Oregon real estate pre-license education hours can actually be pretty easy because you can do it online and at your own pace. That means you don’t have to waste any extra time commuting to a specific location for classes or sitting there waiting for a course hour to start.

Step 4: Schedule your exam (30 minutes)

Once you’ve finished your pre-license hours, you’re eligible to sit for the Oregon real estate broker exam.

You can schedule your exam online with PSI, the state’s exam proctor. This should only take you a few minutes, but we allotted some extra time here so you can skim through their candidate bulletin, which tells you what to expect on exam day.

Step 5: Pass the real estate exam (4 hours)

The exam is broken into two sections — 150 minutes for the 80-question national portion and 90 minutes for the 50-question state portion — and you only need a 75% to pass.

Step 6: Get fingerprinted (15 minutes)

You can get fingerprinted at a PSI exam center. Check out their schedule. If you can take your exam during a window when they’re offering fingerprinting services, this part of the process can be a breeze.

Total time: 156 hours

All told, you should be able to get your Oregon broker license with a time investment of a little less than four workweeks. Not too bad, considering real estate can be a rewarding, lucrative, and flexible career.

Once your background check (which the state runs using your fingerprints) clears, your application gets approved, and a principal broker adds your license to their business, you’ll get your Oregon real estate broker license.