Portable NC Real Estate License: SC Edition

If you are a licensed real estate broker in North Carolina and live close to the South Carolina border, you may be considering expanding your business potential by getting a license to practice in both states.

But what does a South Carolina real estate license require?

What is Reciprocity?

In order to apply as a licensed agent through reciprocity, your North Carolina real estate license must be active and in good standing. If your license has expired or is inactive, you should reactivate and reinstate it prior to applying for reciprocity in another state. If you have any open disciplinary actions filed against you that have not been resolved, you will want to have them settled prior to submitting an application in another state. Applying for a license in another state requires you to have the ability to prove a track record of exceptional moral and ethical character.

South Carolina Reciprocity Requirements

South Carolina offers full reciprocity for all states and does not require that an applicant resides within the state to be considered for a license. Per the South Carolina Real Estate Commission website, to be considered for a broker’s license you will need to complete the following steps:

1. Take and pass the South Carolina state-specific section of the licensure exam.

2. After passing the exam, complete and submit a South Carolina real estate license application and pay all required application fees.

3. Provide certificates of licensure from the jurisdiction you are actively licensed in, and any other jurisdictions where you either hold or have held a license in the past five years.

4. Provide proof that you have been actively licensed in North Carolina for at least 6 months in order to obtain an SC Salesperson license or at least 3 years in order to obtain an SC Broker License. Any experience from more than five years ago will not be considered for reciprocity.

5. Following receipt of your reciprocity application, the South Carolina Real Estate Commission will provide you with instructions on how to get fingerprinted for a state and national background check. The Commission notes that you should not begin the process of obtaining a background check or fingerprinting until they have confirmed that they have received your application. Agents applying for reciprocity will also need to submit for a social security number-based background check. As with fingerprinting, this cannot be completed prior to the SC Real Estate Commission's confirmation of receipt of your application.

Though there are a number of requirements that must be met, the ability to conduct business in two neighboring states can be extremely profitable. Particularly considering population growth trends in Charlotte, Concord, Matthews, and Fort Mills, obtaining a South Carolina real estate license is certainly an act worthy of consideration in your career as a real estate broker.

Bear in mind, that these requirements can change at any time, and are only represented to be current as of the date of publication of this article. It is the responsibility of the prospective licensee to reach out to the Real Estate Commission for any state you are applying to check for any updates or changes to their reciprocity requirements.