Become a Real Estate Agent in Arkansas (2026 Guide)
Ready to get your real estate license in Arkansas?
If you are a self-starter who is interested in a field with almost unlimited income potential, then you may want to become a real estate agent in Arkansas. So whether you are planning to do real estate part-time or are making it your new full-time career, we are going to share everything you need to do to get licensed.
We’ll cover:
Steps to Get a Real Estate License in Arkansas
The Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) requires that, in order to become a licensed real estate agent in the state of Arkansas, you must be at least 18 years old, a US citizen or a lawfully admitted alien, high school diploma or the equivalent, and complete the following steps:
- STEP 1: Complete 60-hour broker pre-licensing course approved by AREC
- STEP 2: Sign up and pass the Arkansas state real estate exam with a score of at least 70%
- STEP 3: Complete a background check and submit the Criminal Background Check Identity Verification Form
- STEP 4: Submit an application to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission
- STEP 5: Select a sponsoring brokerage to officially activate your license
How Long Does It Take to Get a Real Estate License?
Once you decide to become a real estate agent in Arkansas, you’re probably excited and want to get started immediately. Before you leave your current job, it’s important to understand how long the licensing process can take in Arkansas. Here is what an average timeline looks like:
- 2 to 8 weeks to complete your 60 hour pre-licensing course
- 1 to 2 weeks to get your real estate exam scheduled
- 1 to 3 weeks for real estate commission to process your license application
- 2 to 4 weeks to interview and select a real estate brokerage
You can easily expedite the timeline if you take the online course (versus the classroom). We also recommend interviewing brokerages while you are waiting to take your exam and/or while AREC is processing your application. That way, you are ready to hang your new license with a broker as soon as the application is approved. It’s definitely possibly to get your Arkansas license in less than 6 weeks!
Cost to Get a Real Estate License in Arkansas
There are several required expenses involved in getting your Arkansas real estate license. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to budget for:
| Licensing Expense | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Required 60-hour prelicensing course | $250 to $425 |
| AREC application fee | $50 |
| Arkansas and FBI background checks | $36.25 |
| Arkansas real estate exam | $75 |
| License and Recovery Fund fees | $75 |
| Exam-prep course or study materials | $25 to $150 (optional) |
After passing your licensing exam, you must submit your passing score report, license paperwork, and $75 in licensing and Recovery Fund fees to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission within 90 days.
Estimated Arkansas Licensing Costs
| Cost Estimate | Total |
|---|---|
| Required licensing expenses | $486.25 to $661.25 |
| Estimated total with optional exam prep | $511.25 to $811.25 |
More Expenses to Expect as a Brand-New Real Estate Agent
Getting your real estate license is a major accomplishment—but it’s also just the beginning! Once you become an agent, you’re essentially opening your own small business, which means there are several additional startup and ongoing expenses to consider.
Some of these costs may feel a little overwhelming at first, but knowing what to expect makes it much easier to compare brokerages, plan your budget, and avoid expensive surprises.
Common Expenses for Arkansas Real Estate Agents
| Expense | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| 18-hour salesperson post-license course | $200 to $275 |
| Annual continuing education | Approximately $50 to $100 |
| Arkansas salesperson license renewal | $60 annually |
| REALTOR® association membership | Varies by location; see examples below |
| Multiple Listing Service (MLS) | Approximately $150 to $175 quarterly |
| Local association or MLS application fees | $0 to $600 |
| SentriLock or Supra eKey | $100 to $150 annually |
| Brokerage joining fee | $0 to $500; approximately $250 on average |
| Monthly brokerage fee | $0 to $350 per month |
| Business cards and signage | Varies |
| Marketing and advertising | Varies |
New Arkansas salespersons must complete an 18-hour post-license course by the end of the sixth month following initial licensure. If the requirement isn’t completed on time, the license will be placed on inactive status until the education is finished.
Arkansas agents must also complete seven hours of approved continuing education annually, beginning with their second active license renewal. Renew by September 30 to avoid a late penalty. An active license that isn’t renewed by December 31 expires on January 1.
Examples of Arkansas REALTOR® Association Dues
Association dues vary depending on your location, when you join, and which services are included. Your payment may include local, state, and national REALTOR® dues, while MLS and electronic lockbox access may be billed separately.
| REALTOR® Association | Estimated Dues |
|---|---|
| Little Rock REALTORS® Association | Approximately $735 annually |
| Northeast Arkansas Board of REALTORS® | Approximately $800 annually |
| Faulkner County Board of REALTORS® | Contact the association for current dues |
| North Central Board of REALTORS® | Approximately $650 annually |
| Fort Smith Board of REALTORS® | Contact the association for current dues |
| Northwest Arkansas Board of REALTORS® | Contact the association for current dues |
Before joining an association or purchasing MLS and lockbox access, check with your sponsoring broker. Some brokerages or associations bundle these services, which can make a meaningful difference in your startup costs.
Total Cost to Become a Real Estate Agent in Arkansas
When you combine the cost of getting licensed with the common expenses involved in launching your business, you should plan to spend approximately $1,700 to $2,300 or more.
Your actual first-year expenses will depend heavily on your brokerage, local REALTOR® association, MLS package, and marketing choices. Monthly brokerage fees and optional advertising expenses can push your total above this general planning range.
Learn more about costs to become a real estate agent in Arkansas:
Find the Best Arkansas Real Estate Schools
To get your real estate license, you’ll have to attend a school that’s approved by the Arkansas Real Estate Commission. There are at least a dozen approved real estate schools throughout the state. Most are online, others in person, and a few do a combination of the two. Please note that some of the school links below are affiliate links. If you enroll through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Here are a few of the most popular:
- Colibri Real Estate – online with exam prep options
- Kaplan Real Estate Education – online with instructor support
- The CE Shop
- Arkansas Real Estate School
When shopping for the best Arkansas real estate schools, you’ll want to compare pricing, but there are a few other things you will need to consider:
- Are practice tests given to the students or is there any additional charge?
- Does the school promote their “pass rate” on their website? This will tell you what percentage of their students passed the state exam on the first try.
- Are there any guarantees if you don’t pass? For example, a few of the onlinen real estate schools will cover the cost for you to retake the state exam if you don’t pass on the first try.
- Do they offer a separate exam prep course or a weekend cram course?
How to Select a Real Estate Broker
In Arkansas, you must affiliate with a real estate brokerage in order actively help home buyers and sellers. This is often referred to as the “sponsoring broker” or “managing broker.” Picking the right brokerage to work with can be key to your success as a newly licensed agent.
We would recommend shopping for the best broker once you’ve completed the pre-licensing course and are waiting to take your state exam or while Arkansas is processing your application.
PRO TIP: Focus on your support system… not the commission splits.
While many newly licensed agents are looking for the best commission splits when shopping for brokers, we would highly recommend that you make that #2 or #3 on your list. The most important thing you should look for in a brokerage is how they support brand new real estate agents. Do they have a formal training program? Will you have at least 3 people you can reach out to if you have questions? Are they available outside traditional business hours? Do they have mentors – and what exactly will the mentors do to assist you?
Commonly Asked Questions
Most agents will describe the real estate licensing exam as “not easy.” There are 125 multiple choice questions on the exam and you must answer at least 70% of them correctly. We recommend taking lots of practice tests to prepare and if you still aren’t feeling 100% comfortable, you can enroll in an online real estate exam prep course.
The Arkansas real estate exam consists of 85 national questions and 40 questions that are state-specific. All questions are multiple choice, and you’ll have 4 hours to complete the exam.
The Arkansas real estate licensing examination is administered by Pearson VUE at physical testing locations across the state. The exam consists of 110 scored multiple-choice questions—80 on national real estate principles and 30 on Arkansas state-specific laws—and candidates are given four hours to finish. You must achieve a minimum score of 70% on both the national and state portions to pass; if you fail only one section, you are permitted to retake and pay for only that specific section.
It’s definitely not uncommon for people not to pass the exam on the first try. They make it fairly simple for you to retake the exam, you only need to retake the failed portion of the exam. You must wait 24 hours before scheduling to retake the exam to ensure that your initial results were processed correctly. The cost to retake the Arkansas state exam is $75 per attempt.
In order to become a real estate broker in Arkansas, you must have been licensed as a real estate salesperson for at least 24 months within the previous 48-month period. You must also complete 60 hours real esetate broker coursework. Once you submit your Experience Form and education completion certificate to AREC, they will review, approve and allow you to schedule your state exam.
Arkansas has reciprocal agreements with Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington, and West Virginia.
Within your first 6 months of being licensed, you are required to complete 18 hours of post-licensing coursework to maintain an active license.
You must submit your signed score report, sponsoring broker’s signature, and activation fees to AREC within 90 days of passing the exam. Missing this deadline forces you to restart elements of the application process.
Yes, but you must disclose all prior convictions or disciplinary actions on your Background Check Acknowledgement (BCA) form. The Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) reviews these on a case-by-case basis before issuing examination approval.
After passing both sections of the exam, you must submit your signed score report, your sponsoring broker’s endorsement, and the $75 license activation fee to AREC within 90 days. Missing this strict 90-day window invalidates your test results and requires you to reapply. Additionally, all newly licensed salespersons must complete 18 classroom hours of mandatory post-licensing education within six months of receiving their active license.
Kerry Lucasse and the Building Better Agents team talk with hundreds of newly licensed real estate agents each year. Most have no idea how challenging the first year or two can be and how much you need to learn to be successful. This business is not as easy as it looks on TV! Real estate can be a rewarding and profitable business if you are a self-starter who is 110% committed to being successful and you have the support of a great mentor and brokerage.
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