What Continuing Education Is Required for Me? *SC Edition*

*Updated 1/30/2024*

As the CE season approaches and the June 30th deadline looms, it’s time to plan ahead and complete your Continuing Education before the last-minute rush hits. But how are you supposed to know what is required of you? I will walk you through the steps you can take to know exactly what you need to do.

When do I expire?

All agents renew their licenses biennially, with half of them renewing in the first year and the other half in the second year. Whether you renew the first or second year the deadline will always be June 30th. You can check the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) licensee lookup to confirm your renewal date. 

License Type?

The Continuing Education (CE) requirements for real estate professionals depend on their license type. A salesperson or broker may have different CE requirements than a broker-in-Charge. To verify your license type, you can use the License Lookup feature provided by the LLR.

How do I find this on LLR?

To look up your license information, go to the licensee lookup page and enter either your name or license number in the search box. Then click the “find” button. A list of all the records that match your search criteria will appear. Find your name in the list and click your license number. This will take you to a page displaying your License number, License Type, Date of Initial Licensure, Status, and Expiration Date.

Salesperson/ Broker Requirements

Individuals holding a Salesperson or Broker License are required to complete 10 hours of Continuing Education (CE) classes before June 30th of the year their license expires. These 10 hours consist of a 4-hour Core course and 6 hours of Electives. Currently, the Core course available is called “Disclose, Disclose, Disclose.” We believe the best Electives for completing your Continuing Education are a 4-hour Perfecting Negotiations course and a 2.5-hour Ethics Elective (although if you complete your electives self-paced there will be a few other course options that are just as great).

Broker-in-Charge

If you’re a Broker-in-Charge, then there are different Continuing Education (CE) requirements that you need to fulfill. Although you still have to complete a total of 10 hours of CE, you will be required to take the 4-hour BIC Update course instead of the 4-hour Elective. However, you still need to take the 4-hour Core Course and 2 more Elective hours. Currently, the Core Course is Disclose, Disclose, Disclose, and we suggest taking the Ethics course as your last Elective since only 2 Elective hours are required.

Why do you recommend Ethics as an Elective? 

Our Ethics course has been approved by both the South Carolina Real Estate Commission and the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors (CCAR). This means that if you take our Ethics course, you will satisfy two requirements with one course. If you are a member, CCAR requires Ethics training every 3 years, and you renew your license every 2 years. By taking Ethics with each renewal period, you will fulfill the CCAR requirement without having to worry about the 3-year cycle. We believe that this helps to simplify what can be a complex process. 

What if I have an exemption for CE?

If you are unsure of whether you are exempt from certain continuing education (CE) requirements, it is advisable to contact the Real Estate Commission directly at (803)896-4400. Unfortunately, we are unable to determine exemptions from our end, and such information is not publicly available on LLR. If you do have an exemption, let us know so we can offer you better assistance with your remaining requirements.

Where Can I Take Professionalism Matters?

Professionalism Matters is only available self-paced from CCAR and you can take it for free from their website. Although a new one has not been released yet for 2024, this course is usually required to be completed every year before December 15th. 

Where Can I See What Courses I’ve Done Already?

The Real Estate Commission has made a recent change. Now, Education Providers are not required to give individual students Certificates of Completion for every class completed. Instead, they will now enter your completion into CE Broker – a site that the Real Estate Commission uses to keep track of which licensees have taken which courses. Each licensed individual has an account linked to their license number that serves as a way to access CE Broker. If you’re having trouble accessing your account, you can reach out to support at CE Broker for assistance.

Looking For NC Continuing Education? Click Here for more information.

Bottom Line

We are here to assist you in navigating through the Continuing Education Process and ensure that it is a less burdensome experience for you. We provide various class options, including In-person, Zoom, or Self-paced classes, to accommodate your schedule. You can check our schedule to view available class dates and self-paced courses. If you have any further inquiries regarding your continuing education requirements, please contact our office at (843)410-3340 or reach us by email at info@PinnacleRealEstateAcademy.com.