How To Get a Minnesota Real Estate License, Step by Step

If you want to sell real estate in Minnesota, the path is clearer than most people think. Here is how it works, in order.

Step 1: Complete 90 hours of pre-licensing education

Minnesota salesperson applicants complete 90 hours of coursework before they can sit for the exam. Most people take it online at their own pace. The people who finish fastest treat it like a job and block time every day. At Kris Lindahl Real Estate, our standard is under 30 days, and three recent scholarship students finished all 90 hours and passed both exams in under two weeks.

Step 2: Pass the state and national exams

After the course you take the national and state portions of the licensing exam. Exam prep matters here. Practice questions, timed tests and a plan for the topics you miss will do more than rereading chapters.

Step 3: Find a sponsoring broker

A new Minnesota salesperson needs a broker to hang their license with. This is the most important decision you will make. Ask every brokerage the same questions. Where do my first appointments come from? Who coaches me, and how often? What do I owe, and when? What will be expected of me every single day?

Step 4: Apply to the Minnesota Department of Commerce

The Minnesota Department of Commerce issues the license. Requirements and fees change, so check their site for the current process before you apply.

Step 5: Start selling

A license is a permission slip. What you do in your first 90 days decides your career. At KLRE you arrive at 8 a.m., work the CRM until noon, hit the field in the afternoon, and have at least 20 Real Conversations a day.

Can KLRE pay for the course?

For approved applicants who are not yet licensed and who already know how to sell, yes. The scholarship pays for pre-licensing education and exam prep in exchange for a 12-month full-time commitment to KLRE after you are licensed. See the Minnesota scholarship page or start your application.